Cybersquatting facts for kids

Cybersquatting, also known as domain squatting, is when someone registers an internet domain name, like "yourcompany.com", hoping to make money from a famous brand or person's name. They don't own the brand, but they try to profit from its popularity.

The word "squatting" means occupying a place you don't own or have permission to use. Cybersquatting is similar, but it happens online with website names.

What is Cybersquatting?

Cybersquatting happens when someone registers, sells, or uses an internet domain name with a bad intention. Their goal is to make money from the good reputation of a trademark that belongs to someone else. A trademark is like a special name or logo that identifies a company or product.

Cybersquatting Laws in the United States

Some countries have special laws to stop cybersquatting. In the United States, there's a law called the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), passed in 1999. This law helps protect both individuals and companies from cybersquatting.

For example, actor Kevin Spacey had trouble getting control of "kevinspacey.com". Even with the ACPA, the law sometimes considers owning a website name "fair use" if the person isn't trying to sell it for profit. Kevin Spacey eventually won the domain name through a special arbitration process.

Cybersquatting Cases in Spain

In Spain, the Supreme Court made an important decision about cybersquatting in 2022. This case helped explain how cybersquatting fits into Spanish law.

The case involved a religious group called Alpha Education for Comprehensive Health. Four members of the group created a website for donations, using the domain "www.alfatelevision.org". Later, these four members had disagreements with the group. They created a new website, changed the old website's domain name, and changed passwords for accounts. This redirected donations from followers to their new accounts. The group then fired the four members.

The group's secretary reported the four members. A court first found them guilty, saying the internet domain was an asset of the group. However, the Supreme Court later said the four members were not guilty of the specific crime they were accused of. The court explained that their actions happened before they were fired, and they were allowed to do those things at the time.

The Spanish court also mentioned other ways cybersquatting could be a crime:

• If someone tries to harm a brand's rights, it could be a crime against intellectual property.
• If someone uses a domain name to trick people into giving them money, it could be fraud.
• If cybersquatting is used to attack a domain name, it could be a computer sabotage crime.

See also

• Brandjacking
• Domain name front running
• Domain Name System
• Domain sniping
• Domain tasting
• Top-level domain
• Typosquatting
• Uniform Resource Locator (URL)