Microsoft is taking legal action against cyber-squatters
in the UK and the US.
The move includes the expansion of a lawsuit filed in Seattle
last August and the filing of a new action against US company
Maltuzi for
alleged trademark infringement.
Microsoft has also revealed it has settled a domain infringement
settlement with the UK's Dyslexic Domain Company and two US civil
lawsuits it filed against defendants in Salt Lake City and Los
Angeles.
Cyber-squatters register internet domain names containing not
only widely recognised trademarked names and brands, but also
misspelled variations of them.
Such sites can trick unsuspecting computer users and be used to
generate illegal profits. Screens filled with pay-per-click
advertisements greet visitors to these sites, which can generate
revenue for the registered domain owner and the online ad
network.
Microsoft has launched five new legal actions in the UK against
companies that have registered domain names allegedly infringing on
Microsoft’s trademarks and other rights.
Microsoft's settlement with Dyslexic Domain, which it claimed
had registered more than 6,000 domains, included a monetary payment
to Microsoft and other confidential clauses.
Microsoft says it has reclaimed more than 1,100 infringing
domain names worldwide in the past six months.
“These sites confuse visitors who are trying to reach genuine
company websites, which can negatively affect corporate brands and
reputations as well as impair the end-users’ experience online,”
said Aaron Kornblum, senior attorney with Microsoft. “With every ad
hyperlink clicked, a registrant or ad network harvests cash at the
trademark owner’s expense, while derailing legitimate efforts by
computer users who are trying to go to a specific website.”
Microsoft is also investigating potential violations of
intellectual property law in other nations. “We hope that our
stance and activity on this issue will help motivate and empower
other companies whose brands are abused to take action,” Kornblum
said.
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