What Is Cybersquatting?
ByTable of contents for Domain Names
When the internet was young, lots of money could be made by buying a domain name with a big company’s trademark in it. Then the person would dangle the name in front of the company like a carrot. Some people even went as far as to create a site at the domain name and post deragatory remarks about the company to encourage them to purchase. Most of the time, the company would eventually cave in and fork over big bucks to get control of it.
Or the cybersquatter would monetize a site located at the domain name and make money from traffic intended to go elsewhere.
Either way, that changed in 1999 with the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (PDF). This law subjects cybersquatters to civil lawsuits, so you’ll likely see a big company pull a big lawyer out instead of their big wallet. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather stay away from a courtroom facing some big conglomeration. Makes me sleep better at night. 
My advice? Stay away from domain names that contain another company’s name or a trademark.
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