DomainNameSquatter: one who registers a domain name in hopes of selling it to a company or business likely to want to use that name.

DomainNameSquatter''''s often register ".com" names of corporations, in hopes of selling back the name at a high price when the company wants to go on-line. This may not always work for the DomainNameSquatter, as the company can take legal action to protect registered trademarks.  However, legal action is also costly, so many companies will just pay the DomainNameSquatter.
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Some relevant web sites:
* WikiPedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting
* "Handling Domain-name Squatters" -- http://www.pcquest.com/content/features/101123103.asp
* "Trigraph domain names: the end of a frontier." -- http://www.honeylocust.com/trigraphs/

* "Domain Names: Memorable, Global, Non-political?" of "Clay Shirky's Writings About the Internet Economics & Culture, Media & Community, Open Source" [an informative article] -- http://www.shirky.com/writings/domain_names.html
* "DNS protection still inadequate to combat online abuses" [a general introductory news article] -- http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/dns.htm
* "Truth in Domain Names Act of 2003" [article about legislation in the USA. covers only porn, obscenity and "harmful to minors"] -- http://www.cybertelecom.org/dns/truth.htm

* "[ECARM] Of TM-squatters and cybersquatters" [an informed opinion piece] -- http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/e-carm/msg02272.html
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Is there some special reason why most DomainNameSquatter''''s seem to pretend to be search engines? Is it to create confusion among consumers? Is it to bolster their legal defense? Anyone know?

My guess is that they get small cash payments if people click out on their links.

''What you want, when you want it!''
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New question:

Obviously nobody should ever use an edit field that says "search for your domain name here to see if it's available". This looks like the most convenient way for DNSers to harvest the longer names to squat on.

Are there any stories or warning signs here? Even partly respectable sites seem to do it...
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CategoryAddress