CYBER SQUATTERS

October 10, 2014 Jaybee 2 Comments


Hello everyone, sorry for the long silence and I promise the little bugging issue has been handled. So you can enjoy your beloved MMT all you want as from now on.
So the topic of the day is:
CYBER SQUATTING

I’m sure many people don’t know what this term means and I’ll be kind enough to explain it to you.
Cyber Squatting is the act of pre-purchasing a domain name related to a brand or company with the mind of reselling it for a very inflated price when the brand or company needs it. The domain might be for an upcoming or already known brand but squatters know they will need the domain name. some even go as far as cyber stalking and taunting them to buy a related domain name, just because they are the squatters ready to sell the www.forexample.com
According to wiki, Cybersquatting (also known as domain squatting), is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers to sell the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price.

So, the term is derived from "squatting", which is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building that the squatter does not own, rent, or otherwise have permission to use. Cybersquatting, however, is a bit different in that the domain names that are being "squatted" are (sometimes but not always) being paid for through the registration process by the cybersquatters.
Cybersquatters usually ask for prices far greater than that at which they purchased it. Some cybersquatters put up derogatory remarks about the person or company the domain is meant to represent in an effort to encourage the subject to buy the domain from them. Others post paid links via advertising networks to the actual site that the user likely wanted, thus monetizing their squatting.

Have you ever typed www.thefacebook.com into your web browser?... That exactly was the name before Mark decided to change it to just www.facebook.com but guess what? Guess cyber squatters already saw that coming and sold it for a high price but not too high compared to what they would’ve been paying now if they wanted the name they bear now. Big names and brand gets preyed on by Cyber squatters but there’s also an AntiCyberSquatting Consumer Prosecution Act in some countries to curtail the act of these ruthless advantage seeker.

This is the only reason a big Nigerian blogger like Linda Ikeji who just recently had her blog taken down and restored won’t get her own .com domain name – Cyber Squatters must have bought almost every option she probably can think of, waiting to sell it to her for an unpredictable price.

Cybersquatting, now with the boom of social media has extended to the two very popular social media although these are also making every effort to block cyber-squatter’s effort.

Twitter

Twitter's "Name Squatting" policy forbids the cybersquatting as seen in many domain name disputes, like "username for sale" accounts: "Attempts to sell or extort other forms of payment in exchange for usernames will result in account suspension." Additionally, Twitter has an "Impersonation Policy" that forbids non-parody impersonation. An account may be guilty of impersonation if it confuses or misleads others; "accounts with the clear intent to confuse or mislead may be permanently suspended." Twitter's standard for defining parody is whether a reasonable person would be aware that the fake profile is a joke. Lastly, soon after the a very big law suit was filed against Twitter, They took another step to prevent "identity confusion" caused by squatting by unveiling "Verified Accounts." Usernames stamped with the "verified account" insignia indicate that the accounts are real and authentic.

Facebook

Facebook reserves the right to reclaim usernames on the website if they infringe on a trademark. Trademark owners are responsible for reporting any trademark infringement on a username infringement form Facebook provides. Furthermore, Facebook usernames require "mobile phone authentication." In order to obtain a username, the individual needs to verify the account by phone.

So if you are on blogger and still contemplating on getting your domain name, my candid opinion is you should act fast before you have to settle some cyber omo’nile. Forget about those asking for about those asking for around $19 to help you change it, send a mail to admin@maturemindstalk.com and let’s do it for FREE! 
Have a nice weekend and kindly remember to visit our FORUM
Mature Minds Talk.

Hello. I'm Ogidi-Olu Elijah. A Creative Content Developer, Freelance writer and Blogger. I also help people manage their blogs via content management. Thanks for checking me out on MMT. Where, we talk with no holds barred. Got something for me? Kindly send me a mail. It's good to have you here. Let's have some fun!

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2 comments:

  1. Amaka Hundeyin14 October 2014 at 18:58

    my cyber boo... I'll contact you asap

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20 October 2014 at 13:59

      Still waiting. Thanks for stopping by though.

      Delete

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