Cybersquatting on Celebrities

JayLenoShow.com goes to The Jay Leno Show .... but for 5 years it went to a real estate website, or maybe it did not, maybe the real estate agent was just sitting on the domain and not using Jay Leno's name to sell real estate in Texas.

The clairvoyant domain owner bought the domain back in 2004 in anticipation of a show named the Jay Leno Show? 

The Jay Leno show starts in September.

A July story about Cybersquatting about Guadalupe Zambrano on MovieLine.com

"Meet Guadalupe Zambrano: Notorius Jaysquatter'

the Moveiline.com article written by Seth Abramavitz says:

"In time for July 4th, we bring you a real American hero: Guadalupe Zambrano, the domain squatter who owns thejaylenoshow.com, which currently brings you to a real estate sales page."

It sounds like the url was going to a site owned by Zambrano in July 2009. Not anymore...I broke the link... the domain which the real estate agent owned since 2004 now goes to Jay Leno's show. You can find the Jay Leno Show's site... without a link from me.

Cybersquatting

The Decision?

WIPO Domain Name Decision

"ADMINISTRATIVE PANEL DECISION

Jay Leno v. Guadalupe Zambrano

Case No. D2009-0570

"The Respondent observes that he has not attempted to sell the disputed domain name or to take any of a number of other actions that he could have taken had he registered the disputed domain name in order to exploit the domain name’s great potential for profit. The Respondent maintains instead that he is a fan of the Complainant. The Respondent’s position is that he has not acted in bad faith, that it is GE and not the Complainant that owns trademark rights in JAY LENO, and that he registered the disputed domain name five years before NBC decided to call the Complainant’s new Fall 2009 show THE JAY LENO SHOW. The Respondent contends that the Complaint has been filed to harass and intimidate him, and he accuses the Complainant of reverse domain name hijacking."

Cybersquatting

Old news... but local - The Columbus Dispatch on a Central Ohio Cybersquatting Squabble in the real estate business.

Do you own domain names of your competitors?  To sell the domain back to them in the future?  Or just so they can not own their name?  Or to redirect traffic from them?

Do you own domain names of local businesses? Builders? To help 'em?