Re: the cybersquatting bill (was: Don't Split the List etc.)

[Mark Jeftovic <markjr@privateworld.com>]

[: hacktivism :]


On 29-Oct-99 Lizzie Borden wrote:
> [: hacktivism :]
> 
> 
> From: Chuck0 <chuck@tao.ca>
>>
>> I like the idea of creating critical sites like GWbush.com or
>> Yesrudy.com. I think what the McLibel folks did with their site also
>> ties into this thread. The ruling class really crapped in their pants
>> about that website. I even found a book on web marketing aimed at
>> business types that used the McLibel website as a case example of how
>> lawyers can screw up a company's image.
> 
> This is why I thought the cybersquatting bill might be significant as a
> target for hacktivists. The bill would give rights to entities such as
> McDonalds and George Bush Jr. to claim relative parody domain names without
> recompense to the originator. An example: George Bush Jr. could confiscate
> the domain www.gwbush.com  simply because it is his name, and the parody is
> about him, and the original domain owner couldn't do anything about it. In
> effect, it undermines free speech and gives more power to those who have the
> most money and corporate clout. It seems to me that this is something
> hacktivists would be interested in subverting. However, I wouldn't know
> exactly where or how to start such subversion, so I was hoping there was
> something already in the works. If not, then perhaps someone can direct me
> as to what sorts of hacktivist efforts could be accomplished to protest this
> action - with that knowledge I might be willing to organize such an effort.
>

Consider most works of parody outside the digital realm use slight 
obfuscation of the names anyways. I.e. you wouldn't see a magazine
that parodies gwbush be called "GWBUSH" but maybe "GwLush" (or 
maybe "Crackhead Quarterly").

I would be somewhat aghast if somebody regged markjeftovic.com in
bad faith and I would feel there should be some recourse available
to me if it happened, regardless of whether or not I'm a Big Corporation.
(It's not like I can go out and register my own name in all 255 TLD's)

This issue gets flogged endlessly on the domain-policy lists which is
nicely balkanized into NSI-apologists, ICANN execs, alternate TLD ops,
domain collectors, domain hoarders, tekheads, and total whackos.

One guy (domainiac) registered estherdyson.com in protest. 

-mark

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