In 2006 Google was forced to take legal action to acquire the domain google.by, which had been registered and used for years by a Belarusian businessman to represent his own business.
Tesla Motors was initially forced to use the domain teslamotors.com, as tesla.com was owned by a private individual. In 2016 the company purchased the domain for a significant sum, resolving a conflict that had originated back in the 1990s. Similarly the individual who registered microsoft.org attempted to sell the domain to Microsoft at an inflated price in 2001 but failed, as the court ruled in favor of the company and ordered the domain to be returned.
The cases described fall under a common term: cybersquatting. It is one of the legal challenges of the Internet age – the misuse of domain names, which has evolved into a form of modern digital blackmail. The individuals behind this practice, known as cybersquatters, register domains that are identical or confusingly similar to the names of well-known brands, companies, or public figures, without their consent. The objective is clear: to sell these domains to the rightful owners at an inflated price or to exploit them for personal business gain.
This type of abuse – cybersquatting – is regulated by law in some countries and is also subject to international arbitration mechanisms, such as those offered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which operates under the United Nations system. The well-known madonna.com case was resolved in favor of the famous singer Madonna, following a decision by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
More detailed information about cybersquatting and other forms of cyber abuse can be found in the free encyclopedia Wikipedia. As part of the “WikiHay” campaign – dedicated to the 30th anniversary of .am domain and organized by the Internet Society NGO – over 100 new articles on IT-related concepts, individuals and organizations have been added.
