Every day, there is someone who is a victim of domain hijacking (cybersquatting). While many people do not know this sort of thing exists, the fact is that it has been around just about as long as the Internet has been in our homes. Here are some answers to the questions “what is cybersquatting?” and “what is domain hijacking”, along with some information on what you can do if you find yourself a victim of domain hijacking (cybersquatting).

It is easier to answer the question on domain hijacking first. In this scenario, a thief is able to convince a domain registrar that he or she is in fact the current lawful subscriber to the domain name in question and needs to make some changes on the registration. After successfully convincing the registrar of their credentials, the thief proceeds to wrest control of the domain name, often redirecting it to another site or parking it for the time being. It can take a lot of time and effort to undo the damage and get control of your domain name again. Often, it will require the intervention of legal authorities before the registrant will take steps to restore the original ownership information.

With that in mind, the cybersquatting definition becomes clearer. Upon gaining control of a domain name, the cybersquatter may then move to sell the domain to the highest bidder. Some of the more famous cybersquatting examples involve the acquisition of domain names that contain the names of celebrities. In an effort to get the celebrity to purchase the domain name at an inflated price, the cybersquatter may put up a web page that is full of hateful or derogatory statements about the celebrity. This practice opened up a world of cybersquatting legal issues, which has led to the passing of a number of cybersquatting laws. A cybersquatting recent case led to successfully allowing the celebrity to acquire the domain name and to the successful prosecution of the cybersquatting thief. This was a giant jump forward for persons who worry about domain hijacking (cybersquatting) in that the laws are working and crooks are being prosecuted.

A domain name hijacking crime can now be dealt with more effectively, as well as godaddy cybersquatting. While persons will always be able to make money by creating domain names that are relevant to other entities, they will not have the ability to create blatant domain names that can easily be confused with well known names nor is it as easy to convince registrars to allow unauthorized changes to a domain registration. Still, the fight against domain hijacking (cybersquatting) will continue as thieves look for ever more creative ways to take that which does not belong to them