For domains, name-calling is big bucks

 

roundup

When ".com" leads to dollars, it's no wonder that companies and individuals are involved in legal battles over who has the right to own what domain name. Meanwhile, the expiration of Network Solutions' monopoly over the most popular domain names is imminent.

New top-level domains on horizon The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has issued a working draft of a proposal to reserve a handful of new top-level domains, or TLDs. PaineWebber wins ruling against porn link A federal judge blocks an Internet entrepreneur from trying to lure viewers to a sex-oriented Web site when they accidentally mistype the address for PaineWebber's home page. CEO domain names are hot ticket Hundreds of Web domains featuring the names of well-known CEOs and other celebrities have been bought by entrepreneurs and Christian fund-raisers who claim to be "protecting" them. Microsoft sues over misleading domains Microsoft and MSNBC sue three Los Angeles County residents for allegedly registering Internet domain names similar to their own, potentially leading computer users to the wrong Web sites.