Microsoft expands cybersquatter fight

Microsoft on Tuesday said that it had filed new lawsuits against cybersquatters in the U.K. and the U.S., charging violation of intellectual property law. The software giant has also settled a case against Dyslexic Domain Company Limited from the U.K. and two U.S. suits filed in August against defendants in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, it said. The U.S. settlements include $3 million in judgments against the squatters, Microsoft said.

The cybersquatters pursued by Microsoft registered Internet domain names such as winowslivemessenger.com and micr0soft.co.uk, the company said. Unsuspecting computer users often land on those sites after mistyping domain names, Microsoft said. The company uses a tool called Strider URL Tracer with Typo-Patrol to track down such domains, it said.