Typosquatting Default Judgment for Facebook
Typosquatting Default Judgment for Facebook
(CN) - So-called typosquatters that registered Internet domains an errant finger away from Facebook's name infringed on the website's trademark, a federal judge ruled.
Facebook had sued eight companies - including Cleanser Products, Counter Balance Enterprises and Intercontinental Domain - and four individuals for trademark infringement and breach of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), in 2011.
The social networking giant sought injunctive relief that would give it control over numerous domain names that allegedly infringed on its marks, established in 2004.
Looking at the 11 defendants that failed to formally appear in the action, U.S. District Judge Kandis Westmore recommended Wednesday that they turn over more than 100 domains and pay $2.8 million in damages.
Typosquatters, which alter the spelling of common websites and register their results, intentionally divert traffic away from the Internet user's intended target.
"Each of the default defendants registered at least one Internet domain name that includes or misspells the Facebook domain, facebook.com, or - in the case of Cleanser Products - owned and operated websites to which Internet users were redirected when they visited infringing domain names," according to the 37-page filing, levied in Oakland, Calif.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/05/03/57277.htm
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