Have you ever tried to locate information on the World Wide Web about a well known business or individual? If so, you probably used a search engine like Google or Yahoo. Maybe you looked for information on Wikipedia. Or perhaps, you searched by domain name, typing in the name of the business or individual followed by “.com,” “.net,” or “.org.”

Searching by domain name often takes Internet users directly to a business’ or individual’s website – often, but not always. Sometimes it takes users to a completely different destination.

For example, until November of 2007, if Internet users tried to locate information via a domain name search about Lee Iacocca, the internationally known, former president of the Chrysler Corporation, they probably were surprised and even a bit confused by what they found. That’s because, before November 2007, “leeiacocca.com” took users to a website featuring pop-up advertising, pay-per-click advertisements, and hyper-links to other commercial websites. Nowhere on the website did users find information about Mr. Iacocca, his businesses, or his achievements because Mr. Iacocca had nothing to do with the website. The only connection the website had to Mr. Iacocca was its name. Lee Iacocca, like many others, was a victim of cybersquatting.