Cyberpiracy - The U.S. Legislative Response

Authors

• John M. Cone

Abstract

During the 1990s, Americans embraced a new personal and commercial communication medium - the Internet. When the World Wide Web and millions of websites were introduced in the early 1990s, the Internet changed from an obscure tool for exchanging military and scientific information to a ubiquitous communication technology. During this period, some people sought to capitalize on the Internet's increasing commercial potential by reserving Internet use of famous corporate names and then selling the reserved names back to the companies for hefty profits. Lawsuits concerning this practice - dubbed "cybersquatting" or "cyberpiracy" - produced inconsistent results. By the end of the decade, Congress responded with a comprehensive federal statute, the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act ("ACPA").' This article addresses the mechanics of ACPA claims and assesses the ACPA's effect on the cyberpiracy problem.

Recommended Citation

John M. Cone, Cyberpiracy - The U.S. Legislative Response, 6 Computer L. Rev. & Tech. J. 221 (2002)