Olympics organisers fight cybersquatters

by Louise Banbury, Brand Republic 17-Jul-00

The International Olympic Committee is taking legal action against websites which have registered domain names containing the word “Olympic”.

LONDON (Brand Republic) - The International Olympic Committee is taking legal action against websites which have registered domain names containing the word “Olympic”.

The IOC, the US Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake organising committee have filed a lawsuit in a US Federal court against the 1,800 sites which have registered domain names that include the word “Olympic” or related words such as “Olympiad”.

According to a joint statement from the organisers, many of the offending domains had been registered outside the US and many were cybersquatters -- people who register trademarks as domain names “in bad faith”.

This is the largest case brought under the US Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999.