The U.S. House of Representatives approved Tuesday a
bill that will "make it easier for celebrities to block so-
called cybersquatters from using their famous names" as
Internet addresses, according to DAILY VARIETY's Christopher
Stern. The bill would give celebrities "the same rights to
their names on the Internet as a trademarked company." A
"similar" bill has been passed by the Senate and the two
bodies will meet in conference "to hammer out the
differences between" the two bills (DAILY VARIETY, 10/27).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL's John Simons reports that law
violations would be punishable by as much as $100,000. If a
site is registered before the law goes into effect, the
trademark holder "can demand the cancellation or return of a
domain name that uses its trademark." But Simons adds, "The
legislation is supposed to clarify the rights of trademark
holders, but instead, it raises a number of questions and
will likely spark a heated debate as it heads toward
President Clinton's desk" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/27). The
N.Y. TIMES' Jeri Clausing writes that "civil libertarians"
are "concerned" that the cybersquatter bill will "trample on
free speech on the Internet" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/27).
