Cyber-squatters pounce on Beckham move to US
Within minutes of the ex-England captain announcing he will join Los Angeles Galaxy after his contract at Spanish giants Real Madrid runs out in June, cyber-squatters were buying up a host of names linked to the big-money move.
Cyber-squatters buy up domain names cheaply and then often sell them to the persons or companies whose names are involved at a vastly inflated price.
Midfielder Beckham, 31, is one of the world's most marketable sports stars and his new five-year deal is worth a reported 248 million dollars.
NetNames, which manages domain name portfolios for top companies and celebrities, said that within 90 minutes, a cyber-squatter in southern England has bought www.lagalaxy.co.uk, www.lagalaxy.info and www.lagalaxy.org.
In the United States, www.davidbeckhamgalaxy.com, www.beckhamgalaxy.com and www.beckhamgalaxy.info were all registered quickly.
"This is some of the fastest cyber squatting I have ever seen," said Jonathan Robinson, chiefoperating officer of NetNames.
"David Beckham is a major international brand and there are clearly many people who have seen an opportunity to cash in.
"Securing these domain names after Beckham's announcement on Thursday was the online equivalent of the first day of the Harrods sale as opportunists fought for the domain name rights to every single permutation of the Beckham brand crossed with LA Galaxy.
He said stars are vulnerable to cyber squatters if they don't act fast to secure domains before they need them. "A domain name is easy to secure in the first place but retrieving it from a cyber squatter is easier said than done.
"The potential damage a malicious registration could do to a celebrity's brand is untold. Just imagine if one of Beckham's sponsors finds his most popular unofficial website takes surfers to a rival brand."
Former Manchester United winger Beckham's switch to Major League Soccer is being touted as a major attempt to expand football's popularity in the United States.
www.afp.com
Cyber-squatters buy up domain names cheaply and then often sell them to the persons or companies whose names are involved at a vastly inflated price.
Midfielder Beckham, 31, is one of the world's most marketable sports stars and his new five-year deal is worth a reported 248 million dollars.
NetNames, which manages domain name portfolios for top companies and celebrities, said that within 90 minutes, a cyber-squatter in southern England has bought www.lagalaxy.co.uk, www.lagalaxy.info and www.lagalaxy.org.
In the United States, www.davidbeckhamgalaxy.com, www.beckhamgalaxy.com and www.beckhamgalaxy.info were all registered quickly.
"This is some of the fastest cyber squatting I have ever seen," said Jonathan Robinson, chiefoperating officer of NetNames.
"David Beckham is a major international brand and there are clearly many people who have seen an opportunity to cash in.
"Securing these domain names after Beckham's announcement on Thursday was the online equivalent of the first day of the Harrods sale as opportunists fought for the domain name rights to every single permutation of the Beckham brand crossed with LA Galaxy.
He said stars are vulnerable to cyber squatters if they don't act fast to secure domains before they need them. "A domain name is easy to secure in the first place but retrieving it from a cyber squatter is easier said than done.
"The potential damage a malicious registration could do to a celebrity's brand is untold. Just imagine if one of Beckham's sponsors finds his most popular unofficial website takes surfers to a rival brand."
Former Manchester United winger Beckham's switch to Major League Soccer is being touted as a major attempt to expand football's popularity in the United States.
www.afp.com
Labels: internet
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