Bodyguard Cybersquats Indian Tribe Domains
A bodyguard who registered the domain names
miccosukeetribeofindiansofflorida.com and billycypress.com is refusing
to give them up to the tribe for less than $500,000 according to a
report in The Miami Herald.But after refusing offers of up to $100,000, the tribe is now threatening legal action to reclaim the domain names. The registrant, Steve Thiele, told the Herald ''I was using it to start a Miccosukee fan site." However all his sites lead to 1stunna.com, a website that has little to do with the tribe's culture, but more to do with his personal life. The home page features a shirtless Thiele, crouching in front of a red Dodge Charger with 24-inch wheels, as hip-hop music plays in the background. It also displays old newspaper articles about his criminal past.
General counsel for the tribe has given Thiele till Thursday to hand over the domain names before taking legal action. But his chances of keeping the domain names are slim according to Howard Neu, a Broward lawyer specializing in Internet domain name cases.
To read The Miami Herald report in full, see www.miamiherald.com/business/technology/story/712287.html.