Some cybersquatters register domains in bad faith as part of a business plan to monetize domains by leveraging famous trademarks and high-traffic web sites. Some cybersquatters just don’t understand the law. In this this tongue-in-cheek post, we provide a real world case study of the most common mistakes made by cybersquatters when registering trademark protected domains in bad faith. Below are some bullets for any cybersquatter to consider before engaging in this unlawful practice:

1: Don’t Admit That You Are A Bad Faith Cybersquatter.
2: Don’t Disclose All The Other Domains You Are Cybersquatting.
3: Cybersquatting on Proper Names is Also Illegal.
4: Trademark Registration is Not Required.
5: Defensive Domain Registration Is Not Required.
6: Don’t Admit You Are Stealing Traffic.
7: Don’t Offer to Sell The Squatted Domain Name At An Inflated Price.
8: Don’t Taunt Your Adversary If You Are Trying To Get Them To Pay An Amount Below the UDRP Arbitration Fee For The Domain.
9: The UDRP Applies to Registrants In Russia and Everywhere Else.
10: Just Because The Registrar ‘Lets’ You Register The Domain Doesn’t Mean You Can.
11: Two Cybersquatting Wrongs Don’t Make A Right.
12: Don’t Mention Google Adwords.

On a more serious note, blatant Cybersquatting—and its kissing cousin typosquatting—are serious problems with ramifications well beyond the UDRP or ACPA. Bad faith squatters become fodder for trademark rights groups, diminish the reputation of legitimate domainers registering high-traffic generic domains and inflame an already escalating situation. Read the full article on the Traverse Legal Cybersquatting blog.