London Computer Club Is Blamed in Major ‘Cybersquatting’ Case

Register.com, a New York-based company that registers Internet addresses for businesses or individuals, was unwittingly used in one of the largest episodes of “cybersquatting”--the speculative buying and selling of those addresses. As previously reported, Pictureweb, a computer club in London, registered about 75,000 addresses earlier this year.

Network Solutions, until recently the exclusive administrator for Internet addresses, or domain names, initially said that Register.com had provided registration services to Pictureweb. But on further investigation, Network Solutions determined that Register.com was unwittingly used by the English club, said Network Solutions spokesman Brian O’Shaughnessy. The group conducted mass registrations with an automated template that inserted Register.com information into application forms filed without Register.com’s participation, O’Shaughnessy said. Most of the names have since been decertified.