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Cyber-squatters pounce on Beckham
LONDON: David Beckham's switch to US Major League Soccer sparked a mad scramble by cyber-squatters for Internet domain names that could cash in on the move, industry insiders said yesterday.
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.
NetNames, which manages domain name portfolios for top companies and celebrities, said that within 90 minutes, a cyber-squatter in southern England has bought Lagalaxy.co.uk, Lagalaxy.info and Lagalaxy.org. In the US, HTTP://www.davidbeckhamgalaxy.com, www.beckhamgalaxy.com Coming Soon! and **WiFi Domains** Wimax Triple Play IPTV Geek Squad VoIP Public Safety Broadband were all registered quickly.
"This is some of the fastest cyber squatting I have ever seen," said Jonathan Robinson, chief operating 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.
'Spend it like Beckham' - 46
LONDON: David Beckham's switch to US Major League Soccer sparked a mad scramble by cyber-squatters for Internet domain names that could cash in on the move, industry insiders said yesterday.
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.
NetNames, which manages domain name portfolios for top companies and celebrities, said that within 90 minutes, a cyber-squatter in southern England has bought Lagalaxy.co.uk, Lagalaxy.info and Lagalaxy.org. In the US, HTTP://www.davidbeckhamgalaxy.com, www.beckhamgalaxy.com Coming Soon! and **WiFi Domains** Wimax Triple Play IPTV Geek Squad VoIP Public Safety Broadband were all registered quickly.
"This is some of the fastest cyber squatting I have ever seen," said Jonathan Robinson, chief operating 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.
'Spend it like Beckham' - 46
