http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2558562887-a7b 10:43 AM ET 02/23/99 'Cybersquatters' Ordered To Surrender 'Cybersquatters' Ordered To Surrender HOUSTON (AP) _ A federal judge has ordered two South Texas men to turn over 11 Internet domain names to Microsoft Corp. Microsoft filed suit in December against Kurtis K. Karr and Kenny Brewer, who live in La Feria, Texas, a town of 3,400 people about 10 miles west of Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley. The ruling was handed down earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Melinda Harmon, the Houston Chronicle reported today. The judge also issued an injunction barring Karr and Brewer from using the Microsoft names again. The lawsuit alleged that the two men were infringing on trademarks for popular products by the world's largest software maker and were misleading the public. No punitive damages were awarded. Ronald Secrest, Microsoft's Houston attorney, said the transfer of the valuable Microsoft domain names is payment enough. ``The main lesson to be learned is that the trade names that are important to Microsoft and others have been recognized as valuable and cannot be taken and misappropriated by others,'' Secrest said. Among the Internet domain names registered by Karr, a recreational vehicle dealer, and Brewer, a fishing guide, were microsoftwindows.com and microsoftoffice.com. The lawsuit in federal court described the men as ``pirates'' and ``cybersquatters.'' Microsoft says the men have registered dozens of famous brand names, including AirborneExpress.com, AlamoRentaCar.com, AssociatedPress.com and TravelersInsurance.com. Karr's attorney, Curtis Bonner, told the Houston Chronicle that Karr has decided to get out of the domain name business. ``We were just glad to conclude the problem and get on with our lives,'' Bonner said. ``It's not a lot of fun fighting Microsoft, as the U.S. government will tell you.'' Microsoft spokesman Adam Sohn said the company offered Karr and Brewer a modest settlement, as it has done in similar cases, Sohn said, but nothing could be worked out. Sohn said it cost around $100 to register a domain name, but the Texas men wanted Microsoft to pay them much more. ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The NEW Web Consultants Association FORUMS and CHAT: Register Today at: http://just4u.com/forums/ Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants Give the Gift of Life This Year... Just4U Stop Smoking Support forum - helping smokers for over three years-tell a friend: http://just4u.com/forums/ To get 500 Banner Ads for FREE go to http://www.linkbuddies.com/start.go?id=111261 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
