Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act

The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act ("ACPA"), enacted on November 29, 1999, amends the Lanham Act by adding a new Section 43(d).  The new section provides trademark owners with a civil remedy against cybersquatting - the registering of others' trademarks as domain names and profiting from the sale of those domain names or traffic through the site.  In enacting the law, Congress found that the unauthorized registration or use of trademarks as Internet domain names or other identifiers of online locations (commonly known as `cybersquatting')-- (1) results in consumer fraud and public confusion as to the true source or sponsorship of products and services; (2) impairs electronic commerce, which is important to the economy of the United States; and (3) deprives owners of trademarks of substantial revenues and consumer goodwill.  A mark up of ACPA can be view at a Statement of Senator Orrin G. Hatch before the Committe on the Judiciary and the Act itself can be viewed at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  Additionally, the Legal Information Institute provides Title 15 of the US Code, which encompasses the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act.