Suggestion/idea: Terry, take your celeb site names and put them up for auction at ebay. Go with a minimum bid somewhere between 70 and 200 dollars and take bids for thirty days. You probably won't get as much as you could with an active site, but you might be able to sell them for something that way, especially now that you have to pay for a site when you register it.

What do you think suzyamis would bring on ebay?

Terry: I'm sure you've been following this item, but I thought I'd post the latest from The Hollywood Reporter. IMVHO, this legislation wouldn't stand up if challenged in court. Who are they kidding? Total restraint of trade. Who are they going to go after next? Real estate developers (virtual real estate too)? puhleez! Or maybe I should legally change my name to IBM and then take them to court for exploiting MY name! ;-D Karen House evicting cybersquatters (Wed., Oct. 27, 1999) By Brooks Boliek WASHINGTON -- Hollywood's glitterati may be able to rest a little easier because Congress approved legislation Tuesday aimed at protecting the famous from cybersquatters who register Internet domain names simply to resell them or use them for unscrupulous purposes (HR 10/26). While the bill, approved in the House without dissent, was originally designed to protect companies with trademarks or servicemarks from cybersquatters, it was expanded to include celebrities after a concerted effort by Hollywood's creative community. Hollywood's luminaries wanted to be included in the bill because they found their names being hijacked by people who were seeking to make a quick buck or were using them to attract business to their sites. The Internet address www.BradPitt.com contains a blatant solicitation, www.SharonStone.com directs people to a porno site, and three men reportedly attempted to sell USA Networks chief Barry Diller his domain name for $10 million. Studios also have had trouble preventing people from registering domain n mes for their movies. "Current law is opening the commerce-rich Internet to pirates, crippling legitimate businesses and fattening the wallets of cyber-frauds," said Rep. James Rogan, R-Calif., who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va. Rogan said it would shore up consumer confidence in legitimate brand names and discourage fraudulent electronic commerce. The studios, led by Disney, balked at including famous people's names in the legislation but relented under pressure from lawmakers. The studios feared that the measure would give Hollywood stars too much control over the registration of Internet domain names that they might want to use but agreed to language worked out among Rogan, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif. The bill approved by the House includes language expressly forbidding the registration of "a famous personal name" as a URL if the buyer has "unfair" intentions, such as selling it for profit, using it for pornography or misleading the public by falsely suggesting celebrity endorsement. It would be up to the courts to decide what constitutes a famous name. People who have the same name as a celebrity would not be in violation for registering their name. In August, the Senate approved a similar bill, but the Clinton administration opposed the legislation, saying courts have been friendly to the victims of cybersquatting and it would be better to allow courts to develop a body of case law in the area. The administration also expressed concern that the legislation could invite other countries to enact their own laws, leading to uncertainty and additional expense for trademark owners seeking to protect the value of their trademarks. The administration, howev r, has not threatened to veto the legislation. Creative community lobbyists argue that the bill is necessary. "It would protect the integrity of individual names," said Margaret Cone, a lobbyist for a coalition of entertainment figures. "Famous people's names cannot be hijacked for ransom or turned into porno sites." Studio execs applauded the House action. "We congratulate the sponsor of this bill," MPAA chief Jack Valenti said. "It's long overdue and we applaud its passage."

I'm going to be "springnet" on here starting now. OK?