An operator alleged to have used 5,500-plus ‘copycat’ Web address...
An operator alleged to have used 5,500-plus “copycat” Web addresses to lure users from their online destinations to one of his sites, then bombard their screens with adult- themed ads, will forfeit $164,000 to settle FTC charges he violated…
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a court order. In October 2001, the FTC charged John Zuccarini, operating as Cupcake Party, with registering domain names that misspelled legitimate domain names or incorporated “transposed or inverted words or phrases,” often inadvertently causing users to land on one of his sites. Zuccarini’s sites popped up ad windows for Internet gambling, and porn and other goods and services that were “difficult or impossible” to close, the FTC said. In May 2002, a court ordered Zuccarini to stop and give up $1.8 million. In 2003, he was convicted of misleading use of domain names and possession of child porn. Zuccarini was sentenced to 30 months in prison and 36 months’ supervised release. But in 2006, the FTC charged that Zuccarini was up to his old tricks and the court issued a temporary restraining order. In the settlement announced Tuesday, he admitted violating the original order.