David Beckham re-invents the internet

NEWS David Beckham has breathed new life into the internet, with his move to Real Madrid sparking a flurry of online activity. Within hours of Beckham signing for the Spanish giants, a domain name frenzy was underway, with individuals buying up as many domains as they could lay their hands on which included any combination of David, Beckham and 23 - his new shirt number. Becks23.com, Beckham23.com and Becks23.co.uk were among the first to be snapped up according to research released by registrar NetNames. The intentions of the individuals behind these domains remain unclear. Some may be intending to sell unofficial merchandise, and trade off Beckham's name, or they may be hoping the man himself comes in with a big money offer to take back the domain name. In all likelihood many are cyber squatters - sitting on the domain name until somebody comes in with an offer to take it off their hands, for a profit. However, the new owners may well be disappointed. If Beckham and his management company set about cleaning unofficial sites off the web it is likely they would go the legal route, rather than offer pay-offs. Beckham has long owned the 'image rights' to his name and the multi-million pound marketing circus which surrounds him is unlikely to give up revenue without a fight. However, speaking to silicon.com, David Naylor, a partner at law firm Morrison and Foerster, said instances of URL abuse are among the hardest to resolve. He said companies and individuals should always consider registering "close variations of their domain name and any likely alternative URLs" to remove the need to fight cases at a future date. Fighting cyber squatting cases through the courts can prove to be a headache, according to Naylor. And it's not just Beckham who may feel wronged. German brewing giant Becks may also want to have a say in the matter.