Two actions taken last week, in two separate jurisdictions, show that governments around the US are still intent on individually regulating the Internet.
According to Media Post, on Friday, the Utah House of Representatives, narrowly passed H.B. 450, which would bar companies from using rivals’ trademarks to trigger ads on search engines, directories or other Web sites.
The measure, approved by a vote of 38-36, now moves to the state Senate.
This new bill attempts to limit its impact to within the state, in an attempt to keep from getting shot down on the grounds that the law interferes with interstate commerce.
In its current form, the bill only regulates marketers who purchase ads and not sites like Google that display them. But a coalition of Web companies, including Google, AOL, Microsoft and eBay, say the act could hurt ad-supported sites by choking off potential revenue. Last week, the group sent a letter opposing the bill to Utah House Speaker David Clark.
On Thursday, last week the sherriff’s department in Cook County sued Craiglist.org charging the online classifieds site with facilitating prostitution.
The Cook County Sheriff’s department, which encompasses Chicago, asked the court to force Craigslist to close its erotic services section and pay damages for the money the police have spent monitoring the forum and pursuing suspects.
While federal law seems to protect Craiglist.org from such a suit, it seems clear that all branches of government from the commonwealth of Kentucky to the state of Utah to the sheriff’s department of a county are going to attempt to regulate the Internet, domains and content.
Craigslist needs to go offshore 🙂
As I said, I can work anytime and anywhere in the world.
Craigslist should be on Indian Land.
“which would bar companies from using rivals’ trademarks to trigger ads on search engines, directories or other Web sites.”
So essentially more bad news for all parked domains. The government can suck my d!*#
Can someone kill all those rednecks please ?
We don’t call it crook county for nothin’…and I’m not talking about the citizens…cook county should pay craigs list for saving them money by putting people right in their laps …no punn intended
first of all state trademark legislation is very limited and not included in wipo or udrp so these states can pass whatever they want…but they better be carfull and not piss anyone off then the domainer will move out of the state and punish all these trademark holders and every politican that voted on this law…
then there will be financial penalites to pay and domainers will have just cause….as for every action there is a reaction.