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Chris Bosh: “Cyber-hero”

Toronto Raptor wins legal tussle over chrisbosh.com

All-star hoopster Chris Bosh has just won a very different kind of court battle: a lawsuit over who owns the Internet domain that bears his name. A few years ago, the face of the Toronto Raptors tried to set up a site at chrisbosh.com, only to discover that someone else had already registered the name. It turned out that the owner, Luis Zavala, had also claimed the rights to hundreds of other celebrity domain names, including Carmelo Anthony, Rashard Lewis, and even the son of pop singer Britney Spears (prestonmichaelfederline.com). Bosh sued Zavala, claiming a violation of his rights under a U.S. statute known as the Federal Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. A federal court in California has since ruled in Bosh’s favour, awarding him $120,000 in damages—and the rights to all 800 celebrity domain names. This morning, Bosh announced that he will return the websites, free of charge, to their rightful owners. “From my perspective, Chris is a cyber-hero,” says his Chicago lawyer, Brian Heidelberger.

CBS News

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