PARODY SITE WINS DOMAIN FIGHT vs. EX-CHILD STAR
Art Triumphs over Celebrity In Precedent-Setting Decision

NEW YORK-In what appears to be a first in Internet history, the World Wide Web's legal arm has rebuffed an attempt by ex-child actor Dustin Diamond ("Screech" of TV's "Saved by the Bell") to claim the eponymous Web site, http://www.dustindiamond.com.

Instead the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will allow on-line artist Max Goldberg to continue to maintain his parody Web site at the dustindiamond.com address. An arbitrator acting on behalf of ICANN issued the decision on Monday. The precedent-setting decision is believed to be the first time that a celebrity has lost a domain name dispute to a non-commercial parody site. (more...)