Minnesota Law Firm Wins Cybersquatting Case

The Minnesota district court granted a permanent injunction for cybersquatting and trademark infringement claims in Faegre & Benson, LLP v. Purdy, 447 F.Supp.2d 1008 (D. Minn. 2006). Purdy, an anti-abortion activist, registered numerous domain names that incorporated a variation of the law firm name Faegre & Benson, such as www.faegre-benson.com (now an inactive site). On these websites, Purdy published graphic abortion-related images and forceful anti-abortion statements. Purdy offered to stop his conduct only if the law firm agreed to quit donating money to Planned Parenthood or if the law firm would agree to donate money to anti-abortion organizations. The court found Purdy had engaged in cybersquatting and trademark infringement and granted Faegre & Benson a permanent injunction against Purdy.