Verizon Awarded Record Payment in Cybersquatting Case

SAN FRANCISCO — Verizon was awarded a record sum of $33.15 million Dec. 24 in a cybersquatting case against OnlineNIC, a San Francisco-based domain registration company.

The U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled OnlineNIC, “unlawfully registered at least 663 domain names that were either identical to or confusingly similar to Verizon trademarks,” according to Verizon.

After representatives from OnlineNIC failed to appear in court to defend themselves, the court came to the conclusion that these names, including VerizonOnline.com and MyVerizonWireless.com, had been registered in bad faith in an attempt “to take advantage of Verizon and Verizon customers,” Verizon said.

Verizon was awarded $50,000 per domain name in damages. The phone company has won similar cases, but Verizon said this marks the largest judgment ever in a cybersquatting case.

Related:  

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

2026 XBIZ Miami Conference Schedule Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full show schedule for XBIZ Miami, set to take place May 11-14 at the Goodtime Hotel in South Beach.

Court of International Trade Rejects Trump 'Replacement' Tariffs

The U.S. Court of International Trade on Thursday ruled that President Trump’s 10% global tariff under the Trade Act of 1974, imposed after the Supreme Court invalidated the administration’s broad “Liberation Day” tariff regime, is illegal — but stopped short of a nationwide injunction against the tariff.

UPDATED: Utah VPN Rule Enforcement Paused in Aylo Lawsuit

Provisions of a new Utah law making adult websites liable if minors in the state circumvent geolocation efforts to bypass age verification, which were set to come into force on Wednesday, have been put on hold until Sept. 3.

JustFor.fans Launches 'JFF Create' iPhone App

JustFor.fans (JFF) has launched its new iPhone creator management app, JFF Create.

ShootXEvents Joins ASACP as Media Sponsor

ShootXEvents has signed on as an in-kind media sponsor for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

Pornhub Unblocks UK Users on iOS Devices, Citing Apple AV Effectiveness

Pornhub parent company Aylo on Tuesday announced that users in the United Kingdom will once again be able to access the popular site if they are using Apple devices and have confirmed their age through Apple’s U.K. age-verification process.

North Carolina Weighing Tax on Brick-and-Mortar Sales of Adult Material

The North Carolina state legislature is considering a bill that would impose a new 10% tax on adult material sold by physical retailers in the state.

FSC Launches 'Know Your Rights' 1st Amendment Resource Page

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has launched "Know Your Rights," a resource page detailing First Amendment protest guidelines.

Utah VPN Rule for Adult Sites Takes Effect This Week

A new law in Utah comes into force Wednesday, making adult websites liable if minors in the state circumvent geolocation efforts to bypass age verification.

UPDATED: Court Approves Class Action in Labor Claims Against VMG

A U.S. district court has granted class certification in a civil lawsuit filed against Vixen Media Group (VMG) by retired performer Kenzie Anne, making it possible for additional performers to join in a class action against the company.

Show More