On August 13, Bloomberg Law quoted David Steele in its article “HarrisWalz.com Domain Name Drama Ducks Question of Cybersquatting Law.” The article addresses the sale of the HarrisWalz.com internet domain name as it relates to the federal anti-cybersquatting law. In 2020, trademark lawyer Jeremy Green Eche registered the HarrisWalz domain – as well as other combinations of potential future running mates for Kamala Harris – and then, following the announcement that Tim Walz would run as Harris’s vice president, sold the HarrisWalz domain for $15,000.

Among other things, the anti-cybersquatting law prohibits any registration that “consists of the name of another living person” without consent and “with the specific intent to profit.”

David commented that Eche’s activities flout the law, noting that Eche’s statements about his registration are “… quite damning. He’s clearly articulating his intent, and his intent was to register the name of another living person” as well as to financially benefit from the sale of the domain.

In terms of litigation, David said that “Eche had probably calculated – correctly – that litigation against him would be impractical. Taking a case to federal court would have been more expensive than paying Eche’s price, and arbitration would be too slow to represent a practical solution for the campaign.”

“I think it’s unlawful. I think it’s unsavory. I think it’s unethical,” David said. “Congress passed a law that says ‘Don’t do this,’ and this guy said, ‘I’m doing this.'”

Read more on the Bloomberg Law website here.