The Internet campaign trail leading to San Francisco's next mayor has been complicated by a resourceful cybersquatter.
Early in the year, a local Web design firm snapped up domain names with obvious utility to the Internet campaigns of the city's three leading mayoral candidates: incumbent Willie Brown, former Mayor Frank Jordan, and Clint Reilly.
On Monday, Brown's supporters discovered that not only had virtually all of their man's logical domain names been taken, but the guy who took them was subsequently hired by the Reilly campaign.
The names, including williebrown.com, williebrownjr.com, damayor.com, frankjordan.com, jordanformayor.com -- and even williesucks.com -- are registered to Hasse Inc., owned by one Andy Hasse.
According to Reilly campaign spokesman Tom Pier, Hasse preemptively registered these domain names and others -- including names relevant to Reilly -- prior to Reilly's hiring Hasse.
The Reilly campaign brought on Hasse after discovering that the company was cybersquatting on the reilly.com domain name.
"We approached Hasse initially because they had bought our domain name as well," Pier said. "He bought the names to draw business to his site. It's an interesting marketing technique."
The technique worked.
"It was a very positive relationship from the outset. We didn't feel like we'd been bamboozled."
Pier said that to his knowledge Hasse has not been contacted by the other candidates about the availability of their domain names.
Hasse Inc. representatives were not available for comment.
"Our view is that there's a lot of real estate in cyberspace. It's just that the beachfront property is taken already," said Pier.
"We're not overwhelmingly disturbed by this situation," said Brown campaign spokesman P.J. Johnston. "We do have our own Web site with a domain name that we're happy with.
"But it is a sign of the mean-spirited, low-brow tactics of the Reilly campaign."
The Brown campaign is currently using reelectwilliebrown.com for its official Web site.
Brown supporters were unamused by the discovery, and warned of a possible conflict of interest that could arise by Hasse being on the Reilly payroll.
"Most have heard of domain piracy in the corporate world," said Paul Hogan, a member of the Alice B. Toklas Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club who is serving as Brown's technology co-chairman. "But I haven't been aware of this in the political arena."
The Toklas club, which is active in supporting state, federal, and city candidates friendly to gay issues, posted a statement on the domain name issue, after discovering what it considers an act of cybersquatting.
"Domain piracy, cause of much debate in the last few years, is largely considered unethical, and has been found illegal -- case after case -- in recent California history.
"The theft of a corporation's branding is horrible, but the theft of a person's name and public identity? ... This isn't about corporate profits; it's about denying access to a person's given name and vocation. It's digital identity theft, and it's wrong."
A bill passed last week by the Senate would make Hasse's cherry-picking of names illegal.
Late Thursday, the Senate passed the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (S1255), sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).
The bill, now on its way to the House, would stymie so-called cybersquatters -- those seeking to profit by reserving domain names that are the same as, or "confusingly similar to," a trademarked word or phrase.
The bill would close loopholes in trademark law by awarding statutory damages to victims of cybersquatting. Of course, it's not clear how the law would affect domain names related to political candidates, whose names are not trademarked.
Pier said that Hasse registered all of the candidates' related names well before anyone cared, and he's not concerned that people might suspect that Hasse and Reilly conspired to secure the names.
"There will be skeptics who will make that claim," but that's not the case, Pier said.
In another political spat over Internet names, presidential hopeful George W. Bush asked the Federal Election Commission to crack down on a satirical Web site in May. Bush's campaign said the site was not about humor, but represents a "political committee" with an agenda to politically assassinate the Republican candidate.
The Bush campaign also made a preemptive strike of its own, buying up domain names that would serve likely detractors, such as bushsucks.net, bushsucks.org, and bushblows.com.
Back in San Francisco, Pier said that the Brown campaign's failure to register williebrown.com points his opponent's inability to grasp the importance of the Net.
"The larger issue here is just how behind the curve not only this mayor is, but how behind the curve San Francisco is. It's just clear to me that the mayor doesn't understand technology and doesn't understand the Internet, doesn't understand the new medium."
