Yoakam Files Suit Against Web Site Operators

NASHVILLE-Dwight Yoakam has filed suit against a Web site operator and others, alleging unlawful use of his name, trademark, and likeness on two Internet sites.
The operator named in the suit- Sharon Anchak of Milford, Ohio-operates the sites www.dwightsite.com and www.dwightyoakam.com. Ten other individuals are listed as "Does 1-10," with their identities to be released later by Yoakam's attorneys.
The suit, filed Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, follows a similar suit filed in the same court on Oct. 7 by Don Henley and Eagles Ltd. against a Florida Internet company, alleging similar copyright infringement (Billboard, Oct. 23).
Both suits come at a time when the Clinton administration is considering vetoing pending legislation that would outlaw cyber-squatters from using trademarks, service marks, and names of celebrities (Billboard, Nov. 13).
Only one successful celebrity suit against cyber-squatters has been resolved in the courts, that being a suit brought by 27 country music artists who sued a cyber-squatter and won in 1998 (Billboard, July 11, 1998).
Yoakam's suit seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions against the defendants from using any form of his name on Web sites, as well as compensatory and exemplary damages. It asks for a jury trial, as does Henley's lawsuit.