Richard, that is a very grown up view of IP protection. You may live on the tip of Africa but you are still part of the global community and the same Internet as the rest of us.

It doesn’t matter that Facebook is American. I would have the same views if the domain impacted on an English, Brazilian or South African brand. Consider how you would feel if someone launched a site at cape-town-news.co.za or some other variation of your domain and set up a couple ads intent on profiting from your brand and popularity. Unless you are ok with that (in which case you are one progressive guy) you may have a different view of cybersquatting.

“Your loyalty OUGHT to lie with South Africa!” WTF? Are you George Bush now? “You’re either with us and the right to cybersquat, or you’re anti-South Africa!”. What rubbish. A South African regulatory body is enforcing rules against cybersquatting that were imposed by the South African government. Americans didn’t impose these rules.

And as for convincing you of anything, I don’t feel that I need to convince you that I have a point. I believe that this stance is the correct stance. I do try to rise above “an eye for an eye” mentality – it doesn’t lead to anything good, just two people in pain and half the sight they had before.