LAS VEGASâBoxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. scored a TRO in the first round of a federal cybersquatting lawsuit against the operators of a Web site using the domain name “floydmayeather.net” without his backing.
A U.S. District Court judge in Las Vegas issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday to stop “an entity of unknown origin” called Atlanta Sports & Entertainment Marketing from using Mayweather’s name and likeness on the site.
U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro set a May 28 hearing on a preliminary injunction, ordered the domain name frozen, and declared Mayweather likely to succeed on the arguments of the cybersquatting case.
“Mayweather has demonstrated that he will suffer irreparable harm,” the judge wrote, because the defendant could transfer ownership and force Mayweather to file more lawsuits to “chase the infringing domain name.”
Atlanta Sports & Entertainment Marketing did not immediately respond to messages left by e-mail and telephone with domain name registrar Network Solutions LLC in Herndon, Va.
A Network Solutions spokeswoman cited a company privacy policy and said she could not release information about the Web domain registrant.
Mayweather’s lawyers also did not respond to messages seeking comment.