Alanis Morissette has taken out a cybersquatting lawsuit against the operator of an Internet site called alanis.net, claiming that it sells various goods without her authorisation.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court on Monday, is the latest in a series of attempts by celebrities including Madonna, Sting and actor Kevin Spacey, to wrest control over Internet sites containing their names.
Morissette claims that the http://www.alanis.netsite is "confusingly similar" to her authorised Web site; http://www.alanis.com. The lawsuit claims that the operator of alanis.net, Russell Smith, is a "notorious, repeat offender cybersquatter" who responded to a lawyer's letter asking him to shut down his site by demanding $10,000.
Smith, the owner of Consumer.net, could not be reached for comment but in a June 11th letter on his Web site, he says he has operated the domain name for three years "and have never used the name, likeness, or anything else associated with your client or her name Alanis Morissette."
According to the lawsuit, the alanis.net site sells goods and services ranging from candy to tours of Alcatraz Island.
Morissette, a Grammy winner who has sold more than 40 million albums, wants a court order to shut down the site and is asking for unspecified monetary damages.
Cybersquatting - the registration of famous names in the hope of selling them back at a profit - is seen as the hottest online issue among celebrities.
