It’s likely that everyone active on the Internet uses a search engine every now and then to see what comes up under his or her personal name. I did that the other day using the Google Search Engine, and you can imagine my surprise, to say nothing of other emotional reactions, that I experienced when I found two web pages I knew nothing about, prominently displayed at the top of the search results as “Sponsored Links.” These two web sites had apparently purchased my personal name as key words, using my reputation to attract visitors to their web sites.

I then searched using my business name, Woodbury Reports ™ Inc. Again, the same two web sites were prominently displayed at the top of the result, also identified as “Sponsored Links.” These sites are www.bootcampsforteens.com and www.troubledteen.com .
Curious as to who might be behind this attempt to use my reputation to attract business for their selves, I checked the domain registration records, which are public records. I discovered that www.bootcampsforteens.com was registered through godaddy.com on August 2, 2002, with the registrant listed as Kevin Richey, of Kevin Richey Sales Co. L.L.C., 1125 Oxford Pl, St. George, Utah 84790, (435) 229-5454. On the site, the name used is Teen Placement Center, with a phone number of 1-800-781-8081. I also learned that www.troubledteen.com was registered on May 10, 2000, with the registrant listed as Parenthelp LLC, 351 N Mall Dr. Suite M201B, St. George, UT 84790, 435-627-9662. On the site, they go by Troubled Teen.com, and the phone number is 1-800-688-8706.

After further research, I discovered those same Sponsored Links at the top of Google searches for many of the schools and programs with which we work. In other words, when I typed in the name of a school that is familiar to our network, often several additional web sites were also listed as paid sponsors. The fact that these sites came up under a search using a particular school name, indicates the sites listed below had purchased the names of those schools as key words to bring browsers interested in those schools to their site instead.

Sites that frequently came up when searching the names of familiar schools include:

Checking further, I found indications that these web sites come up at the top of searches for my name and school names in several other search engines and directories, including Ask Jeeves, AOL Search, CNET search, Teoma and Netscape Search.

I have no idea if any of these sites have a working agreement with the schools they seem to be using as key words in Google. They certainly have no working agreement with Woodbury Reports ™ Inc. or myself. However, Cyber squatters on the Internet have become a major legal issue lately. Usually the lawsuits have been by celebrities protesting unauthorized use of their names in domains, and the individuals have generally won in the long run. But, this question of competitors using a school’s name as key words seems to be a similar issue as that of using the domain names of competitors, about which the Internet law at this time seems to be unclear. So the question is, on the Internet, do you own your personal name? Also, what rights do you have in order to protect yourself and the name of your school or program from competitors using your reputation to enhance their own business?

The following list include the names of schools I’ve worked with in the past, that I had time to search. Each of them have at least one of the web sites mentioned above as a Sponsored Link when a Google search was made on the school’s name on September 6, 2002. The name is exactly as I typed it when performing the search. Following the school’s name is the web site(s) that is/are listed as a Sponsored Link in each search. Although every effort has been made to ensure the typing accuracy of the following, however, if there are any typing errors, my apologies in advance. Woodbury Reports ™ Inc. has hard copies of all these Sept. 6 searches, and we will be glad to share a copy with any school that would like a copy.

Academy at Sisters:
www.teen-bootcamp.com
Academy at Swift River
www.bootcampforteens.com
www.troubledteen.com
www.teen-bootcamp.com
AIM House
www.teen-bootcamp.com
Alldredge Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.teen-bootcamp.com
Anasazi Foundation
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.teen-bootcamp.com
Aspen Achievement Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.parenthelpcenter.com
Aspen Ranch
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Benchmark Young Adult School
www.troubledteen.com
Blackwater Outdoor Experiences
www.bootcampforteens.com
Boulder Creek Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Brush Ranch School
www.tlcprogram.com
Cascade School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Catherine Freer
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Center for Safe Youth
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Chapel Haven
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Copper Canyon Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.troubledteen.com
Echo Springs Transition Study Center
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Family Foundation School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.parenthelpcenter.com
Glenholme School
www.tlcprogram.com
Gow School
www.tlcprogram.com
Grand River Academy
www.troubledteen.com
Hidden Lake Academy
www.bootcampforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Intermountain Hospital
www.bootcampforteens.com
Island View Residential Treatment Center
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.strugglingyoungadults.com
www.troubledteen.com
www.treatment-resources.com
www.drug-addiction.com
www.teen5000.com
King George School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Life Designs
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Linden Hill School
www.troubledteen.com
Little Keswick School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Mission Mountain School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Montana Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Mount Bachelor Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
NAWA Academy
www.tclprogram.com
Northstar Center
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Northwest Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Oakley School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.troubledteen.com
Pathway School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Phelps School
www.troubledteen.com
Positive Impact
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Provo Canyon School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Rancho Valmora
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Redcliff Ascent
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Remuda Ranch
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Ridge Creek
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Rock Point School
www.troubledteen.com
Rocky Mountain Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
San Marcos Treatment Center
www.drug-addiction.com
Soltreks
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Spring Ridge Academy
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.tlcprogram.com
Stone Mountain School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Straight Arrow Apex
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Summit Achievement
www.bootcampsforteens.com
SUWS
www.troubledteen.com
Three Springs
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Three Springs Turning Point
www.bootcampsforteens.com
www.parenthelpcenter.com
Tyler Ranch
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Valley View School
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Villa Santa Maria
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Wilderness Quest
www.bootcampsforteens.com
Wilderness Treatment Center
www.drug-addiction.com

There might be many more schools and programs that will find some stranger sitting at the top of an Internet search on the name of their school or program.

(Sept. 12, 2002 - Within 24 hours of this article going online, an additional advertisement now comes up in a search under my personal and business name - marketing www.helpyourteens.com , operated by Susan Scheff, founder and president of PARENTS UNIVERSAL RESOURCE EXPERTS (PURE), a parent referral service based in Florida.)