To see if I understand Lauren Weinstein's premise correctly, let me give an example: my company has a web site [A] on which we advertise a particular product that we have created and sell. A competitor sets up a web site [B] hosted in some odd place which gets either more, or round about the same number of, hits on a search engine when someone seeks information on distinctive keywords to do with my site [A]. This competitor's web site [B] contains derogatory, possibly misleading, and certainly unflattering information about my company and its product. It may even pretend to be my company and might sell a similar product or a clone of mine. Search engines will as search engines do and [A] and [B] are likely to come close in keyword searches because that is the skill of [B] to be able to second-guess the algorithms. Getting court orders against [B] will take ages, and may not be effective. Lauren proposes that a 'dispute register' be set up in which [A] can register that [B] and [A] are in dispute about content. The entry in the register can't afford to make veracity claims or to take sides. It can only note that there is a dispute between [A] and [B], which dispute has been notified to the register by either owners of [A], [B] or both. If there is an attempt by the register to make veracity claims, then a clever faker of site [B] could tie up a process indefinitely with specious arguments (and oh boy, have we all heard some lulus!) The best way for the register to work is that if a searcher finds either [A] or [B] they will also be given a link to the entry in the register. However, if the searcher has to go to a special list at, say, disputes.org then if I were [B] I would certainly want to draw the searcher's attention to the entry in this list and rely on my ability to scam. If I were [A] it would not matter: someone has already found my site [A] and I would either warn the searcher of counterfeit sites, or present my information in such a way that it would be convincing. Either way, this makes the job of [B] even easier. All [B] has to do now is to set up a bogus site, never mind the keywords or any expertise in getting noticed by a search engine. Having set up his misleading site, he then notifies the register that [A] and [B] are in dispute as if he were the aggrieved party. And so even if it works for a small percentage of searchers, [B] has made his hit. The only real cure is web savvy and siting oneself within web communities. It may take a while for this to sink in (how many people STILL get caught in 'Lotto' scams?), but on the web where there is a lot of free information the seeker should understand that the rule CAVEAT EMPTOR applies. Let the buyer beware. My best defence as [A] is as follows: I contact sites which reference mine [C], [D]... and ask them to put a note next to their listing of [A] saying something to the effect that the reader should be aware that bogus sites have appeared (not giving their URLs!) A person browsing for the distinctive keywords of my site will likely find mention of my site on other sites indexed by the same keywords [C], [D]... and will find this information. This is not a route available to the bogus site owner [B] who does not have the same peer network as I do. It will be in the best interests of [C], [D]... to assist me in this as they themselves may one day come under attack in this way. If someone browses using the distinctive keywords they will get [A], [B], [C], [D]... and will see that there is a problem between [A] and [B]. I offer this more in the spirit of a 'straw man' since there must be an obvious rejoinder which unfortunately this morning I just can't see. ------------------------------