Hacker group 2600 has gone to war with Verizon,  the company resulting from the recent BellAtlantic and GTE merger.  Verizon is attempting to use the Anticybersquatting act to separate 2600 from its domain ?verizonREALLYsucks.com?. 2600 is fighting back. ?If there was ever clear evidence that we’re rapidly losing our right to express ourselves, we just got it in the mail,? writes a 2600 representative. The group decided that ?it would be a good idea? to register ?verizonsucks.com? because of the high likelihood of new company Verizon?s telco services, well, sucking. What the hacker group hadn?t counted on was that Verizon, realizing that this was going to happen, had registered ?verizonsucks.com? themselves.So 2600 did the next best thing and registered ?verizonREALLYsucks.com?. ?We kept the domain in reserve for when we might need it,? they write, ?and that day has come. On Friday, a certified letter was sent to 2600 by Bell Atlantic demanding that we turn this domain over to them or face the consequences. In an absurd twisting of logic, they claimed that we were violating the new “Anticybersquatting Act” by owning this domain.?2600 argue that this amounts of corporate abuse of the domain squatting bill. The law, which was designed to protect companies from  those who would register their name and hold it for ransom, is here being used to remove a potential avenue for free speech from the American public. ?This is a statement, an OPINION,? say the group, ?one which in no way would be confused with the actual name of the company. Verizon intends to go after anyone who criticizes them on the net, abusing the intent of this law to accomplish their goal. We cannot allow this.?Now the group are calling on individuals around the world ?to criticize Verizon on as many domain names as possible and to exercise your rights to free speech aggressively since we are in real danger of having them wiped from the net entirely.? Already 2600 has registered the domain ?VerizonShouldSpendMoreTimeFixingIts

NetworkAndLessMoneyOnLawyers.com?. The group say that if you find yourself in a position where your right of expression is being challenged and you don’t have the means to defend yourself, you can turn the offending domain name over to them and they will stand up for your rights.

?We find ourselves facing no fewer than five lawsuits at the moment in what can only be interpreted as a last ditch attempt by corporate America to take us out of the picture once and for all. Please help us by showing your support and spreading the word. We will not and cannot back down on such an important matter.?More on the Verizon battle at www.2600.com.