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Orlando Predators' website gets sacked in team sale [Orlando Sentinel :: ](Orlando Sentinel (FL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) July 18--If you're an Arena Football fan looking for information about your local team online, you might end up dealing with the wrong kind of predator. OrlandoPredators.com now redirects visitors to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's archive of sexual offenders and predators. The digital detour is part of the recent ownership change of the team -- and neither the Predators nor the league is happy about it. The owner of OrlandoPredators.com is listed as private, but Pearsall Holdings, LP, a company owned by former Preds managing partner David Pearsall, is listed as the reseller. This means he has permission to redirect site visitors to any page on the web or sell the domain name to third-party hosts. Shortly after Pearsall stepped down in May, a generic web page greeted visitors who tried to view the Predators' website. Not anymore. Jared Saft became aware of the site's new content Monday, one day before he was announced as the new team president under new owner David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts. "Our initial reaction was to reach out to the league," Saft said. "We're really disappointed. He's potentially harming fans and children who are trying to get information on the team. "When you register a domain, you represent that you're not infringing on a trademark. Well, he's infringing on a trademark." The league agrees. "It's unfortunate that previous ownership did not handle this differently, but the appropriate legal action has been commenced and we are confident that the Predators' brand will remain as strong as ever," AFL Commissioner Jerry B. Kurz said in a statement to the Orlando Sentinel. Saft said a complaint has been filed with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit organization responsible for regulating domain names, among other things. "We think that domain belongs with the team; It's pretty clear," Saft said. "The current owner will face the justice of misinforming the public." Attempts to reach Pearsall have been unsuccessful. Being the reseller does not necessarily mean Pearsall Holdings redirected the site. If OrlandoPredators.com was made available to the public to purchase through an online account with the company, anyone interested in controlling that domain name could have acquired it. While the team works to regain control of its former domain, it launched a new website called MyOrlandoPredators.com. There, fans will find a landing page that has a news release about Siegel's acquisition of the team and a phone number to call for information on tickets and sponsorship. Said Saft: "Right now, we're focused on the overwhelming calls for tickets, No. 1, and No. 2, protecting the fans from being diverted to a potentially disrupting website." In the past 48 hours, Saft said "tens of thousands of dollars" worth of tickets have been sold, mainly the best seats and high-end packages. A fully-functional website, on whatever domain name the team ends up with, should be up and running within the next 30 to 45 days. [email protected] ___ (c)2014 The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) Visit The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) at www.OrlandoSentinel.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |