The Temporality of Signs

The centrality of the image as object (such as the brand name) of exchange when combined with the necessity of the image's perceived legitimacy, or 'aura' introduces a temporal component in which the borderland of legitimacy relates to its date of inception. These issues of temporal primacy and symbolic legitimacy are at the crux of controversies that involve international disputes over electronic identity, net.memory (in search engines), and brand placement. This should not be confused with power relations vis-a-vis multinationals attempting to enforce their branding over supposedly less powerful groups as this is more closely related to the colonizing forces of capital. A key component of many branding conflicts that raise questions in Internet law come from late entrants into the electronic environment that claim retroactive rights to electronic identities or domains. The disputes come mainly from the practice of 'cyber-squatting', or the purchase of large numbers of domain names for the intention of profitable resale.