Mattel Inc., maker of the world famous Barbie doll, has filed two separate federal lawsuits against holders of Web sites using the 40-year old cultural icon's name.

Mattel alleges that Debra Morrow, of Kentucky, who owns the barbienet.com Web address, and Steve Maddox, of Oklahoma, holder of barbiedirect.com have infringed on the Barbie trademark.

Both Morrow and Maddox have registered the barbie-linked domain names for future selling or leasing, according to the lawsuit. In fact, the barbiedirect.com address is directly linked to Maddox's Web site, which displays a list of domain names he has for sale, including timesquare2k.com and ncaafinalfour.com. The site lists the barbiedirect.com domain name for $1,000 and hawks it as a, "A perfect name to start a Barbie mail order business!"

A Mattel spokesman did not return calls Friday. Neither Maddox nor Morrow could be reached for comment.

Since 1992, domain names have been issued on a first-come- first serve basis. Anyone willing to pay the nominal fee, less than $100, is able to register an available name, whether or not it is associated with another famous name.

Mattel is just one of the big name companies who have decided to duke it out in court with holders of registered domain names that are too close for comfort. Others include software Goliath Microsoft Corp. and Porsche Ag

The courts have looked down on "cybersquatters" -- those who register names closely associated with famous companies or people and try to sell them. In April, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found Dennis Toeppen was trying to extort money from companies, such as Panavision Inc. by using registering the domain name panavions.com and panaflex.com.