"I'd love to set the record straight, but I can't comment," Rhys said. He added that at present, he does not have a lawyer.

Rhys said he does not know whether he will contest the charges or not.

"Everything's up in the air," he said.

Harvard claims in its lawsuit that because the Harvard and Radcliffe names are well-known trademarks, they should not be licensed to anyone other than the University.

"Harvard University has used the trademark and service mark 'Harvard,' and other marks incorporating the Harvard mark, since at least as early as 1827," the University wrote in its lawsuit. "These marks have become among the world's most famous and well-known."

Donin said the University would have been able to bring the lawsuit regardless of the new law, using instead federal trademark law and state law concerning unfair competition and deceptive practices.

"However," he said, "the new statute which was enacted on Nov. 29 makes the procedure easier for parties in our position."

Donin said that the lawsuit was the University's last resort and he thinks that Harvard is likely to win.

Donin would not comment on the University's legal strategy, but said there have been other cases that have dealt with this issue.

"What we're talking about here is a very narrow category," he said, adding "there is plenty of precedent" for cybersquatting convictions.