After we reported on the threat Microsoft could present to Google through exposure of typo-squatting on misspelled domains, the issue gained more prominence with the Washington Post’s focus on the Google side of the equation.

Google and firms like Netster and Sedoparking have benefited from the mass registration of misspelled domain names, and the placement of pages laden with advertising at those URLs.

Analyst Peter Alguacil from disclosed his firm’s findings regarding typo-squatting, and how Microsoft’s release of the Strider URL Tracer with Typo-Patrol could lead businesses like The Walt Disney Company to more easily track down those infringers.

Should that tool become part of a future browser release, those that benefit from the typo-squatting may find that part of the business imperiled. “When that happens, companies serving ad pages are going to have to adapt or see a significant loss of income,” said Alguacil in our earlier story.

Typos can help buyers take advantage of eBay sellers who lack solid spelling skills. By using a site like TypoTracker, buyers can find auctions containing a desired item that other buyers may not find due to the item’s misspelling.

It’s a hit-or-miss process, as some typos may lead to great bargains while others go nowhere special. Considering how spelling seems to be a forgotten skill online, it’s not unlikely someone could uncover an incredible deal on eBay that better spellers will miss.

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Peter Alguacil of IPWalk, said, “Microsoft’s initiative could be the beginning of the end for typo-squatting.”

The rationale here is that as proper owners of trademarks discover how their intellectual property is being misused, they will take action against the offenders.

Alguacil noted how one prominent company’s name has been misused by typo-squatters:

Disney has long held a reputation for having a fearsome team of attorneys at its behest. Should they aggressively pursue typo-squatters, the result could be one that removes a pool of advertising displays from the web.

That would hurt the providers of those advertising networks; Alguacil names Google and Sedoparking as two of several who could feel a little pinch from the loss of revenue through those sites.

Microsoft Research makes the Strider URL Tracer with Typo-Patrol freely available for download and use with Windows XP and IE 6.

On the product’s page, Microsoft noted how Sedoparking, Oingo, and Netster all deliver ads that send the user through pagead2.googlesyndication.com, part of Google’s ad network.

“It is only a matter of time until the results of this and similar research projects are integrated as a security measure into web browsers and security applications,” said Alguacil. “When that happens, companies serving ad pages are going to have to adapt or see a significant loss of income.”

UPDATE (Apr 30): This issue should begin attracting more attention, now that the Washington Post published an article about the issue of typo-squatting. We compliment the Post on picking up the story only ten days after we did.

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David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.