The need to protect your brand identity online is an age old issue.

Now Internet users seeking to cash in on interest in Britain’s Got Talent have registered unofficial web addresses and Twitter accounts in the names of many of the semi finalists, who were announced at the weekend.

Digital planners at Speed reckon that so far the online moniker of 33 of the 40 talent show contestants have had domains snapped up by cyber squatters hoping to cash in should they win Britain’s Got Talent.

Many of the users have snapped up both .com and .co.uk domain names and now just six .co.uk web addresses remain unregistered.

Just five contestants registered web addresses in their name before entering the contest. Guitar player Martin Macham and dog trainer Jackie Prescott are the only two contestants that have as yet completely escaped the clutches of cyber squatters.

Canny cyber squatters have looked to Twitter as a way to make money from the show, with some 18 accounts snapped up by fans. Just four web-savvy acts registered accounts in their name on the microblogging site; Brit Chix, Merlin Cadogan, Darth Jackson, and Faces of Disco.