US Patent 7117528 Contested account registration

Methods and systems for resolving naming contests when a user seeks to register an account associated with a login identifier that is already in use by another user. An authentication server notifies the user of a contested registration when the requested login identifier, such as an e-mail address, matches one of the identifiers stored in an authentication database. The server then solicits confirmation from the user that the login identifier belongs to the requesting user rather than the earlier user. By forcing the earlier user to select a different login identifier, the server renders the existing user account inactive but retains a unique account identifier and associated account information for the inactive user account.