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Internet auction giant eBay has stopped the bidding on a URL named for the Andrea Yates, the Texas woman accused of murdering her five toddlers but New York-based auctioneer Afternic said it would remain neutral to Web addresses sold on its exchange.

eBay halted the bidding on the AndreaPiaYates.com domain name because it violated its policy which prohibits the sale of things associated with serial killers and notorious crimes.

But the bidding on the URL, which started at $5,000, continues at Afternic.com, a subsidiary of domain name registration and hosting firm Register.com.

Afternic spokeswoman Shonna Keogan said the company operates as a "neutral exchange" and does not take a pro-active approach to monitoring the types of domains put up for auction.

"There have been instances where domain sales have infringed on a party's rights and, if we receive complaints, we'll cooperate on a legal decision of the courts or an arbitrator."

"We're not qualified to make judgments about whether or not a name should be auctioned on the exchange."

The seller looking to sell the Yates domain has also registered to auction several URLs associated with actor Robert Blake. Blake's wife, Bonny Lee, was found dead in a car outside a Los Angeles restaurant.