VeriSign Growth Slowing?

But Dot Com is still king--

VeriSign's Slowing Growth Underlies Our $41 Valuation - Seeking Alpha: " . . . Verisign (VRSN) is primarily known as the authoritative registry for dot-com and dot-net generic top-level domains. It also operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's 13 root name servers and the back-end systems for the dot-gov, dot-jobs, and dot-edu top-level domains. The company's share price has risen almost 15% since Jan. 24, after the company reported steady revenue growth in 2012 and gross margins improved to almost 80%. We believe that the market is being overly optimistic about Verisign's prospects. Its primary revenue growth driver for the past few years, the annual increase in the dot-com domain registration fee was fixed by the renewed agreement with ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). As a result, the company is now dependent upon the growth in the dot-com and dot-net domain name registrations and the annual hikes in dot-net domain names. . . . The dot-com domains constitute close to ~90% of the dot-com/dot-net domain name mix, currently governed by VeriSign. The restriction on dot-com domain fee hikes under the new agreement will result in the dot-com domain price staying steady at $7.85 until November 2018. At the same time, the agreement for dot-net domain registry permits price hikes of up to 10% per year. The growth of dot-net domain name registrations (~9%) has been slightly outpacing that of dot-com domain names (~6%), and we estimate the growth of the combined fee to slow down to 2% annually and reach about $8.50 by 2019. . . ." (read more at link above)


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New gTLD Milestones and Deadlines by FADI CHEHADÉ (video)

New gTLD Milestones and Deadlines
by FADI CHEHADÉ on MARCH 20, 2013

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Reverse Domain Name Hijacking

"It is no excuse that Complainant may not be familiar with clear Policy precedent, the Policy, or the Rules"--

WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2012-2455: " . . . . Respondents have requested a finding of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (“RDNH”).

Paragraph 15(e) of the Rules provides that, if “after considering the submissions the panel finds that the complaint was brought in bad faith, for example in an attempt at [RDNH] or was brought primarily to harass the domain-name holder, the panel shall declare in its decision that the complaint was brought in bad faith and constitutes an abuse of the administrative proceeding.” RDNH is defined under the Rules as “using the UDRP in bad faith to attempt to deprive a registered domain-name holder of a domain name.” See WIPO Overview of WIPO Panel Views on Selected UDRP Questions, Second Edition (“WIPO Overview 2.0”) paragraph 4.17. The respondent bears the burden of demonstrating that a complainant brought a complaint in bad faith. Id. “WIPO panels have declined to find [RDNH] in circumstances including where: . . . the complainant’s argument under a required element of the UDRP fails, but not by such an obvious margin that the complainant must have appreciated that this would be the case at the time of filing the complaint.” Id.

“[A] finding of [RDNH] is warranted if the Complainant knew or should have known at the time it filed the Complaint that it could not prove one of the essential elements required by the Policy. . . . [S]uch a finding is particularly appropriate where the Respondent’s registration of the domain name predates the very creation of the Complainant’s trademark.” carsales.com.au Limited v. Alton L. Flanders, WIPO Case No. D2004-0047 citing Futureworld Consultancy (Pty) Limited v. On-line Advice, WIPO Case No. D2003-0297. Ordinarily if the face of the complaint itself demonstrates a settled reason why the complaint must be denied, a panel may make a finding of RDNH. See Liquid Nutrition Inc. v.liquidnutrition.com/Vertical Axis Inc., WIPO Case No. D2007-1598 (finding RDNH where the complainant alleged its first use of the mark was four years after the domain name had been registered). However, a finding of RDNH is always within the panel’s discretion. See Rudy Rojas v. Gary Davis, WIPO Case No. D2004-1081 (finding that the facts justified RDNH but panel determined “to leave the parties as it found them” because both parties made misrepresentations to the panel).

In this case, there are several indications that Complainant was acting in bad faith. Given the record, it strains credulity that Complainant did not know or should not have known that it could not establish Respondents’ lack of legitimate interests or Respondents’ bad faith registration and use for at least one of the Domain Names. The Panel, in particular, notes:

(1) For the <eyemagine.com> Domain Name, the several-year gap between Respondents’ domain name registration year (1996), Complainant’s earliest filing year for its mark registrations (2009), Complainant’s earliest “use in commerce” year for its mark registrations (2003), and the year in which Complainant allegedly acquired common law rights in the mark (2003)—Complainant clearly should have known that Respondents’ registration of <eyemagine.com> pre-dated any claims in the mark Complainant might have had.

(2) For the <eyemagine.com> Domain Name, Complainant itself cited Respondents’ use of the mark and Domain Name in conjunction with the deck and patio construction business several years prior to any rights that Complainant purports to have acquired.

(3) To the extent that Complainant believed it might establish registration in bad faith for the <eyemagine.info> Domain Name on a constructive notice theory, Complainant should have known that UDRP panels have required that bad faith be predicated on actual notice by respondent absent more evidence that the mark is famous (see WIPO Overview 2.0, paragraph 3.4).

(4) To the extent that Complainant believed it could convince the Panel to depart from requiring bad faith registration and use conjunctively—on the theory that Respondents were relying upon an initial good faith registration to use a domain name in bad faith with impunity—Complainant clearly should have known that, at minimum, it would need to bring evidence of Respondents’ abuse. The sole evidence Complainant appears to have brought is Respondents’ general unresponsiveness to the bargaining tactic of offering the same amount of money to purchase the Domain Names three times.

It is no excuse that Complainant may not be familiar with clear Policy precedent, the Policy, or the Rules.

7. DecisionFor the foregoing reasons, the Complaint is denied. Additionally, for the foregoing reasons, the Panel finds that Complainant engaged in Reverse Domain Name Hijacking."

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Tips To Picking Your Domain Name

8 Tips To Picking Your Domain Name | SiteDart Hosting
Picking your domain name is very important, follow these tips to help pick your own domainname. . . .read more here - sitedart.net/name.../8-tips-to-picking-your-domain-name.php

New expired domain rules go into effect in August - Domain Name Wire: "The new “Expired Registration Recovery Policy” (ERRP) goes into effect August 31. This policy sets guidelines for how registrars treat expired domain names and how they must notify customers that their domains are expiring. Most notably, the rules will require expiration notices be sent at particular intervals and mandate that DNS resolution be interrupted after expiration. Domain registrars will be required to send an expiration notice about one month before expiration and another one a week before expiration. A notice is also generally required five days after expiration. Registrars must also interrupt the DNS of an expired domain for a specific timeframe. This is common practice today — a registrar will change the nameservers to point to a parked page with a notice about how to renew the domain. This disruption quickly gets the attention of the registrant if they didn’t know their domain was expiring. . . ."

Nominet halts '.uk' domain proposal after doubts raised over benefits ( - Internet - Security ): "UK Internet registry Nominet has temporarily halted plans to create a shorter '.uk' domain name as an alternative to the current '.co.uk' in the face of disagreement about the benefits and cost. Nominet's press release on the matter sidesteps most of this, saying only that "there was not a consensus of support for the direct.uk proposals as presented." Under the plan, organisations would pay a higher fee in return for being able to register domains using the second-level 'xyz.uk' rather than the current third-level 'xyz.co.uk'. . . ."

Interesting analysis on selling premium domain names
Domain Name Wire
TaskTime is a good domain name, but is it really worth $15,000 more than a domain name like TaskStyle? If you're only comparing premium domain names it's easier to convince yourself that an expensive domain name is worth it. But when you have a choice ...

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Premium domain name vs $10 domain name

Interesting analysis on selling premium domain names - Domain Name Wire: "Matt Mazur of Lean Domain Search has posted an analysis of his results showing premium domain names for sale next to available-to-register domain name results. It’s an interesting read. After several months showing domains from Sedo’s inventory he has sent hundreds of targeted buyers but hasn’t made a sale. There are many possible reasons, and he points some of them out. One of the challenges is that Lean Domain Search finds some pretty good unregistered domains, which makes it hard to push a premium domain . . . ."

UrbanHome.com Registered in 1999, Lost In UDRP To TM Registered in 2012 | TheDomains.com – Domain Blog: "“The Panel determines that Respondent acquired and registered the disputed domain name after Complainant acquired trademark rights in URBAN HOME, and that Respondent is using the disputed domain name for commercial gain to attract Internet users to its website location by creating confusion as to Complainant acting as source, sponsor, affiliate or endorser of Respondent’s website within the meaning of paragraph 4(b)(iv) of the Policy. Respondent registered and is using the disputed domain name in bad faith.”"

The Generic Domain Name Opulence.com Hit With UDRP | TheDomains.com – Domain Blog: "The domain name Opulence.com has been hit with a UDRP. With almost 8,000,000 references in Google opulence is a dictionary word that has been registered since at least 2000 according to Domaintools.com. The domain name was owned until recently by  Opulence Communications Ltd of the UK with an expiration date of 2018. Suddenly in early 2013 the domain name whois information was gone and the domain name no longer resolves. . . . "

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New Domains To Debut in April

New Domains Will Debut in April at a Rate of 20 Per Week | Ruskin Moscou Faltischek - JDSupra: " . . . According to the Associated Press, the first gTLDs will most likely debut in April 2013 and ICANN will then introduce new domain names at a rate of about 20 per week.  The AP goes on to report that ICANN will likely release new suffixes in Chinese and other foreign languages first, before implementing single-bidder English suffixes such as .apple, .ibm, .porsche and .vegas. The idea of investing in new gTLDs is costly, however, with an evaluation fee of $185,000 and $5,000 paid to ICANN upfront for each gTLD.  The full list of all 1,930 new gTLDs applied for can be found here."

Dear Miami Beach: save yourself some trouble and don’t buy this domain - Domain Name Wire: "Today’s Miami Herald reports about the domain name CityOfMiamiBeach.net. The article explains that the husband of a Miami Beach Commissioner is brokering the sale of the domain name. It goes on to discuss the city’s ethics rules and the problems of having a commissioner’s husband broker the sale. The broker said he’d hand negotiations over directly to the seller and forgo a commission if the city is interested. .. ."

Cybersquatting suits are rare, University of Oklahoma official says
NewsOK.com
Advertisement. The university is suing Dallas resident Hugh Michael Glenn, 43, saying he violated federal cybersquatting laws when he registered the Internet domain name www.soonernetwork.com to sell it for a profit later. Officials also claim Glenn ...

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Amazon's Grab for Generic Domain Names

Amazon's Quest for Web Names Draws Foes - WSJ.com: "Two publishing industry groups, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, are objecting to the online retailer's request for ownership of new top-level domain names that are part of a long-awaited expansion of the Web's addressing scheme. They argue that giving Amazon control over such addresses—which include ".book," ".author" and ".read"—would be a threat to competition and shouldn't be allowed. "Placing such generic domains in private hands is plainly anticompetitive," wrote Scott Turow . . ."

Protect Your Brand Against Cybersquatters On The New Internet | Jaburg Wilk - JDSupra: " . . . . Maybe you have heard that by the middle of this year, domain names ending in .app, .web, .pizza, .shop, .hotel, .restaurant and over a thousand others will become available for public registration.   These new extensions are called generic top level domains, or gTLDs. If you are a brand owner and have given this any thought, you know that we are likely to see a cybersquatting frenzy like we did in the 90's.  Computer geeks are likely to register domain names that begin with a brand name and end with the brand's industry.  Some examples of cybersquatting that we might see are pappajohns.pizza, dillards.shop, westin.hotel or mcdonalds.restaurant.  Cybersquatters may buy these domain names in hopes that brand owners will pay a premium to buy them back or with the intention of diverting Internet traffic to their own websites. One protection for trademark owners is the Trademark Clearinghouse . . . "

More details about URS and National Arbitration Forum - Domain Name Wire: " . . .  ICANN announced that it appointed The National Arbitration Forum as an administrator of the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS). URS is a faster and cheaper way to take down an infringing domain name than a UDRP. While faster and cheaper, it doesn’t result in the transfer of a domain when the complainant wins. ICANN posted the two page memorandum of understanding between it and National Arbitration Forum (NAF), but it didn’t give many details. . . . NAF has not announced pricing for URS yet, but it will be between $300-$500. . . ."

ICANN allows hundreds of new Internet domain suffixes | Internet & Media - CNET News: " . . . The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, announced today that hundreds of new Web address suffixes will roll out this year, according to the Associated Press. This will be the largest growth of Internet addresses since the 1980s. The Web has become saturated with ".com" addresses, which has made people and businesses petition ICANN for new names. Foreign languages will be the first to get new monikers, according to the Associated Press. Next, brand names like ".cadillac" will be rolled out, then regional addresses like ".vegas" will come next. Generic and the most proposed suffixes -- such as ".app," ".music," and ".tech" -- will come last because several groups have bid on the names and these groups have to come to an agreement before addresses can be registered. . . ."

Internet Governance Map | ICANN

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Chicagoan giving popefrancis.com to Church

Chicagoan's popefrancis.com domain name suddenly valuable
Chicago Tribune
When Connors bought the domain name three years ago, for "just a couple bucks" a year through the domain name registrar site GoDaddy.com, he didn't have a plan for it. He bought it as a sort of bet with himself: He secretly hoped that George would ...

Internet domain name watchdog ICANN to launch a huge regional hub in Turkey
Hurriyet Daily News
Yıldırım said the Internet domain name watchdog had decided to split its headquarters into three regional administration centers. "There was serious competition [to host one of these centers], and ICANN took the decision to spread its activities ...

Hurriyet Daily News

23 more end user domain sales last week - Domain Name Wire
Bayoubuzz (subscription)
Collaborative Consulting bought CDSC.com for $3,750. I believe that stands for Collaborative Domestic Solution Center. This company owns the great domain Collaborative.com. Workforce services company Nextaff bought EmploymentEdge.com for $2,488 ...

NCC bullish over battle with Amazon
Manchester Evening News
Manchester-based NCC has paid an initial $185,000 to apply for the .secure domain name, which it says will give consumers confidence that a site is safe, and the total investment in winning the domain is expected to be up to £10m. But it is up against ...

Manchester Evening News

Symbolics.com Turns 28 Years Old Today!
By admin
Today isn't about me, the 2nd owner of this unique piece of Internet history, it's about the Symbolics Computer Company who had the foresight to be the first entity on the planet to register a domain name. The Symbolics Computer Company ...
Symbolics.com

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Pope Francis - hundreds of domain name registrations

Pope Francis spurs hundreds of domain name registrations
CNET
Just hours after the world's new Roman Catholic leader is named, more than 600 domain names are registered at GoDaddy with keywords such as Pope, Bergoglio, and Habemus Papam....

ICANN Appoints First URS Provider | ICANN: "The National Arbitration Forum (FORUM) has secured the first appointment by ICANN to administer the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS). FORUM submitted an outstanding proposal demonstrating how it would meet all requirements presented in the RFI [PDF, 112 KB] and detailing its implementation approach. The company has a proven track record boasting resolution of over 19,000 claims in 12+ years of administering UDRP cases. Additionally, FORUM has already developed, and is currently operating a TLD-specific rapid relief system. ICANN would like to thank everyone who responded to the RFI. FORUM will be one of multiple providers appointed to administer URS services. The process will be similar to that of appointing UDRP providers in which consideration is given to achieving competitive provisioning and geographical spread of providers. URS is a rights protection mechanism for new gTLDs that facilitates rapid suspension of domain names in clear-cut cases of trademark infringement. It is intended to complement the existing Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) by offering a lower-cost, faster path to resolution. Learn more about Uniform Rapid Suspension"

ICANN's Trademark Clearinghouse to Provide Unprecedented Protections in the Domain Name Space | ICANN: "On 26 March 2013, ICANN will unveil a global repository for trademark data, the first of its kind in the domain name space. The Trademark Clearinghouse will enable companies and individuals to protect their trademarks, while new generic Top-Level Domains are introduced into the Domain Name System. Rights holders whose trademark information has been verified by the Clearinghouse will have the opportunity to participate in a set of services designed to help protect their rights. . . . Clearinghouse operations are divided into two functions:
Trademark Validation
Beginning 26 March 2013, rights holders can submit trademark data at http://trademark-clearinghouse.com. Deloitte Enterprise Risk Services is responsible for verifying these trademark submissions.
Database Administration
ICANN is working with IBM on management of the Trademark Clearinghouse database, including provision of relevant data to new gTLD registries and registrars for Sunrise and Trademark Claims services. These systems are anticipated to be operational later in 2013. . . ."

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Note.com Domain Name For Sale

Note.com Domain Name For Sale Exclusively with DomainAdvisors
The Providence Journal
"Domain names like Note.com have a strong and memorable branding association and offer significant advantages to online businesses," said Tessa Holcomb, CEO of DomainAdvisors. "Good branding will make your name memorable, but a memorable...

The Providence Journal

P&G found guilty of 'reverse domain name hijacking'
Business Courier of Cincinnati (blog)
P&G claimed that Marchex had "no rights or legitimate interests in the disputed domain name," according to a document from the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organization, or WIPO. The agency, part of the United Nations, provides arbitration ...

Company that owns Entertainment.com files for bankruptcy
Domain Name Wire
Company that owns Entertainment.com files for bankruptcy · Chicago man owns PopeFrancis.com · Want to sell your new TLD through Go Daddy? KISS. Here's the biggest issue facing the domain ...UDRP decision · How is this “confusingly similar”? CSC buys ...

Amazon, Authors Battle Over '.Book' Domain Name
Infopackets
The Authors Guild has formally objected to Amazon's plans to take control of a new website domaindedicated to books. They say it is inappropriate for a private company to control such an important (and generic) domain name. The dispute centers on the ...

Lawsuit filed to halt UrbanHome.com transfer after UDRP decision - Domain ...
Bayoubuzz (subscription)
Although it may have a point about how the domain is generic, the plaintiff again avoids disclosing when exactly it acquired the domain name. In its UDRP response, Technology Online says thedomain was registered in 1998. It says the same thing in the ...

Frank Schilling Rolls Out Automated Finance System On DomainNameSales.com
TheDomains.com
Of course like all such programs, ownership of the domain stays with Name Adminstration pending completion of the final lease payment. Upon making the last payment the buyer will get ownership of the domain name. There is no minimum or maximum ...

Koutoujian: Site name 'just part of preparations' for congressional run
MetroWest Daily News
Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian says he protected a web domain name as part of his preparations to run for Congress should U.S. Rep. Edward Markey of Malden win election to the US Senate in June. During an interview March 7 on WCAP-980AM, the ...

Symbolics.com, the First Domain Registered on the Internet Celebrates its 28th ...
The Edwardsville Intelligencer
Have you ever wondered what the first domain name ever registered was? The answer: Symbolics.com, which dates back to 1985. The name was originally registered by the Symbolics Computer Corporation based out of Massachusetts. Symbolics was ...

More Companies Adopt .rw Domain
AllAfrica.com
"Utilising our country's internet domain name promotes creation of local content, enhances cyber security and efficiently ranks Rwanda's web content on to search engines." RICTA is a non-profit making organisation representing the Rwandan Internet ...

TRAFFIC Auction Accepting Submissions
Elliot's Blog (blog)
If you are interested in having your domain name(s) listed for sale at the TRAFFIC conference auction in Las Vegas, right now is the time to submit them. Submissions are being accepted for a week (or less). The conference will be held from May 29 ...

African domain-name registrars have mixed reaction to ICANN push ...
While the imitative is badly needed, increasing the number of registrars isn't a cure-all, one says.
www.cio.com/.../African_domain_name_registrars_have_mixe...

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Microsoft acquires 'Xbox Gold' domain names

Microsoft acquires 'Xbox Gold' domain names | GameZone: "The list of possible next-gen Xbox names might have grown with the discovery that Microsoft has acquired domain names relating to "Xbox Gold." The lengthy list of names already includes Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox 8, and Xbox Durango, though the latter is a rumored code name. So really, what's one more speculative name thrown into the hat? According to Fusible, Microsoft has been taking the necessary steps to acquire the domains related to Xbox Gold. They've filed complaints with the National Arbitration Forum over the domain XboxGold.org and Xbox-Gold.com. While those cases are still pending, Microsoft this week successfully acquired XboxGold.com from its previous owner. It doesn't stop there, though. Over the past few weeks Microsoft has purchased other Xbox Gold names like XboxGold.cn, XboxGold.es, XboxGold.eu,XboxGold.in, XboxGold.com.au, and XboxGold.asia. It's worth noting that of all of the rumored names -- Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox 8, and Xbox Durango -- Microsoft doesn't own the domains related to any of them. In fact, the only registered one, other than the recent XboxGold.com acquisition, is XboxNext.com which redirects visitors to Bing. . . ."

Filing Objections to Applications for the Registration of New gTLDs | BakerHostetler - JDSupra: "Parties who wish to formally object to an application have until March 13, 2013, to do so. Objections will be reviewed and determined by one of three dispute resolution services. Successful objections will result in the application being denied. ICANN has provided four grounds on which a party may object to an application . . . ."

Internet domain scam targeting small business owners | kgw.com Portland: "Con artists often confuse small business owners by sending threatening notices at the exact time their website domain names need renewing. "A lot of registrations are on line. It's public info so anyone can find out when a website was registered and when its going to be up for renewal," said Kyle Kavas with the BBB. In the end, J.R's past experience with a devastating investment scam gave him the red flag he needed to save him this time. "I got scammed about five years ago and lost about $50,000. It was the exact same thing, you need to pay this today," said Quam. Quam was not about to fall for another scheme. So we called the company to get their side of the story. After asking several questions, the company hung up on us. The Internet is loaded with complaints against this company, which has a New York address. "


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ICANN criticized over new gTLDs scheme

ICANN has breached its duties to maintain an open, freely competitive Internet  

Views under the Palm - johnmpoole.com

" . . . Scott Turow stand up and object to ICANN's auctioning off the internet to large corporations. First we have the ITU and UN trying to take over the internet and turn it over to the worst totalitarian regimes on earth, and now we have ICANN turning over whole pieces of the internet to the control of multinational corporations--including use of generic domain names--gTLDs--like .book, .author, . . . . "

Fight breaks out over Amazon's .book domain name plan
TechRadar UK
Scott Turow, president of the US Authors Guild, put his objections to ICANN, saying, "We strongly object to ICANN's plans to sell the exclusive top-level domain rights for generic book-industry terms, such as .book, .author and .read. "Placing such ...

Amazon's bookish top-level domain hunt irks publishers, Barnes & Noble
Engadget
If such protests are persuasive enough, companies could lose not only the domain name in question, but 20 percent of the $185,000 application fee -- admittedly pocket change for outfits like Amazon. Via: WSJ (subscription). Source: ICANN (1), ICANN (2) ...

Procter & Gamble guilty of reverse domain name hijacking

Domain Name Wire
In finding P&G guilty of reverse domain name hijacking, the panel noted that both the company and its attorneys, Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL, have been involved in numerous UDRP proceedings. The panel found it “impossible to believe” that P&G ...

Plants vs Zombies Adventures Domain Name Registered By EA
Geeky gadgets
It's fair to say Plants vs Zombies has become every inch the institution Bejeweled and the other traditional PopCap games predating it ever were. It transcended casual and hardcore barriers by pairing depth with accessibility and as an example of ...

New Challenges For Trademark Owners In The World Of Domain Names
Mondaq News Alerts (registration)
After the trademarks have been submitted and validated, the rights can be used to register the corresponding domain name in any new gTLD in advance of the general public (“sunrise period”). During Sunrise period and Claims periods, which shall last 60 ...

Publishers Cry Foul as Amazon Seeks .Book Domain
Newser
(Newser) – A big expansion of Internet domain name suffixes is on the way and publishing industry groups are alarmed by Amazon.com's plans to get in on the action, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company is seeking to snap up names including ...

Big East to have new Conference name for 2013 Season
FBSchedules.com
On Friday, ESPN reported that the leading name for the new league is “America 12 Conference.” Nothing is official yet and league presidents are said to be considering other names. However, the conference's law firm has registered the domain name ...

Publishing Industry Fights Amazon Over Domain Name Acquistions ...
A pair of publishing groups -- the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers -- are against Amazon's plans to take control of new top-level domain (TLD) names that recently became available. The publishing groups argue that ...
HotHardware.com News Rss Feed

Amazon angers authors over domain name buyups | KitGuru
By Jon Martindale
kitguru Amazon angers authors over domain name buyups ... Publishers are piling in too, with the Association of American Publishers suggesting that the most likely domain for abuse was the .bookTLD. Each of the TLD applications costs just ...
KitGuru

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Google Could Open .Search, .App, .Blog And .Cloud gTLDs To The Public

If It Gets Them, Google May Open .Search, .App, .Blog And .Cloud gTLDs To The Public | TechCrunch: " . . . In a letter to ICANN (PDF and embedded below), Google VP and CIO Ben Fried writes that ICANN should “allow all closed generic string applications to proceed.” In Google’s view, he writes, the new top-level domains will allow for much-needed innovation in this space. He especially notes that “for many users, domain names remain decidedly difficult to use and manage,” so chances are Google will work on lowering the barriers for registering domain names and linking them to users’ sites. Most importantly, however, Fried also notes that there are a number of terms in its portfolio that “have been identified by governments (via Early Warning) and others within the community as being potentially valuable and useful to the industry as a whole.” Those are .app, .blog, .cloud and .search. Google says it is amending its applications for these domain names, and while it isn’t disclosing the details of these changes, the language definitely makes it sound as if Google will open them up for use outside of Google, too. “We also believe,” Fried writes, “that for each of these terms we can create a strong set of user experiences and expectations without restricting the string to use with Google products. . . .”

Google's Letter to ICANN by

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Domain Name Seizure Not Just US Law Enforcement Tactic

Domain Name Seizure – It’s Not Just a U.S. Law Enforcement Tactic | Ifrah Law - Hands-on Counsel, Gloves-off Litigation - JDSupra: " . . . Police also seized the domain name associated with a Costa Rica-based website, which is registered with Washington State-based Enom, Inc. Police obtained a Canadian court order for that purpose, and then submitted a request under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) between Canada and the United States. The domain name was then transferred to the control of Canadian law enforcement authorities who, in turn, redirected it to a new landing page. Visitors to the platinumsb.com website are now greeted by a notice stating that the web site has been “restrained by court order granted to the Attorney General of Ontario.” Media reports indicate that the website was back online as www.platinumsb.tk within hours of the shutdown. The .tk top level domain belongs to Tokelau, a non-self-governing territory off the coast of New Zealand. The .tk version of the domain name was reportedly registered in 2004, suggesting that the group operating the sports book had set up contingency plans for a seizure of its .com website. . . . "

Python Software Foundation News: Python trademark at risk in Europe: We need your help!: "There is a company in the UK that is trying to trademark the use of the term "Python" for all software, services, servers... pretty much anything having to do with a computer. Specifically, it is the company that got a hold on the python.co.uk domain 13 years ago. At that time we weren't looking a lot at trademark issues, and so we didn't get that domain. This hasn't been an issue since then because the python.co.uk domain has, for most of its life, just forwarded its traffic on to the parent companies, veber.co.uk and pobox.co.uk. Unfortunately, Veber has decided that they want to start using the name "Python" for their server products. We contacted the owners of python.co.uk repeatedly and tried to discuss the matter with them. They blew us off and responded by filing the community trademark application claiming the exclusive right to use "Python" for software, servers, and web services - everywhere in Europe. We got legal counsel in the UK and we (the PSF) are opposing the community trademark application, but our own trademark application hasn't yet matured. Accordingly, we are going with the trademark rights we have developed through using "Python" consistently over the past 20 years. . . ."

Xbox 720 Release Date Rumors: April Unveiling, XboxEvent.com Domain Name ...
Latinos Post
There's some more evidence for an upcoming Xbox announcement, as it has recently been revealed that Eventcore, a company that organizes media events, has registered the domain name XboxEvent.com. A NeoGaf forum thread states that Eventcore only...

Latinos Post

PT says Norwegian top level domain name is secure
Telecompaper (subscription)
Norwegian postal and telecoms watchdog PT said it is satisfied with the security and stability of the country's top level internet domain, dot no, which is managed by Uninett Norid. PT sent the registry a list of questions in winter 2012 and Norid ...

Complainant found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking
World Trademark Review (subscription)
In a particularly long decision issued by the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) in accordance with the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), a provider of pet transportation services, Airpet Animal Transport Inc, was denied the transfer ...

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ICANN debating generic domain name extensions

ICANN’s debating what’s in a domain name - Michelle Quinn - POLITICO.com: "Should a company be allowed to run a generic term such as tire, insurance or book as a domain and wall off its use from competitors?That’s the question the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is wrestling with as it prepares to begin awarding firms new top-level domains — the words to the right of the dot. The nonprofit firm has been evaluating about 1,900 applications for new domains, many of them common dictionary terms. There had been agreement that companies like Apple could win generic words such as apple because of its brand. But companies such as Amazon, Google, Goodyear, L’Oreal and others also applied for a wide array of words and indicated that they would like to operate the registry as “closed” — meaning they may not allow other firms to buy what are known as second-level domains. Clearly, companies want to own and control generic words as domains so that they can offer their services. But with that comes the possibility of blocking competitors who want to attach their brand to a term. For example, Ford might want to buy ford.truck but be blocked from doing so by the owner of .truck. . . . " Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/icanns-debating-whats-in-a-domain-name-87816.html#ixzz2LV2fOVPD


Protecting Your “.trademark”: ICANN Clarifies Procedure for Objecting to New gTLDs | BakerHostetler - JDSupra: "It has been almost two years since the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that it would accept applications for the registration of new generic top level domain names (gTLDs), increasing the number of domain name endings beyond .com, .net, and .gov. ICANN currently is conducting its initial evaluation of the approximately 1,917 applications it received and is expected to release the results at the end of March. In the meantime, ICANN has published the applied-for gTLDs here. Parties may object to any of the applied-for gTLDs on four bases: string confusion, legal rights, community, and limited public interest. Three different dispute resolution services—ICDR, WIPO, and the ICC—have been appointed to accept and adjudicate the objections. A very broad overview of the objections can be found hereand ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook, which includes a section on objections can be found here. . ."

A simple question every .brand applicant should ask their consultant today - Domain Name Wire: "They aren’t quite dropping like flies, but .brand top level domain applicants are starting to pull out. GM is withdrawing all of its bids. Hasbro is gone. Eli Lilly pulled one of its drug names. Suddenly, I suspect a lot of brand owners will rethink their decision to apply for a new top level domain — especially those beyond their core brand. Although GM gave a general reason for withdrawing its applications, there’s a rather simple question every .brand applicant should ask the consultant that talked them into applying for a domain in the first place: “What’s one thing I’ll be able to do with this TLD that I can’t do with my existing .com domain?”. . .. "

ICANN letting registrar negotiations hold new TLDs hostage
Domain Name Wire
. . . . ICANN's latest proposed registry agreement for new TLD operators. The agreement mandates that new TLD operators use only domain registrars that have signed the new Registrar Accreditation Agreement with ICANN. . . .

Cargill registers Truvia lawsuit domain names
Domain Name Wire
Cargill gets defensive with domain name registrations. Cargill Food giant Cargill registered dozens of domain names on Friday, many of which could be used to protect the company against a backlash over its Truvia sweetener and other company products.

Google: Don't Let Bad Sites On Your Domain Name
Search Engine Roundtable
This may be obvious to many of you but hosting bad sites on your own domain name is not a good idea. I.e. if I allowed someone to put a site on . . .

Search Engine Roundtable


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Want to protect your trademark on the internet? It will cost you

ICANN Publishes Pricing for Trademark Clearinghouse | Morgan Lewis - JDSupra: "The Trademark Clearinghouse will charge trademark owners $150 to record an eligible mark for one year. Multiyear recordation is also contemplated, with a charge of $435 per mark for three years and $725 per mark for five years. Although trademark owners may record their marks directly with the Trademark Clearinghouse, the Trademark Clearinghouse's payment procedures may impede individual action because credit card payments are limited to 10 trademarks per card and all other payment options require a $15,000 minimum deposit to the Trademark Clearinghouse. Accordingly, some trademark owners may wish to have agents record their marks with the Trademark Clearinghouse and, therefore, will likely be subject to additional fees. . . ."

Docracy Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Tracker - Changes: "Using Docracy's unique document change analysis, we are now tracking terms of service and privacy policies for hundreds of the world's top sites. See below for summaries of recent changes, or to see the complete terms for any of the sites we track. We started tracking these policies on January 16th, 2013. Earlier versions of selected policies can be found on EFF's TOSBack and TOSBack2 projects. . . ."

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Sedo Issues Domain Name Market Study for Q4 and Year End 2012 | Business Wire

Sedo Issues Domain Name Market Study for Q4 and Year End 2012 | Business Wire: " . . . In the fourth quarter, Sedo powered 8,818 transactions, totaling more than $16M and representing a slight increase from the third quarter. This is a common yearly trend, as the market generally slows during the summer months and picks up again in the fall. Additional highlights of Sedo’s Q4 2012 Domain Market Study: .com accounted for 48 percent of all sales in 2012 – a 4 percent increase from a year prior – easily maintaining its position as the most popular TLD. More than half of all buyers throughout 2012 originated in Sedo’s two largest markets, the US (28 percent) and Germany (24 percent). The first quarter of 2012 was the year’s strongest, accounting for 10,133 sales and $19M in sales value. 46 percent of all sales for the year were valued at $500 or less, while domains that sold between $500 and $2,500 accounted for 40 percent of all sales. The mean average and median sales price of .com domains decreased during 2012 to $2,148 and $642 respectively. The traditional alternatives to .com— .net and .org – both saw increases in mean prices to $1,880 and $1,315. .eu was a surprise hit among ccTLD last year, experiencing a 127 percent growth in median price from $375 in 2011 to $850 in 2012.  . . . "
Sedo’s complete Q4 2012 Domain Market Study is available at:
http://sedo.de/fileadmin/documents/pressdownload/Domain-Market-Study-Q4-2012.pdf?et_cid=21&et_lid=246441

Apple introduces vanity URLs for App Store apps | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog: " . . . According to a CNET report, the movie maker aired a commercial for its upcoming Star Trek Into Darknessfilm and flashed a custom URL (AppStore.com/StarTrekApp) for the movie's iOS app. This URL caught people's attention as it directed users to the iOS app using Apple's AppStore.com domain. Shortly after the commercial aired, Apple updated its developer documentation and included instructions on how developers can setup custom AppStore.com URLs for their individual apps and for their company name. Apple obtained the AppStore.com domain and the App Store trademarkfrom Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce. Benioff gifted the pair to Apple after the Cupertino company announced it was opening an App Store for its mobile devices. Benioff told Bloomberg in a 2011 interview that he donated the domain and trademark as a thank-you gift to Steve Jobs, who advised him in the early days of Salesforce. . . . "


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