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28 June 2013
Wikipedia explains dot com
.com - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "The domain name com is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the word commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations. However, eventually the distinction was lost when .com, .org and .net were opened for unrestricted registration. The domain was originally administered by the United States Department of Defense, but is today operated by Verisign, and remains under ultimate jurisdiction of US law. Verisign Registrations in com are processed via registrars accredited by ICANN. The registry accepts internationalized domain names. The domain was one of the original top-level domains (TLDs) in the Internet when the Domain Name System was implemented in January 1985, the others being edu, gov, mil, net, org, and arpa. It has grown into the largest top-level domain."
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27 June 2013
How many new domain names will new gTLDs really produce?
How many new domain names will the explosion in gTLDs really produce? - The Next Web: "Let’s see how much oxygen new extensions will have to themselves. Even if they manage to grab something closer to a half of the annual growth potential, say that of 5 million new registrations, spreading this number among all of them allocates a very minimal user base of 10 thousand domain names per year to each new TLD. This number will not be enough for most of them to survive. An estimated budget of a typical TLD registry is between $300,000.00 and $ 2,000,000.00 per year, saying nothing about the ICANN’s application fee of $185,000.00, potential auction levies, and other costs such as extra marketing. Registries will need to keep the registration and renewal prices high at $100 per domain name to get to the black in the years to come. All known registries, which kept the fees that high in the past, never managed to pass the mark of one million registrations." (more at link above)
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Film Academy vs GoDaddy Parking Progam
Think you can buy a domain name that infringes a trademark and just "park it?" Now a case nearing trial asserts claims against the operator of the "parking program"--
Film Academy Nears Trial Against GoDaddy Over 'Oscars' Trademarks: "In a first-of-its-kind cybersquatting lawsuit, GoDaddy is denied safe harbor protection for allowing customers to collect money after "parking" domains like academyawardz.com. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is on the verge of a big showdown against GoDaddy. AMPAS, most famous for its annual Oscars awards ceremony, is suing GoDaddy under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, alleging that the domain registrar giant traffics in unauthorized trademarks. Specifically in dispute is GoDaddy's "CashParking" program that allows customers to buy a domain like Oscarbets.com or Oscarsornot.com, "park" that page and collect a portion of revenue from GoDaddy's advertising partners on a pay-per-click basis." (read more at first link above)
"The safe harbor provision simply does not apply to conduct, like operating the Parked Pages Program, that goes beyond mere registration and maintenance,” Judge Collins wrote. “Furthermore, a registrar’s mere bad faith intent to profit—as opposed to actual profit—is sufficient to disqualify it from safe harbor protection." Full ruling here.
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26 June 2013
UDRP and Domain names with advertising or PPC links
BuyDomains.com Loses UDRP On 10 Tear Old Domain Name Frize.com | TheDomains.com: "There are a number of UDRP decisions which have addressed the resale of domain names, or the use of domain names for websites with advertising or PPC links. The panel in Media General Communications, Inc. v Rarenames, WebReg, WIPO Case No. 2006-0964 summarized some of the relevant principles as follows:
“These practices are most likely to be deemed legitimate under the Policy when:
- the respondent regularly engages in the business of registering and reselling domain names, and/or using them to display advertising links;
- the respondent makes good-faith efforts to avoid registering and using domain names that are identical or confusingly similar to marks held by others;
- the domain name in question is a “dictionary word” or a generic or descriptive phrase;
- the domain name is not identical or confusingly similar to a famous or distinctive trademark; and
- there is no evidence that the respondent had actual knowledge of the complainant’s mark.”
Here, the Respondent is clearly in the business of registering and reselling domain names, as well as using them to display advertising links." (more at link above)
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“These practices are most likely to be deemed legitimate under the Policy when:
- the respondent regularly engages in the business of registering and reselling domain names, and/or using them to display advertising links;
- the respondent makes good-faith efforts to avoid registering and using domain names that are identical or confusingly similar to marks held by others;
- the domain name in question is a “dictionary word” or a generic or descriptive phrase;
- the domain name is not identical or confusingly similar to a famous or distinctive trademark; and
- there is no evidence that the respondent had actual knowledge of the complainant’s mark.”
Here, the Respondent is clearly in the business of registering and reselling domain names, as well as using them to display advertising links." (more at link above)
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25 June 2013
Guardian thinks global with new domain name theguardian.com
The British newspaper has made big gains in readership in the US and globally (including the leading coverage on the Snowden case)--the domain change is concurrent with its global strategy--
Guardian thinks global with new domain name theguardian.com - Media news - Media Week: "The Guardian is set to change its numerous domain names including guardian.co.uk to theguardian.com as part of a shift to a global digital news brand and ongoing expansion in the US and Asia-Pacific."
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Guardian thinks global with new domain name theguardian.com - Media news - Media Week: "The Guardian is set to change its numerous domain names including guardian.co.uk to theguardian.com as part of a shift to a global digital news brand and ongoing expansion in the US and Asia-Pacific."
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24 June 2013
When a domain name is a trade mark - realestate.com.au
Interesting case from Australia on trademarks and domain names--
realestate.com.au: When a domain name is a trade mark - Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment - Australia: " . . . However, REA Group Ltd v Real Estate 1 Ltd is an example where the top level domain is an intrinsic part of the brand, and the entirety of the domain name needs to be considered to establish if there is deceptive similarity. The applicants (collectively, REA) accepted that "real estate" was purely descriptive, yet contended that the combination of "real estate" with ".com.au" created a term which was distinctive of REA's residential property portal. . . . however, there is a real danger of confusion in relation to "realestate1.com.au". In the context of domain names and the scanning process that occurs when looking at a search results page, the "1" in realestate1.com.au is not very distinctive and was likely to be missed. As a result, the realestate1.com.au domain name was deceptively similar to realestate.com.au and constituted trade mark infringement. . . ." (read more at link above)
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realestate.com.au: When a domain name is a trade mark - Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment - Australia: " . . . However, REA Group Ltd v Real Estate 1 Ltd is an example where the top level domain is an intrinsic part of the brand, and the entirety of the domain name needs to be considered to establish if there is deceptive similarity. The applicants (collectively, REA) accepted that "real estate" was purely descriptive, yet contended that the combination of "real estate" with ".com.au" created a term which was distinctive of REA's residential property portal. . . . however, there is a real danger of confusion in relation to "realestate1.com.au". In the context of domain names and the scanning process that occurs when looking at a search results page, the "1" in realestate1.com.au is not very distinctive and was likely to be missed. As a result, the realestate1.com.au domain name was deceptively similar to realestate.com.au and constituted trade mark infringement. . . ." (read more at link above)
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21 June 2013
New gTLDs and Trademark Clearinghouse
A fitting title below to the new gTLDs scheme--
Insane in the Do-main: The New gTLDs and the Trademark Clearinghouse | Field Law - JDSupra: "ICANN (the entity that essentially controls the worldwide domain name system) is in the final stages of processing approximately 1,900 applications for new gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains – like ".com") many of which are expected to come online in 2013. Some of these applications are private brands, like .ford and .audi, while some generic gTLDs will likely only be used only by the owner – e.g. Safeway and Walmart have both applied to own .grocery. Many are also non-english names, and/or in non-western script, like
(Samsung). Click here to view the whole list. Excluding all the private and esoteric new domains, that still leaves 1,000+ non-private, new, english-language gTLDs, including, to name a few: .eco, .bank, .hotel, .apartments, .app, .porn, .art, .beer, .wtf, .sucks, .lawyer, .doctor, .engineer, .soccer, .university, .gay, .dog, .forsale, .education, .giving, .hockey, .mba, .medical, .school, .science, .sex, .soccer, .sports, .technology – and the list really does go on and on (and on). . . ." (read more at the link above)
Overview of Elliot's Business: "While at the TRAFFIC conference a couple of weeks ago, I met a number of people I hadn’t met before. Most of these people had heard of my blog, but a couple of them asked me what I do aside from my blog. I explained what I do to them, and I thought I would also give you a general overview of my business. . . ." (read more at link above)
Insane in the Do-main: The New gTLDs and the Trademark Clearinghouse | Field Law - JDSupra: "ICANN (the entity that essentially controls the worldwide domain name system) is in the final stages of processing approximately 1,900 applications for new gTLDs (generic Top Level Domains – like ".com") many of which are expected to come online in 2013. Some of these applications are private brands, like .ford and .audi, while some generic gTLDs will likely only be used only by the owner – e.g. Safeway and Walmart have both applied to own .grocery. Many are also non-english names, and/or in non-western script, like
(Samsung). Click here to view the whole list. Excluding all the private and esoteric new domains, that still leaves 1,000+ non-private, new, english-language gTLDs, including, to name a few: .eco, .bank, .hotel, .apartments, .app, .porn, .art, .beer, .wtf, .sucks, .lawyer, .doctor, .engineer, .soccer, .university, .gay, .dog, .forsale, .education, .giving, .hockey, .mba, .medical, .school, .science, .sex, .soccer, .sports, .technology – and the list really does go on and on (and on). . . ." (read more at the link above)Overview of Elliot's Business: "While at the TRAFFIC conference a couple of weeks ago, I met a number of people I hadn’t met before. Most of these people had heard of my blog, but a couple of them asked me what I do aside from my blog. I explained what I do to them, and I thought I would also give you a general overview of my business. . . ." (read more at link above)
.com Domain Names – Verisign: ".com is the standard for doing business online. Give your business the recognition associated with a .com to help connect with new customers and partners. 97% of the top 100 brands have a registered.com domain 75% of globally registered domains (TLDs) are .com 93% of the Fortune Global 100 use .coms .com has had 100% operational accuracy and stability for more than 15 years, throughout the explosive growth of the Internet"
19 June 2013
Trademark Holder dotOrg Denied UDRP On dotCom
.Org Domain & Trademark Holder Denied UDRP On .Com | TheDomains.com: " . . . Common law rights are obtained with use of the trademark to identify certain goods or services in commerce and to distinguish them from those of competitors. Common law rights may be established by extensive or continuous use sufficient to identify particular goods or services as those of the trademark owner. Hence, to prove common law rights, it is necessary to file evidence regarding the extensive and continuous use, enough to be considered sufficient by the Panel as to identify the goods or services specified by the trademark owner. The evidence filed must show that the trademark has acquired secondary meaning, i.e., that the public associates the trademark with Complainant’s services. The Panel considers relevant evidence of secondary meaning include the income produced by the trademark (sales), the advertisement and media recognition. . . ." (read more at link above)
Company ordered to pay $5,000 after reverse domain name hijacking charge - Domain Name Wire: "Domain name attorney Zak Muscovitch has helped the owner of ClevelandCyclewerks.ca save his domain name in a cybersquatting arbitration case. Not only that, but the arbitration panel found the complainant guilty of reverse domain name hijacking and ordered it to pay $5,000."
Media Options Flips White.com: " . . . . Spending six figures on a domain name as an investment can be risky, but for someone like Andrew Rosener, it’s a calculated risk. The acquisition and sale of White.com shows that great domain names are liquid, and there is still a considerable amount of money to be made from flipping domain names for people who have knowledge about the market and a high level of risk tolerance. It also shows that there is a considerable amount of business done below the radar, not reported to DN Journal."
Company ordered to pay $5,000 after reverse domain name hijacking charge - Domain Name Wire: "Domain name attorney Zak Muscovitch has helped the owner of ClevelandCyclewerks.ca save his domain name in a cybersquatting arbitration case. Not only that, but the arbitration panel found the complainant guilty of reverse domain name hijacking and ordered it to pay $5,000."
Media Options Flips White.com: " . . . . Spending six figures on a domain name as an investment can be risky, but for someone like Andrew Rosener, it’s a calculated risk. The acquisition and sale of White.com shows that great domain names are liquid, and there is still a considerable amount of money to be made from flipping domain names for people who have knowledge about the market and a high level of risk tolerance. It also shows that there is a considerable amount of business done below the radar, not reported to DN Journal."
17 June 2013
Investing in Domain Names
Before Investing in Domain Names: Anyone can go out and buy a domain name or buy a portfolio of domain names. Without some basic knowledge though, it’s unlikely that a person will be successful investing in domain names. I want to share some advice on what I think you need to be knowledgable about before investing in domain names in order to make money. . . .(read full article at link above)
Name it right for the best head start: "Your business name can shape and even limit the scope of your business. So how do you come up with a name that nails it? Co-founder of organisational story-telling consultancy One Thousand and One, Yamini Naidu, says after deciding what your business will do, your business name is the second most important decision to make."
Kim Dotcom buys K.im domain name for $20,000 - Domain Name Wire: "The Sedo auction closed for $20,000 and Kim Dotcom is now the owner listed in whois. The domain is registered at Instra, which is one of his key partners for the new Mega. With a name like Kim Dotcom, you’d think he’d be a .com only kind of guy. He does, in fact, own Kim.com. But with his adversarial relationship with the United States, he’s been shying away from .com domains lately. (The .com registry is located in Virginia.)
.im is the country code top level domain for Isle of Man."
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Name it right for the best head start: "Your business name can shape and even limit the scope of your business. So how do you come up with a name that nails it? Co-founder of organisational story-telling consultancy One Thousand and One, Yamini Naidu, says after deciding what your business will do, your business name is the second most important decision to make."
Kim Dotcom buys K.im domain name for $20,000 - Domain Name Wire: "The Sedo auction closed for $20,000 and Kim Dotcom is now the owner listed in whois. The domain is registered at Instra, which is one of his key partners for the new Mega. With a name like Kim Dotcom, you’d think he’d be a .com only kind of guy. He does, in fact, own Kim.com. But with his adversarial relationship with the United States, he’s been shying away from .com domains lately. (The .com registry is located in Virginia.)
.im is the country code top level domain for Isle of Man."
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14 June 2013
Small Businesses Domain Name Decisions
Small Businesses Lack Education on Domain Name Decisions
eWeek
The survey, conducted among 500 small-business owners (companies with 100 or fewer employees), indicated that 49 percent of small-business owners tried more than one domain name before settling on their current one, 55 percent believe they have lost ...
Guardian to change domain to theguardian.com
Journalism.co.uk
The Guardian is to change its domain name to theguardian.com, reflecting a shift to a global digital approach and to further strengthen its presence worldwide. The UK site (guardian.co.uk), the US homepage (guardiannews.com), and the mobile site ...
eWeek
The survey, conducted among 500 small-business owners (companies with 100 or fewer employees), indicated that 49 percent of small-business owners tried more than one domain name before settling on their current one, 55 percent believe they have lost ...
Guardian to change domain to theguardian.com
Journalism.co.uk
The Guardian is to change its domain name to theguardian.com, reflecting a shift to a global digital approach and to further strengthen its presence worldwide. The UK site (guardian.co.uk), the US homepage (guardiannews.com), and the mobile site ...
Intellectual property lawyer guilty of reverse domain name hijacking
Domain Name Wire
A three person World Intellectual Property Organization panel has found an intellectual property lawyer guilty of attempting to engage in Reverse Domain Name Hijacking and bringing a UDRP complaint in bad faith in abuse of the administrative proceeding. . . .
Microsoft submits dispute against Xbox One domain squatter
SlashGear
Domain name registrations made before a product is launched can be used to find out the name of the product, in this case the Xbox One, a title Microsoft kept top secret. For this reason, companies avoid filing domains that will reveal the product's ...
DomainAdvisors.com Rebrands Under a Cool New Name - Introducing Igloo.com!
Domain Name Journal
While we love the DomainAdvisors name, and will continue to ensure we approach each opportunity as an advisor, the number of companies in our industry with the word "domain" in their name has unintentionally led to serious brand confusion. Given we ...
Google Loses UDRP On Play-Gogles.com; Not Confusing To TM On Google Play
TheDomains.com
In a case that is sure to drive the trademark holders crazy, Google Inc. just lost a UDRP on thedomain name play-gogles.com which was registered in February 2013. Google claimed it had rights to the domain name play-gogles.com based off its trademarks ...
3 Myths People Commonly Tell You (And Often Believe) About Their ...
By Morgan
What this means is that I've heard just about every justification for why a particular domain name or portfolio is the best thing since sliced bread. If you're a fellow domain investor, you've probably heard all of these yourself. However, if you're ...
Morgan Linton
Domain Name Wire
A three person World Intellectual Property Organization panel has found an intellectual property lawyer guilty of attempting to engage in Reverse Domain Name Hijacking and bringing a UDRP complaint in bad faith in abuse of the administrative proceeding. . . .
Microsoft submits dispute against Xbox One domain squatter
SlashGear
Domain name registrations made before a product is launched can be used to find out the name of the product, in this case the Xbox One, a title Microsoft kept top secret. For this reason, companies avoid filing domains that will reveal the product's ...
DomainAdvisors.com Rebrands Under a Cool New Name - Introducing Igloo.com!
Domain Name Journal
While we love the DomainAdvisors name, and will continue to ensure we approach each opportunity as an advisor, the number of companies in our industry with the word "domain" in their name has unintentionally led to serious brand confusion. Given we ...
Google Loses UDRP On Play-Gogles.com; Not Confusing To TM On Google Play
TheDomains.com
In a case that is sure to drive the trademark holders crazy, Google Inc. just lost a UDRP on thedomain name play-gogles.com which was registered in February 2013. Google claimed it had rights to the domain name play-gogles.com based off its trademarks ...
3 Myths People Commonly Tell You (And Often Believe) About Their ...
By Morgan
What this means is that I've heard just about every justification for why a particular domain name or portfolio is the best thing since sliced bread. If you're a fellow domain investor, you've probably heard all of these yourself. However, if you're ...
Morgan Linton
13 June 2013
Dot Com Or Dot Irrelevant?
Is Your Site .Com or .Irrelevant?
Internet Evolution
Jackness added, "People hear a brand name and just type .com into their web browser, so it's really hard to brand a .net site. Google realizes that as well, so a .com domain is vastly superior to a .net domain or any other extension. It'll become even ...
Bill Sweetman Announces New Consulting Venture, Name Ninja
Elliot's Blog (blog)
At the time of his announcement, Sweetman didn't offer many details about his venture, but in a press release that was distributed to me this morning, we now know it's called Name Ninja, and it has a unique tagline, “lethal domain name consulting.” It ...
Nisekoi, Aokihagane Domain Names Registered
Anime News Network
The domain name aokihagane.jp has also been registered under the name of FlyingDog, the anime label of the Victor Entertainment Group. " Ark Performance " has been serializing the naval manga Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) in ...
Veko.com Lost In UDRP: Domain Was Parked, For Sale & Owner Was Domainer
TheDomains.com
As the Panel finds that Respondent primarily intended to offer the disputed domain name for sale when it registered the disputed domain name, it also finds that Respondent has registered and used the domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(i).
Encouraging domain name decision – all about a burger
Lexology (registration)
The appeal in the Burger King domain name disputes has recently been resolved by the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals. The court rejected the registrant Alexei Makoveyev's appeal against an earlier decision against him with regards to burgerking.su ...
Half of Small Business Owners are Dissatisfied With Their Web Presence ...
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With hundreds of millions of websites already online, chances are great that someone else has already snapped up a small business owner's first choice domain name. As a result, many small business owners have settled for less ...
The Feature Well vs. Featurewell.com
New York Observer
But maybe Mr. Jackson should have done some more research before he bought that domain name-the name, The Feature Well, is remarkably similar to Featurewell.com, a syndication marketplace service that represents writers and publications (including ...
Playing the name game
Coastline Pilot
"I start everything with a domain name, and then I go from there," Townley said. When he punched in the name of his imagined winery, though, he found there was already a Townley Wines up north. Over the next two years he revisited the winery's Facebook ...
Top Tips to Protect A Not for Profit's Brand
Pro Bono Australia
Often the most important asset of a Not for Profit is its brand which not only includes the public's perception but trade names, domain names, logos and trademarks. NFP Management ... Obtain domain name registrations for all available names you plan to ...
Be careful where you register your domain name - Nomad Capitalist
If you're not familiar, a domain name is the name of a website, like nomadcapitalist.com. If you run a business, have a charitable group, or just run your own blog, ...
nomadcapitalist.com/.../be-careful-where-you-register-your-do...
Internet Evolution
Jackness added, "People hear a brand name and just type .com into their web browser, so it's really hard to brand a .net site. Google realizes that as well, so a .com domain is vastly superior to a .net domain or any other extension. It'll become even ...
Bill Sweetman Announces New Consulting Venture, Name Ninja
Elliot's Blog (blog)
At the time of his announcement, Sweetman didn't offer many details about his venture, but in a press release that was distributed to me this morning, we now know it's called Name Ninja, and it has a unique tagline, “lethal domain name consulting.” It ...
Nisekoi, Aokihagane Domain Names Registered
Anime News Network
The domain name aokihagane.jp has also been registered under the name of FlyingDog, the anime label of the Victor Entertainment Group. " Ark Performance " has been serializing the naval manga Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio (Arpeggio of Blue Steel) in ...
Veko.com Lost In UDRP: Domain Was Parked, For Sale & Owner Was Domainer
TheDomains.com
As the Panel finds that Respondent primarily intended to offer the disputed domain name for sale when it registered the disputed domain name, it also finds that Respondent has registered and used the domain name in bad faith under Policy ¶ 4(b)(i).
Encouraging domain name decision – all about a burger
Lexology (registration)
The appeal in the Burger King domain name disputes has recently been resolved by the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals. The court rejected the registrant Alexei Makoveyev's appeal against an earlier decision against him with regards to burgerking.su ...
Half of Small Business Owners are Dissatisfied With Their Web Presence ...
EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With hundreds of millions of websites already online, chances are great that someone else has already snapped up a small business owner's first choice domain name. As a result, many small business owners have settled for less ...
The Feature Well vs. Featurewell.com
New York Observer
But maybe Mr. Jackson should have done some more research before he bought that domain name-the name, The Feature Well, is remarkably similar to Featurewell.com, a syndication marketplace service that represents writers and publications (including ...
Playing the name game
Coastline Pilot
"I start everything with a domain name, and then I go from there," Townley said. When he punched in the name of his imagined winery, though, he found there was already a Townley Wines up north. Over the next two years he revisited the winery's Facebook ...
Top Tips to Protect A Not for Profit's Brand
Pro Bono Australia
Often the most important asset of a Not for Profit is its brand which not only includes the public's perception but trade names, domain names, logos and trademarks. NFP Management ... Obtain domain name registrations for all available names you plan to ...
Be careful where you register your domain name - Nomad Capitalist
If you're not familiar, a domain name is the name of a website, like nomadcapitalist.com. If you run a business, have a charitable group, or just run your own blog, ...
nomadcapitalist.com/.../be-careful-where-you-register-your-do...
11 June 2013
Choosing a domain name
How Your Domain Name Will Impact SEO & Social Media Marketing | Search Engine Journal: "Choosing a domain name can be hard. In many cases the most obvious brandable domain names are already registered and would be expensive to purchase. Set up a brainstorm session with your team to develop a few ideas. If it helps, use these three formulas to brainstorm possible domain names. Use existing words. Amazon.com and VitaminShoppe.com are good examples of domain names that were created using existing words. Use a thesaurus to find words that may not readily come to mind. Create new words. Many famous websites are based on new words (or words that were so obscure that few people knew them). Examples include Google.com, Bing.com or Quora.com. Create portmanteaus. A portmanteau is a combination of two (or more) words or morphemes and their definitions to create one new word, like Groupon or Pinterest. If you want more help brainstorming domain ideas, read this article on Ten Tools for Picking the Right Domain Name. . . ."
Will the New Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) Really Influence Internet User’s Experience? | The National Law Review: "This was one of the topics of discussion during the gTLD program at the International Trademark Association annual meeting today and it is no small question for brand owners. Companies who have applied for various generic gTLDs are betting that it will. Donuts, for example, has applied for over 300 new gTLDs. They believe that domain name space is the “fulcrum of commercial online navigation” and, I suspect, that internet users will tend to either look for or prefer websites at TLDs that match their interest. Brand owners that I talk to are not so sure, but many of them are not taking any chances and are either themselves applicants for TLDs that match their brands or are looking to register their brands with the ICANN trademark clearing house. . . . "
TheForce.net: Lucasfilm Registers Domain Names: Gungan Frontier, Wolf Pack, And More: "Domain name watcher Fusible reports that Lucasfilm has snapped up a bunch of web addresses that may contain cryptic hints at the direction of the Star Wars franchise. The following domain names were recently added to the Lucasfilm collection:
gunganfrontier2.com
gunganfrontier3.com
gunganfrontier4.com
order67.net
starwarsalliance.com
starwarsrebels.com
starwarswolfpack.com
wolfpackadventures.net
wookieehunters.com"
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Will the New Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) Really Influence Internet User’s Experience? | The National Law Review: "This was one of the topics of discussion during the gTLD program at the International Trademark Association annual meeting today and it is no small question for brand owners. Companies who have applied for various generic gTLDs are betting that it will. Donuts, for example, has applied for over 300 new gTLDs. They believe that domain name space is the “fulcrum of commercial online navigation” and, I suspect, that internet users will tend to either look for or prefer websites at TLDs that match their interest. Brand owners that I talk to are not so sure, but many of them are not taking any chances and are either themselves applicants for TLDs that match their brands or are looking to register their brands with the ICANN trademark clearing house. . . . "
TheForce.net: Lucasfilm Registers Domain Names: Gungan Frontier, Wolf Pack, And More: "Domain name watcher Fusible reports that Lucasfilm has snapped up a bunch of web addresses that may contain cryptic hints at the direction of the Star Wars franchise. The following domain names were recently added to the Lucasfilm collection:
gunganfrontier2.com
gunganfrontier3.com
gunganfrontier4.com
order67.net
starwarsalliance.com
starwarsrebels.com
starwarswolfpack.com
wolfpackadventures.net
wookieehunters.com"
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10 June 2013
A new vision and five-year strategic plan for ICANN
"In June 2013, a process will begin to create a new vision and five-year strategic plan for ICANN. As always, the community will be engaged for input during the process. In fact, you can start right now. To help provide a framework for ICANN strategic planning, and prepare us for an increasingly complex world, please share your thoughts."--ICANN
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09 June 2013
Domain name changes tricky
Plenty of warnings out there--
Golden's ServiceMagic becomes HomeAdvisor in risky rebranding strategy - The Denver Post: Two recent examples of companies changing online identities didn't generate great results. When the social network Reunion switched to MyLife in 2009, it experienced a fairly significant loss in traffic, said Ridenour, who spoke with the company about its change in preparation for ServiceMagic's relaunch. E-tailer NutsOnline.com switched to Nuts.com in January and despite the simpler URL, the company immediately saw its nonpaid Google search traffic tank. Three months after the switch, visits were down more than 50 percent, costing the company at least 100 to 150 orders a day, according to The New York Times. . . .
Domain name change leads to 20% drop at HomeAdvisor - Domain Name Wire: " . . . Later in the call the company confirmed that the “glitches” were related to search engine optimization. The company’s 10Q filing with the SEC states: “HomeAdvisor domestic revenue was negatively impacted by a 20% decrease in accepted service requests due primarily to the domain name change.” Switching domain names is hard, even if you’re upgrading to a better domain. . . ."
Trade Sanctions Cited in Hundreds of Syrian Domain Seizures — Krebs on Security: "Network Solutions LLC. and its parent firm — Jacksonville, Fla. based Web.com — have assumed control over more than 700 domains that were being used mostly for sites hosted in Damascus. The seizures all occurred within a three- to four-day period in mid-April."
How Demand Media sees its domain name business - Domain Name Wire: "The company is working to spin out its domain name business into a separate business and expects that to happen by the end of the year or in early 2014. CEO Richard Rosenblatt explained that the company wants to be an end-to-end provider of domain services. The group will continue to own its own portfolio of domains, hold an expansive distribution network, and provide services to buy, sell, and monetize domains."
Trade Sanctions Cited in Hundreds of Syrian Domain Seizures — Krebs on Security: "Network Solutions LLC. and its parent firm — Jacksonville, Fla. based Web.com — have assumed control over more than 700 domains that were being used mostly for sites hosted in Damascus. The seizures all occurred within a three- to four-day period in mid-April."
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Golden's ServiceMagic becomes HomeAdvisor in risky rebranding strategy - The Denver Post: Two recent examples of companies changing online identities didn't generate great results. When the social network Reunion switched to MyLife in 2009, it experienced a fairly significant loss in traffic, said Ridenour, who spoke with the company about its change in preparation for ServiceMagic's relaunch. E-tailer NutsOnline.com switched to Nuts.com in January and despite the simpler URL, the company immediately saw its nonpaid Google search traffic tank. Three months after the switch, visits were down more than 50 percent, costing the company at least 100 to 150 orders a day, according to The New York Times. . . .
Domain name change leads to 20% drop at HomeAdvisor - Domain Name Wire: " . . . Later in the call the company confirmed that the “glitches” were related to search engine optimization. The company’s 10Q filing with the SEC states: “HomeAdvisor domestic revenue was negatively impacted by a 20% decrease in accepted service requests due primarily to the domain name change.” Switching domain names is hard, even if you’re upgrading to a better domain. . . ."
Trade Sanctions Cited in Hundreds of Syrian Domain Seizures — Krebs on Security: "Network Solutions LLC. and its parent firm — Jacksonville, Fla. based Web.com — have assumed control over more than 700 domains that were being used mostly for sites hosted in Damascus. The seizures all occurred within a three- to four-day period in mid-April."
How Demand Media sees its domain name business - Domain Name Wire: "The company is working to spin out its domain name business into a separate business and expects that to happen by the end of the year or in early 2014. CEO Richard Rosenblatt explained that the company wants to be an end-to-end provider of domain services. The group will continue to own its own portfolio of domains, hold an expansive distribution network, and provide services to buy, sell, and monetize domains."
Trade Sanctions Cited in Hundreds of Syrian Domain Seizures — Krebs on Security: "Network Solutions LLC. and its parent firm — Jacksonville, Fla. based Web.com — have assumed control over more than 700 domains that were being used mostly for sites hosted in Damascus. The seizures all occurred within a three- to four-day period in mid-April."
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08 June 2013
Microsoft registers Halo Spartan Assault domains
Report: Microsoft registers bundle of 'Halo Spartan Assault' domains ...
By Jordan Mallory
Microsoft, by way of private domain registrar service MarkMonitor, has registered a handful of domains related to the Halo universe, Fusible reports. The addresses, HaloSpartanAssault.com, Halo-SpartanAssault.net and similar other variants ...
Joystiq
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By Jordan Mallory
Microsoft, by way of private domain registrar service MarkMonitor, has registered a handful of domains related to the Halo universe, Fusible reports. The addresses, HaloSpartanAssault.com, Halo-SpartanAssault.net and similar other variants ...
Joystiq
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07 June 2013
Trademark, Domain Name in Spin-Offs
Trademark, Domain Name and Other IP Considerations in Spin-Offs | The National Law Review: "When planning for a spin-off, companies should address important trademark, domain name and related intellectual property (IP) matters alongside the myriad other matters involved in this complex type of transaction. . . ."
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06 June 2013
Responsive design dooms dot mobi
Responsive design has killed .mobi--it's just not needed--just get the .com!
Responsive design is another blow to .mobi - Domain Name Wire: " . . . But there was a much simpler solution that offered a good browsing experience to mobile visitors without the need to remember a separate domain name. Automatic device and operating system recognition enables web publishers to easily shift a visitor to a mobile site. Let’s face it: .Mobi isn’t needed. Site visitors don’t need to know the URL of a company’s mobile site; they will be forwarded there when they type in the .com URL. . . . High quality responsive web design is now available to the masses. There are hundreds of responsive WordPress themes available for under $100 (or even free). . . ."
Guy Registers TM Infringing Domain At The Same Registrar The Domain Infringes On | TheDomains.com: "“‘Respondent must have had actual knowledge of Complainant’s BULKREGISTER mark at the time Respondent registered the domain name because Respondent remarkably used Complainant’s BULKREGISTER registrar service to register the at-issue domain name.” “Registering a domain name that one knows is confusingly similar to the trademark of another indicates bad faith registration and use under Policy.”" (read more at link above)
Responsive design is another blow to .mobi - Domain Name Wire: " . . . But there was a much simpler solution that offered a good browsing experience to mobile visitors without the need to remember a separate domain name. Automatic device and operating system recognition enables web publishers to easily shift a visitor to a mobile site. Let’s face it: .Mobi isn’t needed. Site visitors don’t need to know the URL of a company’s mobile site; they will be forwarded there when they type in the .com URL. . . . High quality responsive web design is now available to the masses. There are hundreds of responsive WordPress themes available for under $100 (or even free). . . ."
Guy Registers TM Infringing Domain At The Same Registrar The Domain Infringes On | TheDomains.com: "“‘Respondent must have had actual knowledge of Complainant’s BULKREGISTER mark at the time Respondent registered the domain name because Respondent remarkably used Complainant’s BULKREGISTER registrar service to register the at-issue domain name.” “Registering a domain name that one knows is confusingly similar to the trademark of another indicates bad faith registration and use under Policy.”" (read more at link above)
Angry Birds maker files its first UDRP - Domain Name Wire: "Although UDRP handles cybersquatting cases and not the sale of counterfeit goods, it’s a useful tool to take down such a site when the site uses the trademark in its domain."
Armani loses domain dispute for EA7.com - Domain Name Wire: ". . . Armani sells a line of sports clothing under the EA7 name. It appears that the EA7 brand was around prior to the domain registrant acquiring the domain name in 2010. However, the domain owner argued that it registered the domain because it stands for its business name “Education Assistance”, followed by the lucky number 7. A World Intellectual Property Forum panelist determined that Armani had not proved the domain was registered in bad faith. . . . "
UDRP Files Against Two Letter Domain Name SM.net | TheDomains.com: "A UDRP was just filed yesterday the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the domain name SM.net" (read more at link above)
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Armani loses domain dispute for EA7.com - Domain Name Wire: ". . . Armani sells a line of sports clothing under the EA7 name. It appears that the EA7 brand was around prior to the domain registrant acquiring the domain name in 2010. However, the domain owner argued that it registered the domain because it stands for its business name “Education Assistance”, followed by the lucky number 7. A World Intellectual Property Forum panelist determined that Armani had not proved the domain was registered in bad faith. . . . "
UDRP Files Against Two Letter Domain Name SM.net | TheDomains.com: "A UDRP was just filed yesterday the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on the domain name SM.net" (read more at link above)
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05 June 2013
Google treats some ccTLDs as gTLDs - complete list
Geotargetable domains - Webmaster Tools Help: "Generic Country Code Top Level Domains (gccTLDs)
Google treats some ccTLDs (such as .tv, .me, etc.) as gTLDs, as we've found that users and webmasters frequently see these more generic than country-targeted. Here is a list of those ccTLDs (note that this list may change over time).
.ad
.as
.bz
.cc
.cd
.co
.dj
.fm
.gg
.io
.la
.me
.ms
.nu
.sc
.sr
.su
.tv
.tk
.ws"
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Google treats some ccTLDs (such as .tv, .me, etc.) as gTLDs, as we've found that users and webmasters frequently see these more generic than country-targeted. Here is a list of those ccTLDs (note that this list may change over time).
.ad
.as
.bz
.cc
.cd
.co
.dj
.fm
.gg
.io
.la
.me
.ms
.nu
.sc
.sr
.su
.tv
.tk
.ws"
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04 June 2013
Building Your Startup and Domain Name
Build Your Startup On A Vacant Domain Name - Forbes: The secret of building a business on a Tier-1 domain name is that a great domain name (short, memorable, meaningful, .com, etc.) is worth millions—if and only if a real business can monetize it. ff Venture Capital has numerous companies which have acquired or launched with blue-chip domain names, e.g., Alerts.com, Gobbler.com,Identified.com, Patents.com, Phone.com, and Plated.com. Those domains are valuable because of the companies built on them, not because of the domains alone. . . .
Choosing a Domain Name: Dashes or No Dashes?: "Whatever your perspective is, choosing a domain name should NOT be your first step when you decide to create an online presence. Your first step should be to research your market and find relevant keywords. Keywords are simply words or phrases that people type into search engines to find what they want. Let’s look at domain names from 3 different perspectives:
1. Search Engine Optimization
2. Branding
3. The Real World . . ."
.GD is another wake up call to tech firms about ccTLDs - Domain Name Wire: " . . . In KSregistry’s press release today, it states:
Before starting a business on a ccTLD, business owners need to scrutinize its history and management. . . ."
How Facebook 'liberated' its Israeli namesake | The Times of Israel: " . . . Many companies make it a priority to buy up the “primary” domain suffixes for their brand name, like .com, .net., and .org. But it’s almost impossible (or soon will be) to register a trademarked or copyrighted brand in all the top-level domains. . . . There are over 2,500 applications (new gTLDs) pending — and that doesn’t even include the permutations of names that many cybersquatters grab as well (like facebooke.com, currently not owned by Facebook).What can a brand owner do? In most countries there is an arbitration process, where the brand owner can appeal to that country’s Internet authorities, as well as a legal process, in which a brand owner takes a cybersquatter to court, usually for damages, or if the arbitration process fails. . . ."
Facebook v. Typosquatters: Damages and Domains Awarded Under Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act | Cozen O’Connor - JDSupra: On April 30, 2013, Magistrate Judge Westmore recommended that the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California award Facebook $2.8 million in damages from typosquatters under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). Facebook v. Cyber2Media, Inc. et al., Case No. 4:11-cv-03619, (N.D.Ca., April 30, 2013). . . .
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Choosing a Domain Name: Dashes or No Dashes?: "Whatever your perspective is, choosing a domain name should NOT be your first step when you decide to create an online presence. Your first step should be to research your market and find relevant keywords. Keywords are simply words or phrases that people type into search engines to find what they want. Let’s look at domain names from 3 different perspectives:
1. Search Engine Optimization
2. Branding
3. The Real World . . ."
.GD is another wake up call to tech firms about ccTLDs - Domain Name Wire: " . . . In KSregistry’s press release today, it states:
Discrepancies in the registration data may result from the operation of a shadow registry by a third party that had partial control of the .GD zone from March 8 to May 1, 2013. While the .GD zone is frozen, no registrations, modifications, transfers, deletions or renewals can be made until the zone file has been fully reviewed and confirmed as valid and complete…Can you imagine if you were running a business on .gd? A bet you’d have a lot of sleepless nights.
Before starting a business on a ccTLD, business owners need to scrutinize its history and management. . . ."
How Facebook 'liberated' its Israeli namesake | The Times of Israel: " . . . Many companies make it a priority to buy up the “primary” domain suffixes for their brand name, like .com, .net., and .org. But it’s almost impossible (or soon will be) to register a trademarked or copyrighted brand in all the top-level domains. . . . There are over 2,500 applications (new gTLDs) pending — and that doesn’t even include the permutations of names that many cybersquatters grab as well (like facebooke.com, currently not owned by Facebook).What can a brand owner do? In most countries there is an arbitration process, where the brand owner can appeal to that country’s Internet authorities, as well as a legal process, in which a brand owner takes a cybersquatter to court, usually for damages, or if the arbitration process fails. . . ."
Facebook v. Typosquatters: Damages and Domains Awarded Under Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act | Cozen O’Connor - JDSupra: On April 30, 2013, Magistrate Judge Westmore recommended that the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California award Facebook $2.8 million in damages from typosquatters under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). Facebook v. Cyber2Media, Inc. et al., Case No. 4:11-cv-03619, (N.D.Ca., April 30, 2013). . . .
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03 June 2013
Who Really Runs the Internet?
Who Really Runs the Internet? : Roll Call Policy: " . . . Following Postel’s death, the Commerce Department issued a contract to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which took over the IANA functions including the management of the domain name system. That makes ICANN the primary policymaking body for Internet addresses, with over 100 countries contributing input as stakeholders, including the United States. However, the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration still manages the contract with ICANN and in theory would have the authority to contract with another organization to oversee the technical administration of the DNS system. The NTIA’s reluctance to interfere with ICANN has preserved the arrangement for years, but it was tested by ICANN’s plan to expand top-level domains during the past decade. . . ."
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02 June 2013
New Internet domain name extensions and Trademarks
New Internet domain name options present both costs and opportunities: " . . . . the new system means that for the first time, domain names will take on trademark significance. This is important because it means trademark granting authorities will have to rethink their historical policies of refusing trademark protection for domain names on the grounds those names carried no independent trademark significance. That simply will not be the case when whole trademarks can be placed to the right of the dot. And as the world’s trademark offices begin accepting applications for registrations of gTLDs, we will see expense associated with filing, prosecuting and maintaining the associated registrations. Moreover, with the gTLD system being global, but trademark systems being national, we can expect a high premium on cooperation and consistency in the practices undertaken by the world’s trademark offices. . . ." (read more at link above)
StorefrontBacktalk » Blog Archive » Amazon May Not Get Its .Amazon Domain-Name Extension After All: "A lot of what the GAC, the ANA and other objectors are saying sounds like just common sense. But for some reason, no one at ICANN thought there would be a problem with .book, .toys, .flowers, .food, .grocery, .shop or .store being tied up for exclusive use by one retailer (and those are just the most obviously retail-oriented TLDs that the applicants want exclusive use for). . . .
Are you dialing back domain investments as you wait for new TLDs? - Domain Name Wire: "Tucows filed its 10-Q yesterday. In the report, Tucows suggested that domain name investors may be proceeding cautiously with aftermarket domain purchases this year as they wait for new top level domain names:
StorefrontBacktalk » Blog Archive » Amazon May Not Get Its .Amazon Domain-Name Extension After All: "A lot of what the GAC, the ANA and other objectors are saying sounds like just common sense. But for some reason, no one at ICANN thought there would be a problem with .book, .toys, .flowers, .food, .grocery, .shop or .store being tied up for exclusive use by one retailer (and those are just the most obviously retail-oriented TLDs that the applicants want exclusive use for). . . .
Are you dialing back domain investments as you wait for new TLDs? - Domain Name Wire: "Tucows filed its 10-Q yesterday. In the report, Tucows suggested that domain name investors may be proceeding cautiously with aftermarket domain purchases this year as they wait for new top level domain names:
We have two primary buyers for our domain names – domain investors and businesses. While businesses domain sales continue to grow, we have begun to see evidence of domain investors interest slowing as they attempt to assess the impact the introduction of new gTLD’s may have on their businesses. Accordingly, until the impact of new gTLD’s can be appropriately assessed, we will be shifting our efforts towards appealing more to businesses while continuing to work with domain investors."RIPE: Attacks on domain name systems are on the increase - The H Security: News and Features: " . . . Several registries – including VeriSign, ICANN, and the Dutch SIDN and French AfNIC registries – have admitted that they no longer respond to every request that is sent to their authoritative servers. Many experts consider this to be the largest threat by far – powerful DNS resources being targeted to launch attacks. Even cryptographic DNSSEC domain security measures are being exploited. With the appropriate keys, victims are hit with a number of responses that is several hundred times higher than the number of requests that can be forged via the systems of unsuspecting third parties or cheap cloud servers. So far, existing surplus capacities have usually protected the internet from worst-case scenarios. Now, central infrastructure service operators are among those whose warnings are becoming louder in response to an increasing number of attacks. . . ."
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