Planet ICANN

DomainNews.com: Sterling Jewelers files complaint over KayJewelers.XXX domain name

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:05:33 +0000

Sterling Jewelers submitted a complaint with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center,asserting legal rights over two domain names : KayJewelers.mobi and KayJewelers.xxx .

DomainNews.com: Brown University acquires two .XXX domain names

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:04:06 +0000

Brown University began snapping up .xxx domain names in an effort to prevent pornographers from exploiting its name and its trademark.The University spent $100 for each domain name.However,the University has no intent to use them .

DomainNews.com: ICANN: Making IPv6 the New Normal

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:03:15 +0000

A year ago ICANN allocated the last five IPv4 address blocks to the five Regional Internet Registries in a ceremony with leaders from the Internet Architecture Board and the Internet Society.

DomainNews.com: Norid Phasing Out Paper Documents For .NO

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:21:59 +0000

Starting on 1 February, declarations for domain deletion and change of holder are being phased out. For registrants, this means a simpler and swifter processing of your transactions.

Domain Name Wire: GoDaddy and .Co take center stage with Super Bowl Commercials

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:25:31 +0000

Over 100 million will watch GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials tonight.

The world’s largest registrar along with the .co top level domain will get a lot of attention today.

That’s because GoDaddy will air two Super Bowl ads today, including one about the .co domain name.

The first half commercial stars lingerie model Natalia Velez getting the body paint treatment from Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick to promote .co. Velez was unveiled in person at DOMAINfest last week.

Many people wondered if .co got the “bang for its buck” that it expected after a similar GoDaddy commercial last year. I think we have our answer now.

The second half commercial features the Pussycat Dolls.

GoDaddy pre-released both commercials this year. It has pre-released ads in the past. This is a good strategy for the company, especially since it releases “continuations” of each commercial on Super Bowl Sunday. In other words, even if you see the commercials ahead of time you end up returning to view the continuation after the ad airs on TV. And the company doesn’t really care when you view its ads, as long as you end up on its site (and hopefully make a purchase).

Of course, pre-releasing also lets your competitors get some pre-game buzz, such as with this Name.com spoof featuring Denver running back Willis McGahee.

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DomainNews.com: Sedo Study Shows $17m Drop In 2011 Sales

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:05:12 +0000

Domain name sales totalled $84,431,965 through Sedo in 2011, the company's 2011 Annual Domain Market Study that includes a review of the fourth quarter. However this was a significant drop on the 2010 calendar year when there was $101,438,953 in sales, a drop of $17,006,988. However it should also be noted that the $13 million sale of sex.com was included in 2010 figures.

DomainNews.com: WIPO: Trademark Rights Protection Mechanisms for New gTLDs

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:36:08 +0000

For ICANN’s New gTLD Program, a range of “Rights Protection Mechanisms” (RPMs) has been established. Prior to any new gTLDs being approved and becoming operational, these new gTLD RPMs include pre-delegation objection procedures described in more detail on the Center’s dedicated portal: Legal Rights Objections under ICANN’s New gTLD Program – Filing a Legal Rights Objection at WIPO: What You Need To Know.

DomainNews.com: 50% of .ME Domains in Auction have bids

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:11:07 +0000

Sedo and the .ME Registry partnered to hold an exclusive auction of premium .ME domains.The auction on Sedo.com doesn't end until Thursday,but already 50% of the domain names have bids .

DomainNews.com: Pre-Costa Rica ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 06:10:21 +0000

Whether you plan to participate in the upcoming ICANN meeting in Costa Rica remotely or in person, ICANN invites you to a quick reminder of the background and current status of each major policy issue currently under discussion in ICANN.

Domain Name News: Godaddy Premium Listings Will Be Live During Super Bowl

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:44:12 +0000

Before the 2011 Super Bowl Godaddy had been making a big push in the aftermarket with their premium listings. Unfortunately, for various reasons Godaddy did not include their Premium Listings in search results during the 2011 Super Bowl ad drive. This meant that a user that was driven to the Godaddy site from the Super Bowl ad would not be able to see any of the Premium Listings in their search results, even for the exact-match domain. Normally with a Premium Listing, an exact-match search for that domain displays the domain name as for sale and the price (see image at bottom)

DNN talked with Paul Nicks, head of Godaddy’s aftermarket, during the recent DomainFest in Santa Monica. Nicks confirmed with us that the technical issues that prevented these aftermarket domain names from being listed last year had been addressed and that they are prepared for that traffic surge.

It’s exciting to think that the exposure Godaddy receives from their Super Bowl ads could actually lead to an individual making a sale through the aftermarket. If you like the possibilities of being able to say “I sold my domain during the Super Bowl”, you’ve got about 24 hours to put your listings in to the Premium Listings before tomorrow’s big game.

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DomainNews.com: ARI Webinar: Understanding .BRAND For Your Business

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:50:12 +0000

Monday February 6th 2012 at 3pm PST / Monday February 6th 2012 at 6pm EST / Tuesday February 7th 2012 at 10am AEST

ARI Registry Services, a leading global provider of technical services for new Top-Level Domains, will host a special free webinar this Tuesday 7 February highlighting the implications of .brand for the corporate world.

DomainNews.com: ICANN Seeks Evaluators for the Support Applicant Review Panel - Request for EOIs

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:56:59 +0000

ICANN is seeking individuals to serve on the Support Applicant Review Panel (SARP), an important component of the New gTLD Applicant Support Program that seeks to serve the global public interest by ensuring worldwide accessibility to, and competition within, the New gTLD Program. Panelists will be responsible for evaluating and scoring applications for financial assistance.

DomainNews.com: Making IPv6 the New Normal - World IPv6 Launch on 6 June 2012

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:46:42 +0000

A year ago today ICANN allocated the last five IPv4 address blocks to the five Regional Internet Registries in a ceremony with leaders from the Internet Architecture Board and the Internet Society. The use of the next generation of Internet addressing – IPv6 – has been steadily growing in that year and that's a good thing, because IPv6 is how the Internet will continue to serve as a platform for innovation and economic development.

DomainNews.com: Football Club A.S. Roma wins ASRoma.com domain in arbitration

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:03:18 +0000

An arbitrator with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center has awarded to A.S. Roma the domain name ASRoma.com.A.S. Roma is a professional Italian football club based in Rome .

DomainNews.com: Geb.com domain name sells for 40,000 EUR

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:01:41 +0000

Geb.com domain was sold through the Sedo domain name marketplace for 40,000 EUR.According to whois records the domain name was created in 1996 .

DomainNews.com: Verisign Clarifies Hacking Reports - DNS Not Compromised

david@technewsreview.com.au (David Goldstein) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:46:01 +0000

Verisign has sought to clarify recent reports that came to light following a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing that they were hacked back in 2010, saying that the Domain Name System was not compromised.

DN Journal: Closing Day Photos & Highlights from DOMAINfest Global in Santa Monica

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:50:53 +0000

DOMAINfest Global 2012 is now history. The 6th annual show concluded in Santa Monica with a farewell breakfast this morning that followed last night's grand finale at the House of Blues. We have closing day photos and highlights that pick up where we left off near the end of Day 2.

ICANN News: ICANN Seeks Evaluators for the Support Applicant Review Panel (SARP) - Request for Expressions of Interest (EOI)

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:40:00 +0000

3 February 2012

ICANN News: Public Comment: Interim Report Significantly Interested Parties

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:30:00 +0000

3 February 2012

ICANN News: Pre-Costa Rica ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000

3 February 2012

Domain Name News: KeyDrive S.A. Acquires Moniker and SnapNames from Oversee.net (PR)

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:13:21 +0000

As first reported by DNN, Keydrive bough Monikter and Snapnames from Oversee.net. The official Press Release was published today and can be found after the jump.

KeyDrive S.A. Acquires Moniker and SnapNames from Oversee.net

Luxembourg and Los Angeles, Calif. (February 1, 2012). KeyDrive S.A., an internet solutions holding company with subsidiaries providing domain registration, monetization and aftermarket services, announced today that it has acquired the Moniker and SnapNames business units of Oversee.net, a leader in online performance marketing.

Moniker® and SnapNames® offer businesses and individuals an array of services for domain name registration, acquisition, brokerage and sales. Moniker introduced the live domain name auction concept. SnapNames operates the largest online auction of expired and deleting domain names, giving its customers access to valuable names.

“The purchase of these two leaders in the domain aftermarket perfectly fits our global growth strategy”, said Alexander Siffrin, Chairman of the KeyDrive S.A., and CEO and founder of Key-Systems®. “We now have the opportunity to extend our global outreach, target a broader customer base and cross-sell our services. Furthermore, our European clients will gain access to US buyers and sellers of domain names. We’re delighted to welcome the Moniker and SnapNames teams to KeyDrive S.A.”

“The sale of these assets allows us to focus more on our core monetization and vertical markets divisions which are the fundamental building blocks of our global performance marketing network,” noted Debra Domeyer, Co-CEO of Oversee. “As the domain industry landscape changes, it is essential that we invest in new technologies that leverage our existing platform and unlock the potential of domain traffic. Our focus is on developing new monetization alternatives for both publishers and advertisers. We also want to thank Craig Snyder and the Moniker and SnapNames teams for their years of dedicated service. ”

Oversee was advised in the sale process by Petsky Prunier LLC.

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DomainNews.com: DOMAINfest 2012 Extended Auction is now underway

editor@domainnews.com (Domain News) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:42:34 +0000

The extended domain name auction from DOMAINfest 2012 is now underway.The auction ends on SnapNames on February 16,2012.There are about 285 domain names in the auction,including all those in the live auction which did not sell .

Domain Name Wire: Occupy.com domain name sells

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:01:26 +0000

Domain has new owner but identity is unknown.

Occupy.com, which was pitched for sale to the Occupy Movement last year, has sold.

It’s not clear who purchased the domain name since its whois record is protected by whois privacy.

But the buyer definitely wants to capitalize on the movement.

It started a logo design contest on 99designs that states:

This logo will live on occupy.com and @occupy on twitter. It will go on billboards, on TV, in magazines, on sidewalks, street walls, T-shirts, hats, postcards, on everything you can imagine — all over the world.

We are challenging designers to think beyond the iconic Clenched Fist and create a new iconic symbol for resistance, solidarity and empowerment in the 21st century. It should appeal to a broad base and reflect the diversity of the 99%, while encompassing the values of the Occupy Movement – among them, integrity, justice, freedom, equality, compassion, community and true democracy.

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Domain Name News: LIVE : DomainFest Global 2012 Auction Results

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:02:39 +0000

We were ~~are~~ remotely live blogging the auction results of the DomainFest 2012 SnapNames Moniker Auction. One domain name has sold before the auction began, Marriages.com for $36,000. Out of 60 domain names, 10 names had already met their reserve at the start of the auction. Please note that while we do our best to provide accurate results, we do not guarantee that these are the official results. Unsold names will remain in the silent auction until Feb 16th, 2012 at 12:15pm PT (3:15pm ET).

The total of sales according to our own tally was $393,450 USD for 23 sold domains out of 61 domains. The sale of qr.com will most likely not go, since the bidder was apparently thinking they were bidding on another name.

The top 10 sales were:

Place	Domain	Reserve	Status	Price
1	Empire.com	$100,001 – $250,000	SOLD	$135,000.00
2	Qe.com	$25,001 – $50,000	SOLD	$89,000.00
3	CatFood.com	$50,001 – $100,000	SOLD	$62,000.00
4	Marriages.com	$25,001 – $50,000	SOLD	$36,000.00
5	ICard.com	$5,001 – $10,000	SOLD	$26,000.00
6	RentalTrucks.com	$5,001 – $10,000	SOLD	$12,500.00
7	Avengers.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$4,000.00
8	Margo.com	$2,501 – $5,000	SOLD	$4,000.00
9	StripMall.com	No Reserve	SOLD	$3,700.00
10	LiverDonor.com	$201-$500	SOLD	$3,000.00

See the full results after the jump.

Domain	Price Range	Status	Price
Marriages.com	$25,001 - $50,000	SOLD	$36,000
CaliforniaRolls.com	No Reserve	SOLD	$1500
Guavas.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$800
Xegg.com	$1,001-$2,500	pass
LiberalArtsColleges.com	$1,001-$2,500	SOLD	$1500
PlasmaTv.com	$25,001 - $50,000	pass
Planners.com	$50,001 - $100,000	pass
Promo.com	$1MM - $5MM	pass
HotCoupons.net	No Reserve	SOLD	$400
AutoSupply.net	No Reserve	SOLD	$900
RentalTrucks.com	$5,001 - $10,000	SOLD	$12,500
Trinkets.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
Nurseries.com	$25,001 - $50,000	pass
Empire.com	$100,001 - $250,000	SOLD	$135,000
Bargain.com	$750,001 - $1MM	pass
Avengers.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$4,000
WeddingCards.net	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$700
PrescriptionRefill.net	No Reserve	SOLD	$300
LiverDonor.com	$201-$500	SOLD	$3,000
CivilUnion.com	$1,001-$2,500	SOLD	$2,400
SportsTherapist.com	$1,001-$2,500	SOLD	$2,500
ActivityCenter.com	$1,001-$2,500	SOLD	$1900
ICard.com	$5,001 - $10,000	SOLD	$26,000
SurveillanceCamera.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
Drill.com	$25,001 - $50,000	pass	high bid $42,000
Democracy.com	$100,001 - $250,000	pass
Juice.com	$750,001 - $1MM	pass
Work.com	$1MM - $5MM	pass
Qe.com	$25,001 - $50,000	SOLD	$89,000
Eo.com	$100,001 - $250,000	pass	$200,000 (high bid)
Qr.com	$250,001 - $500,000	not sold	$325,000 (accidental bidding)
12.com	$750,001 - $1MM	pass
Xeam.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$900
Margo.com	$2,501 - $5,000	SOLD	$4,000
Feuds.com	$5,001 - $10,000	pass	$5,000
Sox.com	$50,001 - $100,000	pass	$50,000
Eco.org	$100,001 - $250,000	pass
Eve.com	$500,001 - $750,000	pass
Platinum.com	$750,001 - $1MM	pass
StripMall.com	No Reserve	SOLD	$3,700
AntiqueGuide.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$1,700
VintageMirrors.com	$501-$1,000	SOLD	$2,750
LoveLine.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
Reconnect.com	$50,001 - $100,000	pass
VideoDownloads.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
InternetRadio.com	$100,001 - $250,000	pass
CloudMusicStorage.com	$501-$1,000	pass
Emails.com	$500,001 - $750,000	pass
CardSwiper.com	$1,001-$2,500	pass
Servers.com	$250,001 - $500,000	pass
Host.com	$1MM - $5MM	pass
GuitarClasses.com	$5,001 - $10,000	pass
WorksCited.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
Security.com	$1MM - $5MM	pass
BanquetHall.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
1800Business.com	$10,001 - $25,000	pass
Cheyenne.com	$100,001 - $250,000	pass
HomeOwner.com	$250,001 - $500,000	pass
CatFood.com	$50,001 - $100,000	SOLD	$62,000
Unplugged.com	$100,001 - $250,000	pass
Jackpot.com	$750,001 - $1MM	pass
UniqueWatches.com	$5,001 - $10,000	removed?

Explanation of the Auction Stati:

SOLD: Domain was sold to highest bidder
SOLD * pending seller approval: Domain was pronounced sold by the auctioneer since bidding was close to the reserve price. However since the reserve price was not reached, the sale needs to be approved by the seller.
Pass: The domain name was not sold since there were no bids or bidding did not reach the reserve. In some cases we’ll still list the last amount bid.

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Domain Name Wire: How Twitter was named and bought Twitter.com for $7,500

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:47:42 +0000

Biz Stone discusses the naming of his company.

Today at DOMAINfest in Santa Monica, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone talked about how they named the company and bought the domain for $7,500.

Stone and his co-founders wanted a name that showed “urgency”. They came up with Jitter, but thought that sounded negative.

One of his partners was paging through a dictionary and found Twitter. Since Stone’s wife worked with animals, he immediately liked the name and knew its connotation.

Since Twitter.com was taken, the company started with Twttr.com.

When Twitter started to take off they contacted the owner of Twitter.com, who was a bird enthusiast.

“We offered him $7500 or something and he was like ‘holy crap, payday!’”

Stone said, in his defense for offering what now seems like a small amount, they had no idea how big it was going to get. At the time he said $7,500 was a lot of money for them.

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Domain Name Wire: Tucows launches Ting mobile phone service

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:28:35 +0000

Tucows branches out, enters mobile phone business.

Tucows, which owns one of the world’s largest domain registrars, officially launched mobile phone service Ting today.

In a press release, Tucows CEO Elliot Noss said:

“What people are forced to put up with from mobile service providers just doesn’t make sense. It’s too complicated, too opaque, too adversarial, too expensive and frankly too inhuman.”

Ting offers simplified phone plans where you can purchase talk, text, and mobile allotments. If you use less of your allotment during the month you get a credit. If you go over you pay for the extra usage but not at a penalty rate.

The simplified service reminds me a lot of what Tucows did with Hover, a simple domain registration service.

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DN Journal: Day 2 Photos & Highlights From DOMAINFest - Oversee Sells Moniker & SnapNames

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:20:01 +0000

Today in the Lowdown at DNJournal.com we have Photos & Highlights from the DOMAINfest Global conference, covering late Day 1 activity last night as well as today's Day 2 events in Santa Monica. Find out why three conference attendees are sporting a dramatically new look today.

Domain Name Wire: James Brown estate doesn’t “feel good” after domain dispute

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:35:19 +0000

Godfather of Soul’s domain name can stay with management company.

The estate of James Brown has lost a domain arbitration case for the domain name JamesBrown.com.

The domain is owned by LAC Management, Inc., which manages “RJ & The James Brown Band”. LAC argued that James Brown gave at least his tacit consent for it to register the domain name. In its pleadings, the estate even admitted that Brown may have consented to the domain registration while he was alive.

The estate made a number of legal arguments that aren’t typically considered by a UDRP panel and the panel decided to ignore them.

That makes sense. Even if the estate does have a legal argument to get this domain name, it’s certainly too complex to be handled by the UDRP mechanism.

LAC Management was represented by Ari Goldberger of ESQwire.com.

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Domain Name Wire: KeyDrive acquires Moniker and SnapNames

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:15:29 +0000

Oversee.net sells off domain marketplace, expiring domain, and registrar companies.

KeyDrive, which owns domain name registrar Key-Systems as well as NameDrive, has acquired SnapNames and Moniker from Oversee.net.

Combined, KeyDrive says it is now the sixth largest ICANN accredited registrar.

Rumors about the acquisition have been swirling around DOMAINfest this week. KeyDrive has now updated its web site to confirm the acquisition.

Both SnapNames and Moniker were challenging acquisitions for Oversee.net. SnapNames lost its most important domain registrar, Network Solutions, shortly after the acquisition in 2007. It then dealt with the so-called “halvarez” scandal where a SnapNames employee was found shill bidding in auctions.

Moniker was also a challenge, primarily because it was purchased at the peak in early 2008. Oversee.net paid about $24 million for the domain registrar. Although the sale price hasn’t been disclosed, you can bet it took a sizable loss on the sale.

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Domain Name News: Breaking: Keydrive buys Moniker & Snapnames from Oversee.net

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:54:37 +0000

According to industry sources, Keydrive S.A. will announce this morning that they have purchased Moniker & Snapnames from Oversee.net. Information about the sale has already been posted on the companies website and was also added to ICANNWiki yesterday.

KeyDrive S.A./Luxembourg includes the Key-Systems Group in St. Ingbert/Saarland (Germany), the NameDrive Group (Luxembourg/USA) as well as Moniker and SnapNames (Florida and Oregon/USA) with more than 160 employees.

After the takeover of Moniker in January 2012 the group ranks among the TOP 10 biggest ICANN registrars in 6th place; the group currently administers a total of more than 5.4 million domains.

Rumors about a potential sale of Moniker & Snapnames had been circulating for a while. DNN expects an official announcement to be published shortly and will update this post accordingly. Keydrive was created by merging KeySystems and Namedrive.

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DN Journal: Pre-Show and Opening Day Photos & Highlights from DOMAINfest Global in Santa Monica

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:06:48 +0000

The 2012 DOMAINFest Global Conference is underway. While the show officially opened this morning, there was a lot of pre-show activity last night including a big soiree hosted by Frank Schilling. We have photos and highlights from that as well as today's opening sessions in Santa Monica.

Domain Name Wire: National Car Rental sues over National.com typo – a domain it doesn’t even own

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:44:22 +0000

Car rental company demands typo of National.com, a domain it doesn’t even own.

Vanguard Trademark Holdings, which owns the National car rental brand, has filed a cybersquatting lawsuit (pdf) against the domain name Natiional.com.

The company filed a UDRP against the domain name already. It lost that case in June. On the same day it won a similar case for another typo, Nationnal.com.

Part of the reason it lost the Natiional.com case is because the panel ruled it’s OK to own a typo of a generic word.

But what I find most interesting is that the company doesn’t even own National.com. It’s owned by National Semiconductor. So Vanguard is asking a court to hand over a typo of a domain it doesn’t even own!

I also get a kick out of the convoluted way Vanguard found links to car rentals on Natiional.com, basically saying that if you go a few pages into the directory-like parked page you can find links to car rental companies, including National.

Vanguard says that Natiional.com, although protected with a whois privacy service, actually belongs to Kevin Ham’s Vertical Axis.

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Domain Name Wire: Last chance to take 2012 Domain Name Wire survey

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:37:41 +0000

12 hours left to take this year’s domain industry survey.

Time is running out to take the seventh annual Domain Name Wire survey.

The survey, which asks users to answer questions about domain name registrars, domain parking, and expired domains, concludes January 31. Results will be published in February.

Participants from 47 countries have already completed the survey. It takes about five minutes and is anonymous. You may opt to provide your name and email address at the end of the survey if you wish to be entered to win a copy of David Kesmodel’s “The Domain Game” book.

Based on results to date, it looks like there might be some shakeup in the domain registrar rankings as well as domain parking.

If you want your voice heard, complete the survey today.

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Domain Name Wire: Another new TLD application round within one year?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:44:47 +0000

ICANN wants to open another new TLD application round early next year. Is this plausible?

A lot of companies are applying for dot brand top level domains not because they want to right now, but because they think it might be their only chance. At least for the foreseeable future.

But is this the case?

The applicant guidebook states:

ICANN’s goal is to launch subsequent gTLD application rounds as quickly as possible. The exact timing will be based on experiences gained and changes required after this round is completed. The goal is for the next application round to begin within one year of the close of the application submission period for the initial round.

ICANN has committed to reviewing the effects of the New gTLD Program on the operations of the root zone system
after the first application round, and will defer the delegations in a second application round until it is
determined that the delegations resulting from the first round did not jeopardize root zone system security or
stability.

It is the policy of ICANN that there be subsequent application rounds, and that a systemized manner of
applying for gTLDs be developed in the long term.

ICANN may be a little too optimistic here. As Kevin Murphy points out, ICANN has made a lot of commitments to review its program before proceeding with more top level domains.

But the guidebook clearly states a goal of one year after the current application submission period ends. That would be only about 14 months from today.

Why is this important? A number of brands are waiting until the last minute with hopes of getting clarification.

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Domain Name Wire: 6 questions to be answered at DOMAINFest this week

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:58:20 +0000

A preview of the week ahead in Santa Monica.

The largest domain name conference, DOMAINfest, takes place in Santa Monica this week. There’s a lot to look for in the 2012 edition. Here are six questions that will be answered before the end of the week.

1. How will Oversee.net’s new leadership present itself?

Oversee.net branded itself largely with former CEO Jeff Kupietzky. Now Oversee.net has new leadership with co-presidents Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow. Domeyer attended TRAFFIC last Fall, but for most people this conference will be the first introduction to the pair.

2. Will Oversee.net address Moniker?

It’s one of the industry’s worst kept secrets that Oversee.net has been shopping around Moniker. Also this month we saw the departure of some of Moniker’s longtime account managers. As a Moniker customer, I received no notice of the account manager changes.

Will Oversee continue to be silent about Moniker? Or will it address the changes head on to instill confidence. Confidence, after all, is one of the most important things people consider when selecting a registrar.

3. Will the new parties make up for the (lack of) Playboy Mansion?

There’s no trip to the Playboy Mansion this year. After over 100 people got sick last year I think that’s probably OK with most people.

But there will still be a Playboy element. .Co is sponsoring a party at Petersen Automotive Museum that will include some playmates as well as the star of the GoDaddy .co Super Bowl commercial Natalia Velez.

The final night party will be at House of Blue and includes “edgy, sexy and interactive entertainment”. It will be interesting.

4. How many people will be there?

DOMAINfest has attracted 700 people in recent years. That’s about the peak I could imagine if it’s mostly domainers. But the show is shifting — just like the company — and is attracting more from the lead gen, affiliate, and SEO spaces.

5. Can DOMAINfest successfully include topics outside the typical domainer realm?

This year you’ll hear a lot more about lead gen, SEO, and affiliate marketing at the show. It will be interesting to see how this shift is managed.

6. What big company announcements will be made?

Domain companies tend to make big announcements during domain conferences. Already this morning Sedo announced a deal with GoDaddy. What big deals and announcements will we hear this week?

There you have it. Six big questions that we’ll know the answer to by the end of the week.

See you in Santa Monica.

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Domain Name Wire: Shuzi seller loses battle for Shuzi.com

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:14:38 +0000

A Shuzi bracelet is supposed to work miracles, but it doesn’t have powers to “steal” domain names.

ShuziQi, which sells “Shuzi” bracelets, has lost a domain dispute over the domain Shuzi.com.

The details of the case aren’t as entertaining as what Shuzi is, so I’ll be brief on the case. Basically, the owner of the domain registered it four years before ShuziQi existed, and Shuzi’s English transliteration can mean “digital”. The domain owner registered several other domains that had generic transliterations. The panel ruled in favor of the respondent.

OK, now on to Shuzi.

ShuziQi offers bracelets you wear that apparently have awesome powers. Here’s how they describe them:

Programmed using our own proprietary process to resonate with your cells’ natural frequency to improve your bio-system balance. Reinforces your cells’ natural frequency energy level which reduces erratic cell behavior, allowing your body to work more efficiently.

Hmm. I was a little skeptical until I read the reviews on the web site. The first doctor’s review:

Earlier today I received a Shuzi bracelet to try out. I support the philosophy behind the Shuzi and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to improve their overall quality of life.

Sweet. If a doctor hasn’t tried it yet but just got one in the mail, I’m all for it. I think I should get one for my dog, too, after reading this testimonial:

I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t for my daughters little dog Tammy. The kids jumped on the bed and didn’t see little Tammy. She spent a week in the vets with a very severe back injury. They gave her anti inflammatory shots and sent her home with pills. A week at home and she still had difficulty walking. My daughter put the PHD tag on the Tammy on Monday night and on Tuesday the she was scampering down the driveway. Dogs can’t lie, I’m sold. I’ve ordered a ring and can’t wait to put it on.

If you start using a ShuziQi bracelet and experience dizziness for the first few days, don’t be alarmed. Apparently this is caused by “a “detox” in which your body is flushing out toxins in your blood stream.”

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Domain Name Wire: GoDaddy joins SedoMLS network

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:34:27 +0000

Sedo gets a big win with GoDaddy partnership.

The world’s largest domain name registrar has joined the SedoMLS network, giving more exposure to domain owners selling their domains through Sedo.

Domains that are listed on Sedo with a fixed price will automatically show up when a GoDaddy customer searches for the exact domain name. This will be possible because the domains are listed on GoDaddy auctions, and GoDaddy now shows auction listings when someone searches on its main web site.

Much like the similar deal GoDaddy has with AfternicDLS, customers will have to go through the GoDaddy Auctions shopping cart rather than the main GoDaddy checkout process in order to buy a domain name.

Also, the process does not allow for instant transfer, so domains will have to go through the standard escrow process. However, this means that you don’t have to have your domains at a SedoMLS participating registrar in order to list your domains.

Sedo will charge a 20% commission on any sale through the GoDaddy partnership.

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Domain Name News: GoDaddy Lists Sedo’s Fixed Price Domains through SedoMLS

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:02 +0000

Sedo, today announced a new partnership with Go Daddy. Domains that are listed at Sedo with Buy Now prices are now available to Go Daddy customers through the SedoMLS Network. This partnership between two industry-leading companies gives domain investors the ability to distribute their domains at Go Daddy, and end users the chance to purchase premium names directly at Go Daddy, via the only global domain distribution network, SedoMLS.

“Go Daddy wants to help small businesses grow larger, and finding the right domain name is the place to start,” said Paul Nicks, Go Daddy’s Director of Product Development for the Aftermarket. “Giving customers access to many premium domain names, including Sedo’s Buy Now domain names, Go Daddy can ensure our customers get the best domain name for their website or business.”

Listing domains in the SedoMLS Network already gives sellers access to both Sedo’s global audience of buyers and distribution across its partner network. With the addition of Go Daddy to the SedoMLS Network, domain investors now benefit from millions of additional end users who search for names at GoDaddy.com. In addition to receiving the widest available distribution, domain buyers can also purchase any name via an uninterrupted sales process directly at Go Daddy’s site, meaning increased sales conversion for domain name sellers. For more information, go to Sedo.com/PowerUp

“Our new partnership with Go Daddy speaks to the strength of both Go Daddy’s and Sedo’s reputations worldwide,” said Tim Schumacher, CEO of Sedo. “The SedoMLS Network provides registrar partners like Go Daddy with access to premium domains that are listed at Sedo, which in turn provides their customers with more purchase choices than ever. For any domain seller, we provide the reach that connects their domain listings to the greatest number of potential buyers across the globe.”

[via Press Release]

Disclaimer: Managing DNN Editor Frank Michlick is currently working as a consultant for SedoMLS through his company DomainCocoon.

DN Journal: Go Daddy Joins SedoMLS, Doors Open at DOMAINfest Today & 2011 Domain Sales Dissected

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:22:15 +0000

Today in the Lowdown at DNJournal.com: The SedoMLS Network announces a new partnership with registration giant Go Daddy, the doors open at the DOMAINfest Global conference in Santa Monica this afternoon and we break down 2011 domain sales data and ponder how much money lies beneath the tip of the sales iceberg.

Domain Name Wire: BowlingBalls.com domain name sells for $225,000

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:13:10 +0000

Chernoff hits a strike with latest domain sale.

Garry Chernoff has completed another big domain name sale, this time selling BowlingBalls.com for $225,000.

The buyer knows a thing or two about bowling balls. Nick Melnikoff has bowled in PBA tours and owns Bowlers Paradise, a web site that sells bowling balls and accessories.

Chernoff told me the deal was brokered by Andrew Hunovice.

I can’t find any notable price comps for domain names about bowling, but this is definitely a premium domain name worthy of a six figure price.

There aren’t many premium bowling domains that aren’t in use, either. Bowling.com and BowlingBall.com already exist as e-commerce stores. Bowler.com is owned by Scott Day’s Digimedia and Bowlers.com is a parked page.

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DN Journal: Reported Domain Sales in 2011 Slide Vs. 2010 - Mostly Due to Impact of Sex.com

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:42:45 +0000

DN Journal's January Newsletter is going out to opt-in subscribers today.

DN Journal: The State of the Industry January 2012: DN Journal's Biggest Annual Cover Story is Now Out

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:11:50 +0000

For the 8th consecutive year, DNJournal.com kicks off the New Year with our annual State of the Industry Cover Story, an endeavor that brought together 15 experts and company leaders from across the industry to get their thoughts on the key trends of the past year and what they believe is in store in the year ahead.

Domain Name Wire: Moniker publishes final DOMAINfest auction list

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:37:01 +0000

Two more valuable domain names added to auction.

Moniker has published the final list of domains for next week’s live domain auction during DOMAINfest, as well as the online auction to follow.

Bargain.com and Democracy.com have been added to the auction. Bargain.com’s reserve is north of $750,000 while Democracy.com is available for somewhere between $100,000 and $250,000.

Bargain.com is owned by FYI Direct, the company behind credit score monitoring site FreeScore.com.

Democracy.com should be interesting given the elections this year. It’s probably best for a think tank.

A number of the other high dollar domains are owned by CA.

Moniker’s last big auction resulted in the multi-million dollar sales of Social.com and Data.com, although neither were sold during the main auction. Salesforce.com paid $4.5 million for Data.com, which it uses for its Jigsaw.com product.

The live auction takes place Thursday, February 2 from 4:30 to 6:00 pm PST. The follow on internet auction at SnapNames will go through February 16. The extended online auction includes 250 domain names in addition to any names that don’t sell in the live auction.

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Domain Name Wire: Amazon.com’s Quidsi about to launch home decor shop Casa.com

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:22:45 +0000

Casa.com is next online store from Amazon.com’s Quidsi unit.

Mi casa su casa…

Earlier this month I scooped that Quidsi, the company behind Diapers.com, Soap.com, Wag.com, and YoYo.com, was working on a new store called Casa.com.

Quidsi has now published a “coming soon” page to Casa.com and launched a Facebook page.

The site will offer “everything for your home”, including kitchenware, bedding, home decor, bathroom accessories, etc. Keeping with Quidsi’s tradition, it will offer 1-2 day free delivery. It will also have a 365 day return policy including free return shipping.

Quidsi quickly grew its Diapers.com business into an ecommerce giant, scaring Amazon.com into buying it for $545 million in 2010.

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Domain Name Wire: USPTO to Karsten: not so fast with .PING

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:10:16 +0000

Trademark office sends office action to PING Golf brand owner.

On Wednesday I posted a list of 115 trademark applications that could be related to new top level domains, along with their current status.

The USPTO has a policy of not granting trademarks on top level domains, and the number of “speculative” trademark applications has ballooned as ICANN gets ready to expand the TLD universe. I discovered that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office was doing a good job catching these applications.

One application that the USPTO may have missed was Karsten Manufacturing’s application for .PING. Karsten manufacturers the PING Golf brand of merchandise.

The USPTO approved the mark for publication on January 17. But today it sent an office action to Karsten because of the top level domain issue.

Karsten can certainly apply for a .ping top level domain — but it can’t try to trademark it under current rules. I can also think of other uses for a .ping TLD, so don’t be shocked if you see more than one application for this domain.

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Domain Name Wire: DOMAINfest “Dine with an expert” slots filling up quickly

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:42:24 +0000

Opportunity to dine with DOMAINfest speakers quickly disappearing.

Want some quality time with Brook Schaaf, John Morris, Lisa Box, Jay Weintraub, or Paul Nicks during DOMAINfest next week?

Your easiest opportunity is no longer available.

These are among the people who already have full tables for their “Dine with an Expert” session during the conference.

Although I’m sure there will be other opportunities to chat with these experts, there are still a number of good options available under the program. Both Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow, co-presidents of Oversee.net, still have space available at their tables.

The dining options take place primarily during lunch on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, although there are also some available breakfast slots.

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Domain Name Wire: VeriSign plans to apply for about 12 new top level domain names

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:57:58 +0000

Company will apply for about a dozen TLDs, mostly transliterations of .com.

VeriSign plans to apply for “about 12″ top level domain names this year, Pat Kane, Senior Vice President and General Manager of VeriSign Naming Services, said on VeriSign’s investor conference call this evening. Most of these will be transliterations of .com. In other words, internationalized domain names (IDNs).

Although he did not elaborate on what those domains would be, Kane previously told Domain Name Wire that you can expect .com equivalents in Japanese, Hangul, Chinese, Cyrillic, Arabic, and Hebrew.

The company also said that VeriSign has already been selected as the registry provider by several brands that will apply for new top level domains. It did not reveal any numbers, although the company has predicted there will be 1,000 to 1,500 total new TLD applications.

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Domain Name Wire: 2011 was record breaking year for .com and .net domain registrations

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:49:24 +0000

Over 32 million new domain registrations in .com and .net last year.

2011 set a record for new .com/.net domain registrations with over 32 million registration, VeriSign announced on its investor conference call this afternoon:

In the fourth quarter, we added 1.9 million net names to the domain name base, and we processed 7.9 million new registrations, which is about a 4% increase over the same period a year ago. The fourth quarter was our strongest Q4 for new registrations on record. In fact, that’s true for each of the quarters in 2011, thus, making it our strongest year for new registrations with over 32 million new registrations processed.

There were 113.8 million combined domain names registered at the end of December.

According to DomainTools, there are now over 100 million .com domains registered, although VeriSign did not announce this milestone on its investor conference call today.

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Domain Name Wire: GoDaddy reveals Super Bowl commercial featuring the Pussycat Dolls

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:26:13 +0000

You won’t have to wait until the Super Bowl to see this year’s commercials.

It’s likely you’ve already seen GoDaddy’s Super Bowl commercial featuring .co. GoDaddy has linked to it from its home page for about a week.

Now the company is releasing its second half commercial on the web, too.

The spot, dubbed “CLOUD”, features the new Pussycat Dolls. It also stars Danica Patrick.

Patrick has officially been in more Super Bowl ads than any other celebrity, according to GoDaddy. She’ll be up to ten after this year’s Super Bowl airs. This is GoDaddy’s eighth consecutive Super Bowl ad campaign.

I think releasing this commercials before the big game makes sense. There will still be the “continuations” after the commercials air during the game, so it will draw people back. Also, most people who see the commercials during the game will not have seen the early releases.

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DN Journal: .Com Registrations Pass the 100 Million Mark - Final Agenda Set for DOMAINfest Global

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:25:13 +0000

Today in the Lowdown at DN Journal: .Com registrations pass another milestone - the 100 million mark. Plus, DOMAINfest Global releases the final agenda for next week's big show in Santa Monica and domain sales giants Afternic and Sedo have announcements about the latest expansion of their respective platforms.

Domain Name News: 100 Million .Com Domains Registered

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:43:28 +0000

According to DomainTools.com, a provider of domain name research and whois information, the number of .com domains under management by the registry has eclipsed 100 million domains. In a statement issued earlier today DomainTools claims that through their research they “calculated the current total of domains managed by Verisign to be over 100.2 million”

DomainTools’ points out that most counts taken on domain name totals use the zone files which are provided by the registry operator. These counts, however, do not factor in several “classes” of domain names including those in redemption and pending delete status, as well as “dark” domains.

Domains held in redemption and pending delete are removed from the zone files as they proceed through the 35 day process before being deleted from the registry. The “dark” domains are not included in the registry because these domains have not been assigned a DNS entry by the registrant or may be suspended.

DomainTools conducted research on these 2 categories of names and estimates that there are 2.1 million domains in the redemption or pending delete status and another 400,000 “dark” .com domains. The current zone files as of the time of there release puts the size of the zone file at 99,837,548 with a gain in the total of nearly 22,000 new .com daily. The 2.5 million domains not estimated in previous counts brings the total .com domains under Verisign management to over 100 million.

DomainTools Blog: Our Estimate: Verisign Manages Over 100 Million .COM Domains

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:26:46 +0000

A number of organizations track the .com domain registrations without taking into consideration the complete picture, thus underestimating the current count. Our research shows that the .com count is already well past that number.

Verisign publishes a daily “zone file” of registered .com domain names with their associated nameservers. Yesterday the zone file listed 99,837548 .com domain names and that number has been growing by an average of about 22,000 net new .com domain names per day so far in 2012. But there are two general categories of domain names that exist but are not listed in the zone files.

The first category is well known, at least to people who work in and around the domain industry: domains in the Redemption or Pending Delete periods. Each day tens of thousands of .com domain names hit their renewal date. There are currently 2.1 million .com domain names in either Redemption or Pending Delete status.

The second category is much less well known, a category DomainTools refers to as ‘dark domains’. Domain names that exist, but are not pointed to nameservers, are not listed in the zone file and therefore not counted by most sites that track domain registration data. An example of such a domain is Spectrum.com; it exists but has no nameservers, and does not resolve to a website. Another example is theexpertcare.com; the Whois record indicates a fraud alert on the domain name and a ‘suspended’ status. This domain is also not in the zone file and yet is certainly not available for anyone to register.

Only Verisign knows for sure how big the list of dark domains is, but we have conducted ongoing proprietary research that reveals over 400,000 known dark .com domain names, as found in blank-nameserver.com. This count is included in the recently updated domain statistics data on our DailyChanges.com website. Our calculation of .com domains includes those listed in the zone file plus the dark domains. With that information in mind, we calculated the current total of .com domains managed by Verisign to be over 100.2 million.

100 million actively registered domains is an enormous achievement for the dominant TLD worldwide, and congratulations are in order for Verisign and the registrars which support .com.

As we all know, .com is the biggest top-level domain by a long, long way. For comparison, the next biggest gTLD today is .net with a relatively small 14 million domains. In country codes, Germany’s .de leads with almost 15 million. The closest competitor to .com among the gTLDs introduced by ICANN since the year 2000 is .info, with about eight million domains.

There’s no doubt at all that .com is the domain of choice for most of the world, but it’s taken it a long time to get to 100 million. From its creation in early 1985, it took the registry two and a half years to reach just 100 active names. It was not until 1997, in the middle of the rightly-named dot-com boom, that the one millionth concurrently active .com domain name was registered. In addition, there have been over 300 million other unique .com domain names registered and deleted since the inception of the TLD.

Our records show that the biggest growth period for active .com names came between 2005 and 2007, the height of the domain tasting craze. During this time, many domain investors used a loophole in registration rules to sample type-in traffic for free. Investors kept the domains they found that were most likely to profit from pay-per-click parking. In 2006 the .com zone grew by over 14 million names, driven by this speculation. In both 2005 and 2007, it grew by over 12 million names.

Since then, a change to ICANN’s rules means the tasting market has dropped to virtually nothing, but the .com zone continues to grow faster than it did pre-tasting, showing an increased demand for domain names as more new Internet users come online globally. In 2011, DomainTools counted almost 8 million net new active .com names added to the DNS. The number was about the same in 2010.

The big question in 2012 is: what will new gTLDs – such as .web, .music, .green, .shop, .paris, .gay and all the others, not to mention “dot-brand” domains – mean for .com? Many people believe that .com’s position is unassailable, that .com will always be king.

Will new gTLDs mean that .com will grow more slowly in future? Will companies use their new branded gTLD domains instead of buying up thousands of defensive .com registrations? Or is it more likely that for every registration in a new gTLD a company makes, it still feels the need to register a matching .com domain? Nobody knows the answers to these questions yet, but it’s going to be fun finding out!

What do you think?

Domain Name News: Sedo Greatdomains Auction Ends Today

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:47:58 +0000

Sedo’s monthly GreatDomains auction ends today. At the time of this post, 53 out of the listed 71 domains have received bids. The auction ends today (Jan 26) at noon Eastern Time.

Domain	Current Bid	Price Range	# of Bids received	Bid now
zimbabwe.com	45,000 USD	25,000 – 49,999 USD	16	Continue
channel.com	41,000 USD	100,000 – 249,999 USD	10	Continue
soulmates.com	11,111 USD	50,000 – 99,999 USD	3	Continue
weddingphotograph…	10,000 USD	50,000 – 99,999 USD	3	Continue
goldchains.com	7,500 USD	5,000 – 9,999 USD	4	Continue
mayan.com	5,500 USD	5,000 – 9,999 USD	2	Continue
balletshoes.com	5,000 USD	5,000 – 9,999 USD	2	Continue
interviews.net	5,000 USD	5,000 – 9,999 USD	6	Continue
liabilities.com	5,000 USD	10,000 – 24,999 USD	1	Continue
rots.com	3,600 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	6	Continue
township.com	3,300 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	7	Continue
backups.net	3,300 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	14	Continue
dishwasher.net	3,200 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	3	Continue
forexspread.com	3,100 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	2	Continue
adgame.com	3,100 USD	500 – 999 USD	17	Continue
vxz.com	3,000 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	3	Continue
pillowcases.com	2,600 USD	25,000 – 49,999 USD	2	Continue
vpy.com	2,000 EUR	1,000 – 4,999 EUR	10	Continue
chili.net	2,000 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	1	Continue
ewar.com	2,000 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	8	Continue
tradeaccount.com	1,300 USD	500 – 999 USD	4	Continue
moroccan.com	1,150 USD	500 – 999 USD	7	Continue
ill.net	1,010 EUR	1 – 499 EUR	22	Continue
economize.com	1,000 USD	10,000 – 24,999 USD	4	Continue
mycupid.com	1,000 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	1	Continue
georgewashington….	1,000 USD	50,000 – 99,999 USD	1	Continue
sucre.com	950 USD	10,000 – 24,999 USD	5	Continue
aux.net	750 USD	500 – 999 USD	5	Continue
o6.net	700 USD	500 – 999 USD	3	Continue
erh.net	666 USD	500 – 999 USD	2	Continue
venturecapitalfir…	600 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	2	Continue
discountinternet….	510 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	2	Continue
carolyn.net	500 USD	500 – 999 USD	1	Continue
onlineads.net	500 USD	500 – 999 USD	2	Continue
gentler.com	360 USD	1 – 499 USD	15	Continue
cred.net	350 USD	1 – 499 USD	3	Continue
bourbonwhiskey.ne…	300 EUR	1 – 499 EUR	7	Continue
akef.com	205 USD	1 – 499 USD	8	Continue
mints.net	181 USD	1 – 499 USD	2	Continue
dubaivilla.com	180 EUR	1 – 499 EUR	3	Continue
rxz.net	150 GBP	1 – 499 GBP	2	Continue
colibri.net	150 USD	1 – 499 USD	6	Continue
grandchampion.com	125 USD	1 – 499 USD	3	Continue
visitjapan.net	110 USD	1 – 499 USD	2	Continue
upuy.com	110 USD	1 – 499 USD	2	Continue
loanus.com	110 USD	1 – 499 USD	2	Continue
buyerhub.com	110 USD	1 – 499 USD	2	Continue
aides.net	100 USD	1 – 499 USD	1	Continue
uduy.com	100 USD	1 – 499 USD	1	Continue
proshop.net	100 USD	1,000 – 4,999 USD	1	Continue
governmentbenefit…	100 USD	1 – 499 USD	1	Continue
eroticgirls.net	100 EUR	1 – 499 EUR	1	Continue
transfermoney.net	100 EUR	1 – 499 EUR	1	Continue
adobo.net	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
disloyal.com	-	5,000 – 9,999 USD	-	Continue
trustful.net	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
frenchvisit.com	-	1 – 499 EUR	-	Continue
onlinejoblistings…	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
iraqjobs.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
forfeiture.net	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
prawns.net	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
gymsocks.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
scififilms.com	-	500 – 999 USD	-	Continue
iraonline.com	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
humongous.net	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
drugdiscounts.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
medicaldevices.ne…	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
neckrest.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
fightcards.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue
fightodds.com	-	1 – 499 USD	-	Continue
hockeyodds.com	-	1,000 – 4,999 USD	-	Continue

Disclaimer: Managing Editor Frank Michlick is also consulting for Sedo through his company DomainCocoon.

DN Journal: Role Reversal: 6 Non .Com gTLDs and 2 ccTLDs Join 12 .Coms on this Week's Sales Chart

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:17:47 +0000

Last week a half dozen ccTLDs and a pair of non .com gTLDs earned placed on DN Journal's all extension Top 20 Sales Chart.. This week they did a complete switch with the non .com gTLDs taking six places while the country codes had to settle for two. One constant was the .coms who again took the most chart entries.

Domain Name Wire: Is Marchex considering selling its domain name portfolio?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:32:06 +0000

Company considering what to do with its domain name portfolio.

Marchex is often cited as starting a wave of acquisitions of domain portfolios when it announced the purchase of Ultimate Search from Yun Ye in 2004 for $164 million.

Now it is looking at “strategic alternatives” for its domain name portfolio.

From a press release issued today announcing preliminary earnings for Q4:

Marchex is also announcing that it is evaluating potential strategic alternatives for its non-call-driven products and assets, including its domain name assets, with a goal of further focusing on the products and opportunities that can drive business growth.

“The exploration of alternatives for our non-call advertising products and assets is driven by our goals to enhance shareholder value and to sharpen our strategic and financial focus,” said Mr. Horowitz. “As we have stated previously, we believe that we have a very rich asset base that is not being properly valued, and whether achieved through select development of these assets, sales of these assets, or a combination of both, we should more aggressively pursue how best to get this value realized.”

Marchex is betting the company on paid calls and is considering what to do with its domain portfolio.

The company already sells a couple million worth of domains from its portfolio each quarter. But it has a high median price tag on them.

A good purchase for someone like NameMedia?

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Domain Name Wire: 115 Top level domain trademarks and their current status

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:41:38 +0000

I’ve made plenty of commotion about companies filing for trademarks on future top level domain names. It always seems that they’re successfully pulling a fast one on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

But after an exhaustive analysis of 115 trademark applications, I’ve actually found that the U.S.P.T.O. is mostly on top of things when it comes to this trademarking game.

In almost all cases, the trademark examiner has sent an office action to the applicant questioning if the use is for top level domain names.

There’s only one case where it looks like the examiner dropped the ball: .ping. Karsten Manufacturing (PING Golf) applied for this domain and said it was for registry services. Yet it’s proceeding to publication with no office action.

Another brand is having more trouble. Schott AG wants to trademark .schott and is clear in its application that it’s for a top level domain. It was refused. Schott is drawing comparison to other trademarks, and the response to the company is a good explanation of exceptions:

The applicant argues that the applicant’s mark should be registered on the Principal Register because the marks DOTVEGAS and .NUDOMAIN were registered by the Office. However, the DOTVEGAS mark is not being used as a top-level domain name extension based on the specimen of record. With respect to the .NUDOMAIN mark, this mark was registered in February, 2005. The Office’s policy with respect to the registrability of top-level domain name extension has changed since 2005. Thus, the existence of this mark on the Principal Register is irrelevant with respect to the case at hand.

Below is a list of 115 trademark applications potentially related to new top level domains.

- The “status” column shows the current status of the application. Pending typically means it’s still undergoing initial review. Note that most responses have brought up the issue of not granting trademarks for top level domains.

- This probably isn’t an exhaustive list. Some of the trickier applications don’t mention “domains” at all in their class of service, as with a series of five applications from theDot Communications Network to trademark .music.

- If a mark is listed twice for the same applicant, that means the applicant filed twice under different classes of service.

- These are just U.S. trademarks. Some companies have been granted TLD trademarks by other countries.

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Domain Name News: Sedo and .ME Registry Partner to Auction .me Domain Names

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:58:50 +0000

Sedo today announced an exclusive auction of premium .ME domain names. The company has successfully brokered the sale of more than 1,000 .ME domain names, totaling nearly two million U.S. dollars, including such premier names as Business.Me for €40,000, and online meeting platform Join.Me for $45,000. Global brands such as WordPress (wp.me), Facebook (FB.Me), Porsche (Porsche.Me) and Yahoo (ME.Me) have taken advantage of the .ME domain name extension.

Running in partnership with the .ME registry, Domain.Me, the auction begins on February 2, 2012 and runs until February 9, 2012. The auction will include a wide range of prices and a unique selection of premium .ME domain names such as:

The complete list of .ME domain names available for auction on Sedo.com can be found at http://www.sedo.com/ME.

Disclaimer: Managing Editor Frank Michlick of DNN also is working as a consultant for SedoMLS.

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Domain Name Wire: Best Buy buys PhoneFreedom.com and other end user domain sales

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:00:02 +0000

A big retailer makes a small domain purchase.

Electronics retailer Best Buy is the biggest name on this week’s end user domain sales report.

The company paid $2,588 for PhoneFreedom.com through Sedo. This domain is intuitive for one of the largest mobile phone sellers.

The rest of this week’s end user domain sales took place through Afternic:

Skydex, which makes materials to mitigate shock and blasts (think military uses), bought BlastMitigation.com for $2,500.

PowerSoak, which offers a washing system that eliminates scrubbing, bought PowerMelt.com for $1,500.

Childrens book seller Palm Publishing paid $1,400 for readytoread.com and $2,100 for readytolearn.com.

Music lessons company In Bloom Music bought RockInstitute.com for $1,200.

Ontario’s Clarington Toyota bought MyAutoMall.com for $1,583.50.

Payroll services company Employer Services Online, Inc, which owns EmployeeMax.com, bought Payamax.com for $3,000.

Dallas based SteelTex Fabricators shortened its domain from SteelTexFabricators.com to SteelTex.com for $2,500.

National Restaurant Association bought ChefsatHome.com for $3,388.

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DN Journal: Europe's Domaining 2012 Conference Announces Additions to the Show Speakers Line Up

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:11:59 +0000

Europe's Domaining 2012 conference, coming up in Valencia, Spain April 26-28, is still three months away but show organizers have been hard at work for weeks now putting together an all-star speaker's line-up. Here are some of the industry experts who will be on stage.

Domain Name Wire: Doh! AARP lawyer forgets to attach screenshot, loses case

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:37:39 +0000

AARP wins two cases for similar domain names but loses third.

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) just received determinations in three cases it filed for aarpdiscounts.info, aarpdiscounts.net, aarpdiscount.org, and AARPdiscounts.org.

It won rights to all of the domains except AARPdiscounts.info.

You may be asking yourself how three different panelists looked at very similar domains, all of which allegedly forward to monetization pages, and one disagreed with the others.

Here’s the answer.

In the AARPdiscounts.info case the AARP alleged that the domain diverts visitors to websites not related to the AARP, some of which are competitive. But it didn’t provide any proof. So panelist Tyrus R. Atkinson, Jr said sorry, an uncorroborated allegation isn’t enough.

In the case for aarpdiscounts.net and aarpdiscount.org, the panelist specifically said that the AARP provided screenshots of the use of the domains. For aarpdiscounts.org the panelist doesn’t specifically say the AARP provided screenshots but he still awarded the domain to the group.

It’s possible the lawyer didn’t have anything showing competitive use for AARPdiscounts.info. When I checked it this afternoon it forwarded to one of those “survey” sites. That’s still easy to prove as bad faith in a UDRP, but it requires a different argument.

Still, it’s going to be difficult for the lawyer to explain this result to his client.

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