Domain Name News: Feb. 25 Week in Review

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Cyber Cops and Domain Name Registrars Meet to Tackle Net Crooks – 25-Feb-11
Cyber cops from both sides of the Atlantic are meeting with domain name registrars in Brussels today to try to figure out ways to crack down on internet crime. This second meeting of the “EU-US working group on cyber security and cybercrime” is dedicated to increasing cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the companies that unwittingly sell web addresses to online crooks, according to attendees.
Canadian, Eh? Embrace the .CA Domain Name – 25-Feb-11
A few months ago, I received a call from a client disappointed about not being able to get a particular .com domain name for a new blog being created by his company. After a quick check on the Web, I told him the .ca domain name was available. The response was a combination of surprise and delight because it was an option the client had not considered.
New TLDs Could Come Quicker Than Expected – 24-Feb-11
New top-level domains may arrive a month earlier than previously projected, after ICANN revealed it is considering reducing the first-round application window to 60 days. That’s one of a number of suggested changes to the new TLDs program that appear in documents published Monday.
Demand Media Reports Q4 Results – 24-Feb-11
Demand Media results shed light on revenue sharing, eNom results. Earlier this week Demand Media reported fourth quarter results. The company eked out a small profit in the quarter, but expects to return to losses going forward. You can read the complete details here, but here are some interesting numbers: Revenue Sharing: In Q4 its …
Never Start a Mainstream Web Site On a .net Domain Name – 24-Feb-11
This is what happens when you create a popular web site on something other than .com. You should never start a mainstream web site on a .net domain. Or .org, .biz, .info, etc. Unless you own the .com of the same name. Especially if the domain name you choose is generic. Unless you don’t care about losing traffic to the .com. OK, so …
Is Sex.com Worth $13 Million? – 24-Feb-11
Domain names can attract millions of lazy web browsers, which is why they can go for a high price. Take a short, often used word, like beer, put it in a url and…
As Libya Erupts, What Does The Future Hold for Twitter Favorite Bit.ly – 24-Feb-11
With Libya in turmoil, will bit.ly be biting the dust anytime soon? For the popular link-shortening service, the answer may be yes–for the moment. In the past few years, bit.ly has become so synonymous with link-shortening that Twitter uses it as its default service. Users simply insert a link into the site and the link is shrunk down to fit sites like Twitter.
China’s .cn Domain Name Keeps Dropping – 24-Feb-11
Size of .cn registration base falls 75% from peak. Thanks mostly to tighter controls and rules on registration, China’s .cn domain name count keeps falling. According to data collected by HosterStats.com, there were about 3.5 million .cn domain names registered at the end of January. That’s a far cry from the over 14 million .cn domain …
Cricket Mobile Phone Company Sues to Get Cricket.com Domain Name – 23-Feb-11
Large wireless company sues in effort to get Cricket.com domain name. Cricket Communications filed a lawsuit on Friday in U.S. District Court – Southern District of California in an effort to get the domain name Cricket.com (pdf). Cricket uses MyCricket.com as its primary domain name. Cricket Communications filed a UDRP case against …
7s.com Survives a UDRP Challenge But Dissenting Opinion is an Eye Opener – 23-Feb-11
A UDRP decision released today held in favor of the domain holder on the domain name 7S.com, despite that the fact that the domain holder did not even respond to the UDRP. The complainant, a German company, holds trademarks on the term “7S”. A majority of the three member panel held in favor of the domain holder based substantially by the fact that he domain name was registered 2 years prior to the trademark.
Can Domain Name Seizures Sink Rogue Web Sites? – 23-Feb-11
In the early 1800s, a debate festered in our young democracy over the appropriate response to pirates operating from Africa’s Barbary Coast and attacking American ships, destroying or capturing them and impressing our sailors into lengthy terms of slavery. Their release was only obtained after a hefty ransom was paid by the U.S. government. After many years of paying the demanded ransoms, at the direction of President Jefferson, America’s fledgling Navy and a Marine expeditionary force executed a bold raid on Tripoli that eventually ended the pirate threat. Today, the debate has turned to cyberspace, where activities of ostensible rogue web sites, many attacking U.S. commercial interests or preying on our citizens in a variety of endeavors, including copyright infringement, illegal gambling, and pornography, to name a few. This article discusses several significant legal issues and responses involving the activities of rogue web sites.
7s.com Owner Can Keep Domain Name Despite Andrew Christie’s Opinion – 23-Feb-11
Activist UDRP panelist at it again in 7s.com case. If you ever need to point a finger at UDRP panelists that are trying to pervert the entire system, one of those should be Andrew Christie. I awarded Christie a "Domain Dunce" award in 2009 for his attempts to change the plain language and thousands of cases of precedent of UDRP. He …
Yellow Pages Agrees to Hand Over Domain Names to Rival – 23-Feb-11
Yellow Pages Group settled a legal Fair Trading Act dispute with The Localist the same day that chief executive Bruce Cotterill announced he was stepping down from the company. Cotterill and board member and interim CEO Scott Pomeroy said the settlement and resignation were not connected. Yellow Pages Group has agreed to transfer ownership of the contested domain names which included variations on the word localist – to Localist.
Libyan Protests Driven By ‘.ly’ Websites – 22-Feb-11
URL-shortening websites registered in Libya have proved to be the biggest tool for Libyan protesters to spread videos and images across the world from the isolated country.
Sex.com Now The World’s Most Expensive Domain Name, According to Guinness – 22-Feb-11
Apparently, sex not only sells but also sets records. Guinness World Records, now officially recognizes Sex.com as the “most expensive internet address domain name.” In November 2010, Sex.com was auctioned off for a sizzling $13 million, making it the world’s priciest domain name, TechCrunch reports.
Network Solutions Certified Offers: Do People Use Them Often? – 21-Feb-11
I’ve had a few people ask me about the Network Solutions Certified Offers program. This programs allows domain buyers to use the services of NetSol to
New Zealand Post Takes Court Action Against Yellow Pages – 21-Feb-11
Wellington, Feb 22 NZPA – NZ Post subsidiary Localist is taking legal action against Yellow Pages Group, which it alleges is trying to divert internet traffic away from Localist’s new Auckland information and directory service website.
New Rules Proposed for Expired Domain Names – 21-Feb-11
Recommendations would make existing best practices of major domain name registrars a requirement. The Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery (PEDNR) Policy Development Process Working Group has made 14 recommendations for the handling of expired domain names. The recommendations are part of the group’s proposed final report and may be used as …
Domain Name Meeting Moved As Gtld Decisions Loom – 21-Feb-11
Political instability in the Middle East has persuaded ICANN to move its scheduled June meeting away from Jordan.
Libya Turns Off The Internet and The Massacres Begin – 20-Feb-11
First, Libya blocked news sites and Facebook. Then, beginning Friday night, according to Arbor Networks, a network security and Internet monitoring company, announced that Libya had cut itself off from the Internet. Hours later the Libyan dictator’s solders started slaughtering protesters. As of Sunday afternoon, U.S. Eastern time the death toll was above 200 in the city of Benghazi alone.
Premium Domains Making a Comeback, Sedo Domain Name Auction – 19-Feb-11
The rumors of the death of domain name sales has been greatly exaggerated. Ask, Sedo, the world’s largest domain name auction, where there is currently an auction for premium domain names with bids in the 5 digits.
Homeland Security Wrongfully Seizes Domain Names On Child Porn Grounds – 19-Feb-11
ICE had a warrant to seize the websites, but reportedly took down many that had not broken the law. In a recent round of domain name seizures, the Justice and Homeland Security Departments shut down 84,000 websites that hadn’t broken the law, falsely accusing them of child pornography crimes, according to TorrentFreak.
Domain Names: The New Property Market? – 18-Feb-11
As the business world increasingly moves online, company directors are frequently advised to anchor their digital identities with domain services and catchy website addresses. Memorable domain names make it easier for customers to search for a specific business online and, if carefully selected, the right address can also drive considerable returns in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO). But as firms invest in domain services to snap up their desired title and future-proof their online presence for years to come, by preventing anyone else from stealing their ideal URL, prices for virtual ‘real estate’ are soaring.
Senators Look at New Ways to Take Control of Websites – 18-Feb-11
U.S senators are currently working on legislation to be introduced this year which will go after websites that offer access to digital piracy or counterfeit goods. The primary sponsor of a bill proposed in 2010 said it would give government agencies more authority to shut down those sites, according to an article.
After 5 Years an SEO Expert Finally Realizes The Value of Type in Domain Traffic – 18-Feb-11
In a post just published by Stephen Chapman for ZDnet.com entitled: “Capitalizing on hidden sources of traffic: A tale of pure awesomeness”, hopefully will be an eye opener to all SEO types on the value of of domain type in traffic. According to his bio, Mr. Chapman has been involved with SEO for over 5 years. In his post, he he tells the story of how he hand registered a domain name that he saw inside of a comic strip which contained a picture of a computer monitor with a non-existent domain on it.
Lionsden.com Owner Wins Domain Dispute – 18-Feb-11
WIPO panel rules in favor of domain name owner. The owner of LionsDen.com since 1995 can keep his domain name, a World Intellectual Property Organization UDRP panel has decided. Mile, Inc., which owns The Lion’s Den retail brand of adult entertainment products, filed the complaint arguing that the domain name infringed on its rights. The …