WASHINGTON – Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice announced that they have seized the internet domain name weleakinfo.com. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu of the District of Columbia and Special Agent in Charge Timothy M. Dunham of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. The website claimed to provide its users a search engine to review and obtain the personal information illegally obtained in over … [Read more...]
Wyden: “I Will Explore Every Avenue To Ensure Users, Nonprofits Are Protected”
PALM BEACH, FL - In the ongoing debacle which has highlighted ICANN's unusual position on the .org registry sale which resulted in the billion-dollar sale of .org to a private equity company, US Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) told The Register that the response from Ethos Capital to his and several of his colleges concerns regarding the sale .org - just isn't good enough. Ron Wyden is very active on issues involving internet freedom and has been called a hero for introducing … [Read more...]
Laundry List of Questions on .ORG Sale Delivered by Congress to Ethos, IS, PIR
PALM BEACH, FL – A letter signed off by four U.S representatives, one of which is presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, was delivered to Ethos Capital, Internet Society and Public Interest Registry posing a long list of questions regarding the future operation of the .org domain registry. The letter signed off by four United States Representatives, all democrats, sending questions about the proposed .org registry sale. Among these questions, is what guarantee will … [Read more...]
Keep In Mind, New gTLD “Buzz Factor” SEO Ranking Weakens Over Time; Use Best URL
PALM BEACH, FL – About a year and half ago in April of 2018, I wrote about an out-of-the-ordinary domain name sale when the new gTLD domain “Vacation.Rentals” changed hands for a little over ‘half a million’ in cash, supposedly. I still sort of question the sale as either authentic and insane - or completely bogus, intentionally and strategically planned to not only create industry buzz, but boost sales for nGTLDs. Either way, and it probably doesn't really mater … [Read more...]
ROOTS: Frank Schilling, Uniregistry, Join ICA; Group Sees Busy Year With Slew of Issues
PALM BEACH, FL – According to an internal membership notification, this past week, Frank Schilling, known for amassing one of the world's most valuable domain name portfolios as well as building one of the most robust domain name platforms in the industry, “Uniregistry,” has returned to the Internet Commerce Association as a “Gold” member; there are currently five (5) membership levels (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Individual). Schilling's return to ICA is … [Read more...]
DN Journal’s Ron Jackson Interviews Name Brokers’ Jeff Gabriel and Amanda Waltz
PALM BEACH, FL - Ron Jackson, known within industry circles as running one of the most authoritative websites related to the domain business, “DNJournal.com”, has been covering the Internet and domain space since 2003. One of the latest updates to his site, an equivalent of a print trade publication in today's world, includes a video update and interview with domain name brokers, Jeff Gabriel and Amanda Waltz who became friends while working together at Igloo.com / Domain … [Read more...]
Blowback: All Eyes on ICANN Over Poor Decision to Allow Price Cap Removal
PALM BEACH, NY – Unanswered questions and lots [and lots] of suspicion swirls around ICANN, The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and its own transparency – all due to its super-controversial decision to allow the Registry Agreement with Public Interest Registry to renew without price-caps in place. It’s a decision that keeps coming back to haunt them, likely until this “.org” fiasco deal finally dies. If the organization (ICANN), which is supposed … [Read more...]
Is Paypal’s Algorithmic “FGA” (Flexible Guest Account) Checkout Killing Your Web Sales?
PALM BEACH, FL – I’ve been using Paypal for about 15 years now and while it’s a great and extremely simple way to except payments online, I dislike it as a single point of payment. While Paypal is very smooth and provides an easy and quick set up, many consumers avoid using Paypal from either: A) negative past experience or B) simply not sure if they can use it (confusion on whether or not users are required to have a Paypal account to use it). Imagine how many sales … [Read more...]
Would You Rename Your Software Business And Change Web Address For $5.2 Million?
PALM BEACH, NY – In April 2011, a south Sweden based company called “Xcerion” changed the name of its cloud file hosting service to “CloudMe” and registered a U.S. federal trademark for the same moniker. At the time, it was just speculation, later confirmed, that the real celebration illustrated in this above graphic, was the sale and acquisition of the domain name. The company had purchased the domain name “CloudMe.com” just three to four weeks earlier; the service … [Read more...]
NYT: “Dot-org Symbolizes Neither Quality Nor Trust; False Association with Credibility”
PALM BEACH, NY - Wow, the New York Times has taken a firm and unique approach to the news and industry buzz surrounding the sale of the .ORG registry to private equity firm, Ethos Capital. Bash the domain in a hitpiece to level the playing-field in what it calls the domains' opportunity to be used by a host of bad actors, all whom reap the benefits of dot-org’s "false association with credibility." In an opinion piece published yesterday by Sam Wineburg and Nadav Ziv, … [Read more...]
Must Be Nice To Be “THE Sheriff” with “Sheriff.org”… URL Branded Vehicles
PALM BEACH, FL – Sometime back in 1996 someone had a pretty decent idea down in Florida; to register the Internet domain name “Sheriff.org” for the Broward County Sheriff's Office. I’m often reminded of this ‘solid decision’ as I live one county North and often see these URL branded police vehicles Wizz by me with “Sheriff.org” branded on the back bumper. Photo credit: https://www.allpar.com I always think, there’s probably a lot of Sheriff’s offices around the entire … [Read more...]
How Google Grows Advertising Rev 20% a Year, While Global Economy Grows at 4%
PALM BEACH, FL - If you are in the Internet business, you're going to want to stop and read this one. It will educate you. It might explain a couple of things you have thought about when it comes to Google. It might even make you a little mad. But it is always best to know what is happening in your industry. Or you could stay in your little bubble where they say, ignorance is bliss. Google has the ability to provide the illusion of diversity while using sort of eye … [Read more...]
First Amendment Under Fire as SCOTUS Rules Defamation Claim Can Proceed…
PALM BEACH, FL – A defamation case against a conservative news publisher will move forward after several appeals from the defendant, NationalReview.com, have been rejected by both the U.S. Supreme Court of Appeals as well as at least one local court, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Attorney’s for conservative news website the National Review sought for the case, brought by controversial climate scientist, Michael Mann, to be dismissed, citing several First … [Read more...]
“Cold Email,” Sold “Democracy.com” To Billionaire Owner of Mavericks, Mark Cuban
PALM BEACH, FL – Not that the name needed it, but when an auction for a web address is featured in the New York Times, you can rest assured that it is a pretty desirable name. That’s what happened last month when “Democracy.com” went up for sale in a “sealed auction” where none of the bidders would see the dollar amount of other participating bidders. The auction was originally to close on Oct. 25, 2019 but was then extended to November 7, 2019 based on what was said … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court to Consider Trademark Rights on Generic Internet Domain Names
PALM BEACH, FL - On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the addition of “.com” to a generic word or phrase can be trademarked when it reviews “United States Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B.V.” on Docket No. 19-46 with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The issue has reached the highest court in the country after lower courts reversed the decisions of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") and Trademark … [Read more...]