NEW YORK – This past week, another new gTLD domain name bit-the-dust when Richemont, the company behind Cartier jewelry and Mont Blanc pens, terminated its fifth dot-brand gTLD. Reading over some backscatter comments on the issue I was enlightened with the below video, from Esther Dyson, former Chairman of the ICANN Board and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who held back very little while she reminded people that she is clearly on record with her negative thoughts and … [Read more...]
The Birth of ICANN: “The Green Paper”
NEW YORK - In 1997, the United States government under then President Clinton began processes to remove its control over the Domain Name System by creating research and dialog on how control of domain names and IP addresses should be handled in the future - by a non-profit organization in the private sector. This resulted in a document which has become known as "The Green Paper" originally named "A Proposal to Improve the Technical Management of Internet Names and … [Read more...]
ADO Decision Is Embarrassment to ICANN; Serves as “Gift” to UDRP Reform Argument
NEW YORK, NY – There is an excellent article on Circle ID that you should read if you are interested in domain names and value them in almost any regard, especially as investments. You've probably already heard of the recent UDRP decision regarding Francois Carrillo’s ADO.com (Autobuses de Oriente ADO, S.A. de C.V. v. Private Registration / Francois Carrillo, WIPO Case No. D2017-1661) and its nonsensical determination that it should be transferred to the complainant. This … [Read more...]
Name Summit Digital Branding Conference; Entrepreneurs, Experts, Domain Enthusiasts
NEW YORK, NY – “NameSummit – The Digital Branding Conference” is just one week away. There will be over 40 speakers, including entrepreneurs, experts and digital branding superstars ready to engage with attendees. Expert panels will discuss leading trends in branding, influence marketing, social media and showcase the continuing evolution of domain names as an important part of powerful branding and advertising campaigns. Below is the updated line-up of experts; an … [Read more...]
Name Summit Conference in New York City Shaping Up to Be “Very Big Event”
Agenda includes long list of Industry Veterans; Live Domain Auction for WallStreet.com; Event Ending with Undisclosed "Presentation for Exclusive Asset Sale" yet to be revealed!! NEW YORK, NY – A few days ago I spoke via telephone (yes, that clunky old device still in use) with some of the people at NameSummit to discuss interesting developments for the upcoming event in New York City which is just weeks away. If you have not yet booked your tickets and stay to New York … [Read more...]
Behind The Scenes: Sometimes Good Stuff Is Happening That You Should Know About
NEW YORK, NY - Imagine if you had your super premium domain name stolen from you, legally, and there was absolutely nothing you could do about it - and nothing you could have done to prevent it, because you never actually did anything wrong in the first place? Holy Smokes; Sounds Terrible Right? Here is the Scenario. You register a domain name for a unique word or phrase which is not currently in use. There are no current sites using the word, no trademarks on the term, and … [Read more...]
Making Their Mark: “Big Brands” Invest Hundreds of Millions on .Dot Alternatives
NEW YORK, NY - Regardless of what your position is on new gTLD domains "Big Brands" are buying in hook, line and sinker while ICANN is raking in hundreds of millions of dollars on new gTLD fees. Each new application cost its applicant $185,000.00 and with it, an annual maintenance fee of $24,000.00 (yearly recurring). This doesn't include potentially hundreds of generic domains that were applied for and went to auction (I didn't count each one [Full statistics here] … [Read more...]
There’s Pork In That Bill; DNA’s HDI Overreaching with Registry Handling of Copyright Infringement
NEW YORK, NY - The Domain Name Association (DNA), a new non-profit association “supposedly” (I just learned about them) representing the interests of the domain name industry, is suggesting in its “Healthy Domain Initiative” (HDI) four objectives for registry and registrars to participate in voluntary actions which are intended to protect and advance the evolution of the domain name system. Again, I use the word “supposedly” only because I just recently heard of this … [Read more...]
Sometimes You Just Cannot Have the .com Name That You Want; Now Move On
It’s aggravating to find frivolous lawsuits such as one I will talk about today where someone fighting for a domain just doesn’t get it. The single thing that takes a negative situation like this and shows some positive light is when you find that there are good - no great people such as David E. Weslow (handling the case pro-bono) and organizations like the Internet Commerce Association (how I found out about this) which help tilt the scale in the other direction. Situations … [Read more...]
Entrepreneurial Thinkers: Registering Your Own Trademark; Without Hiring a Lawyer
Many business owners and entrepreneurial thinkers would probably like to register a trademark but they think it’s too expensive or that you have to hire a few lawyers to get it done. Not so. Registering your own trademark is fairly easy to do provided you know a little about, well, what you want the trademark to be – That’s it. The process is easier than you might think. Now the office for Trademarks is the same office where you would file a patent, a much more complicated … [Read more...]
Top 15 National Yellow Pages Websites Worth Your Business; Listed by Traffic
The "Yellow Pages" are still very much alive and well, they’re just not big, heavy tree-killing, paper-wasting books anymore. In 1886 when the very first official Yellow Pages Directory was created, the name "Yellow Pages" was actually unintentional; it came into use when a printer ran-out of white paper and yellow paper was used instead. Fast forward 130 years later, the term Yellow Pages was and is still so successful, there seems to be a thousand different “Yellow Pages”. … [Read more...]
839 New Generic Top Level Domains To Make Internet a Confusing Space
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is set to change up the Internet address system once again. While Generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) were relatively fixed in the past, there are those that are pushing to get the green light for new domains. So far, a good deal of domain marketing has focused on domain hacks. New rules would allow big brands or those with deep pockets to own domains ending in virtually anything they want, like .nyc, .place, or … [Read more...]