ICANN to critics: we’ve already finished commander TLD rounds - ICANN says it’s done three pilot rounds of top level domain expansion. A frequent complaint about ICANN’s new top level domain plans in recent months is the scale, with numerous groups asking ICANN to run a pilot program. But in response to an FTC query, ICANN has faced this issue head on by pointing out something obvious: it has already run “pilot” rounds. 1. 2000 proof of concept round which approved seven new TLDs 2. 2004 sponsored top level domain program 3. ... read more ...

6 things that could go horribly wrong with new TLDs - If any of these things happen the new TLD program will have some serious headaches. ICANN officially opens its application window for top level domain names today, giving companies, organizations, and individuals 90 days to submit their plans for a .whatever. The plan has many notable flaws, but six of them seem to me like the biggest break points in the program — things that could delay individual applications or lead to lawsuits against ICANN. 1. Community gaming This ... read more ...

Wow: Judge orders UDRP transfers, including Apple typo, to be reversed - We do things differently in Texas. District Judge Royal Furgeson has ordered (pdf) that World Intellectual Property Organization cases from as early as 2010 be overturned and ordered a number of domain names now owned by Apple and Public storage be transferred back to the typosquatter that previously owned them. Yes, you read that correctly. The case involves domain names that belonged to a company tied up in the courts when UDRP cases were filed against the obvious ... read more ...

Richard Branson wants his .XXX - Virgin Group founder challenges registration of .xxx domain name. When ICM Registry released .xxx domain names to the public last month, Richard Branson must have been busy yachting. Australian Sean Truman beat him to the domain name, registering RichardBranson.xxx on December 10. That was four days after .xxx was opened up to registration. Now Branson of Virgin Group fame wants his name back. He filed a complaint with National Arbitration Forum today. It looks like ... read more ...

ICANN relaxes heading order in needy TLD applicant plan - NGOs and communities can apply for reduced fees for TLD even if the string represents a trademark. ICANN has relaxed a restriction on trademark top level domain names qualifying for its applicant support program for needy applicants. An updated guidebook for the program was released today. In the first public iteration of the plan, TLDs that were trademarks for organizations would not be eligible for a reduced application rate of $42,000. The latest version of the ... read more ...

Receiver asks for typo domains to be confiscated from Apple and others - Receiver wants ICANN to reverse domain transfers. Remember that court case where the receiver, in charge of a number of domain names, said ICANN had the power to stay a UDRP decision? It’s getting a little wonkier. Now the receiver is asking ICANN to “undo” a handful of transfers that were completed under UDRP. Those transfers include typo domain names now controlled by companies such as Apple and Public Storage. The receiver asked the court to force ICANN ... read more ...

What Rod Beckstrom would do differently with a new TLD program… - Had Rod Beckstrom been involved with the new TLD program earlier… This afternoon Rod Beckstrom held a briefing call with bloggers about the new top level domain name program. He’s been on a world tour explaining the program for months, answering a number of repeated questions. Rather than beat a dead horse, I asked him what he would do differently had he been involved with the new TLD process from the beginning. (Remember, he inherited this program when he became ... read more ...

Perhaps heading holders should no longer defensively register domains - In the future brand owners may need to change their domain name strategy. With potentially hundreds of new top level domain names heading to the internet as early as 2013, brand owners are crying foul. They’re upset about having to defensively register hundreds or even thousands of domain names across the extensions. It’s true that some brands have defensively registered many of their marks in TLDs other than .com. But with hundreds more to manage, does it still ... read more ...

ANA proposes “Do Not Sell” list to ICANN - ANA asks for top level block list or it may proceed with legal action. The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has proposed that ICANN adopt a “Do Not Sell” list for the new top level domain name application period that opens up later this week. In a letter to ICANN’s board, ANA says that it is unaware of a single constituency that has organized to defend ICANN’s plan, save for those that will profit from it. With the application round opening January ... read more ...

Valero is third association to belatedly ask .xxx domain name - Energy company complains to WIPO about Valero.xxx. San Antonio, TX based energy giant Valero Energy is the third company to ask an arbitration panel to give it a .xxx domain name. The company filed a complaint last week with World Intellectual Property Forum (WIPO), seeking control of Valero.xxx. The domain name was registered by someone in the Netherlands on December 6, the first day .xxx domain names became available for general registration. This is the second ... read more ...

Court grants rough injuction underneath ACPA for personal name - ACPA can protect your name even if you aren’t a celebrity. I come across a number of lawsuits and UDRPs about celebrities and cybersquatting. But a decision handed down in district court in New York today is notable because it involves a non-celebrity who believed he was being extorted to pay big money for his personal name as a domain name. The case involves New Yorker Paul Bogoni. He’s not a celebrity, although he considers himself a “prominent real estate ... read more ...