Author Archives: DomainNameWire

About DomainNameWire

Domain Name Wire is a blog that deals with the domain name sector. The blog covers a range of domain related topics ranging from issues concerning expiring domains, monetization, domain registries and registrars, ICANN, policy, law etc. The blog began in March, 2005, after Mr. Allemann had dropped out of meetings to become involved in domain portfolio company, iREIT. The project began as a hobby to keep him involved in the domaining business, and then became his full-time business.

Thu 1st July 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Local.com Buys Octane360 for Up to $11 Million - Company powered by geo domains is acquired. I got a “we should catch up” email from Octane360 CEO Adam Rioux last night. Then this morning I see this – he just sold his company for $5 million in cash and stock plus an earnout of $5.9 million. My first thought: that was fast. My second thought: I’m not too surprised. I’ve been singing the praises of Octane360’s business model for a while, and talking about what it can do for owners of localized domain ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Sex.com Now Officially for Sale during Sedo - Storied domain name now available at domain broker. It’s been in the works for a while, and I understand an agreement was signed a few weeks ago, but today Sedo announced that Sex.com is up for sale. It will be sold along with two trademarks. As of now it looks like Sedo is treating this as a broker deal. I suspect there’s a (high) asking price, and Sedo is trying to gauge interest. If multiple buyers are interested I wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Yahoo-Microsoft Ad Transition is Going to be a Cluster… - As we get closer to advertising transition, scope of changes become apparent. We’re getting nearer to D-Day, when the Yahoo and Microsoft ad deal starts to affect advertisers on the former’s platform. Here’s just one example of the headaches ahead for Yahoo advertisers. Today the company sent out an email telling all of its advertisers that it will need to cut their ad headline length to no more than 25 characters. Yahoo currently allows 40. This means that ... read more ...
Wed 30th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
GoDaddy to Launch x.co URL Shortener - Coming soon, x.co URL shortener. Domain name registrar GoDaddy is releasing a new URL shortener at x.co, according to a tweet by company founder and CEO Bob Parsons: This is likely a .co “founder’s program” deal. .Co has already done a deal with Twitter for t.co, which will be Twitter’s own URL shortener services. .Co is Colombia’s country code top level domain name, which is currently being liberalized. The domain registrar is one of ten accredited ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN
Competitor Sues Experian, Says It’s Cybersquatting - Credit report companies spar over domain names. Adaptive Marking LLC has sued ConsumerInfo.com, an Experian company, over its use of the FreeCreditScore.com domain name. Adaptive Marketing uses the domain names FreeScore.com and FreeTripleScore.com. You’re probably familiar with TV commercials for the latter domain, in which people are asked to say “Free Triple Score dot com” three times fast. ConsumerInfo.com bought the FreeCreditScore.com domain name ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Domain Companies Head to Austin for HostingCon - HostingCon comes to the Lone Star State. The web hosting industry is descending on Austin, Texas next month for HostingCon. The event will take place at the Austin Convention Center July 19-21. Tickets are still available, starting at $489 for the entire three day conference. I’ve identified a number of domain name related companies that will be in attendance and/or exhibiting: dotMobi eNom OpenSRS (Tucows) LogicBoxes/Reseller Club Dark Blue Sea VeriSign Afilias So ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN
Top Domain Name News Stories of June - A look back at June in domaining. It’s the last day of June, which means it’s time to review the top five stories on Domain Name Wire over the past month. They are ranked by total number of views. 1. Yahoo Settles Lawsuit and Gets Flicker.com Domain Name – After many years of neglect, Flicker.com can now be put to good use: redirecting internet users who know how to spell to the correct web address. 2. Web.com Buys Register.com for $135 Million – One of ... read more ...
Tue 29th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Verify your .Cn Email Address in 15 Days or You Might Lose your Domain - CNNIC wants you to verify your email address, like, today. This may sound like a really bad phishing scheme, but it’s coming from a legitimate source. RRPproxy is reporting that all owners of China’s .cn domain names are receiving an email notice to verify their registrant information. Failure to respond within 15 days may mean your domain name is processed according to “relevant provisions of the Registry”, which RRPproxy says means the domain name could ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Demand Media Inks Deal with Tyra Banks for Fashion Site - Demand’s deal with Tyra, and what it says about creating profitable content: you need hub sites. Demand Media has entered into a partnership with Tyra Banks to create a new digital brand for the beauty and fashion industry. I expect this to be similar to the company’s deal with Lance Armstrong for LiveStrong.com. Basically, the company created a new branded web site with star power, plugged it into Demand’s content pipeline and social media machine, and started ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
UDRP Panelist Rules NameMedia Can Keep Generic Pantaloons.com - NameMedia wins UDRP case brought by Indian retailer. NameMedia has successfully staved off an attack by Indian clothing retailer Pantaloon Retail for the domain name Pantaloons.com. The retailer is part of Future Group, and owns Pantaloon.com, but not the pural version. Pantaloons is a generic, albeit somewhat antiquated, clothing term. But it’s still a generic word, the panelist noted. NameMedia put up a SmartName shop on the domain name, which shows numerous ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Fannie Mae Spends $50,000 to Buy Domain Name - Fannie Mae dips into pockets to buy KnowYourOptions.com. Mortgage backer Fannie Mae has spent $50,000 (of basically your money) to buy the domain name KnowYourOptions.com. The site will no doubt explain your options if you find yourself behind on your mortgage. The deal tied another domain name — VideoDating.com — for the top spot at domain broker Sedo this week. The seller of VideoDating.com is Steve Newman. He was president of GreatDomains back in the day ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
China Puts Domain Registrars in Tough Spot, Again - CNNIC reverses role of registry and registrar, and communicates poorly to boot. [Update 7/1: Go Daddy is sending out an email to its .cn customers today, which also links to CNNIC’s notice.] Imagine if VeriSign sent an email to the all .com registrants asking them to click a link to verify they have the correct email address.* If you didn’t respond within 15 days, your domain name was subject to deletion. Sounds crazy, but this is the latest threat from China ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
University of Texas Loses Domain Name Dispute - University loses fight for TexasSports.org. I have to admit I’m a bit ashamed of my alma mater today. The University of Texas lost a UDRP case against Kevin Ham’s Vertical Axis for the domain name TexasSports.org. The University’s official athletics site is TexasSports.com, and it was concerned that some people might type in .org instead of .com. This is plausible given that it’s a non-profit. TexasSports.com gets over 300,000 visits per month. Still, the ... read more ...
Mon 28th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN
The Domain Name T-Deficit - Calculating the frequency of first letters in domain names. Is the letter “T” under-represented on the interwebs? Maybe, although you can draw your own conclusions as to why, and if you really care. Paul Kedrosky took a look at the top 1 million domain names on the web according to traffic and tallied them according to their first letter. He then compared that to the frequency of each first letter in the English language. He found that the letter T has the biggest ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
.XXX Poll Hits Front Page of CNN.com - Possible new top level domain name gets even more exposure. If you’re ICM Registry, you couldn’t ask for better publicity for the .xxx top level domain name: CNN has a poll on its home page asking people “Do you think pornographic websites should have their own “.xxx” domain?” So far a whopping 272,555 have voted in the poll. 83% have answered “Yes”. It’s an unscientific poll, and who knows the thinking behind why people are answering “yes”. ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Q&A with ICM Registry: 30,000 .xxx Preorders Since Friday - Stuart Lawley talks about the future of his TLD. ICM Registry founder Stuart Lawley just got back from a successful ICANN meeting in Brussels. In this QA, Lawley answers some common questions about the .xxx top level domain name. He also reveals that the company has received 30,000 pre-reservations for the domain since the news broke last Friday that .xxx is on path for final approval. DNW: Given the process you still need to complete before launching .xxx, when ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
WhyPark Builds Trust Through Small Payment Error - Domain company makes a small error, but builds trust in the process. Let’s face it, the domain name business is based on trust. One of these areas of trust is for parking company affiliate programs. As an affiliate of numerous parking companies, I really have no way of knowing if I’m being paid my actual share of referrals. I just have to trust that the parking company is playing straight. I received a pleasant surprise in my inbox this morning from Craig Rowe ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
New Company Wants to Help Unmask Private Whois Records - A possible new entrant into the trademarked domain recovery industry. NameDepot.com, Inc. has filed a trademark application for “RealRegistrant”, with services described as: Application service provider, namely service, software, database, web interface, and technical support for users to obtain information about the owner or registrant of a domain name when the WHOIS information is obscured by a domain name WHOIS Privacy or Proxy service; domain name information ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Afternic Releases New Portfolio Manager for Big Domain Sellers - New API makes it easier for large domainers to manage inventory on NameMedia sales network. Domain name sales venue Afternic has released a new product for large domain name portfolio owners called Afternic Portfolio Manager. The company bills the product as an easy-to-use domain distribution and inventory management tool for selling domain names. Among its features is the ability to instantaneously add, edit, and remove domains from Afternic and its distribution ... read more ...
Sun 27th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
How to Save Money on Your Domain Renewals - Time is ticking, but here are some extra ways to save money. You have just three days until most discount domain name registrars increase their prices on .com and .net domain names thanks to wholesale increases by registry VeriSign. It’s your last chance to cleanse your portfolio and renew domains early to save some money. I’ve already renewed almost all of my domains that expire before the end of the year. Thankfully, you can save even more money on your renewals. ... read more ...
Fri 25th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Get IDN Country Code Top Level Domain Names - Asian language top level domains coming to the internet. The Board of ICANN has approved the delegation of two Chinese-character country code top level domain names to China, two to Taiwan, and one to Hong Kong. During ICANN’s board meeting today in Brussels, ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom called it a historic moment: Just one brief remark and that is to say this is a truly historic moment. More than one out of five people who walk on this planet speak Chinese as ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
.XXX Resolution Approved, But Red Tape Could Slow Down Introduction - .XXX still has hurdles before it becomes a top level domain name. As expected, ICANN’s board approved a resolution today that allows ICM Registry’s .xxx application to move forward. But there are hurdles, or at least red tape, between now and the introduction of the top level domain name. Reading the resolution aloud during ICANN’s board meeting today, board chairman Peter Dengate Thrush noted several steps that remain: -The staff must conduct expedited due ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Former Justice Department Chief Blasts ICANN Decision on .XXX - Trueman says decision was “foolish and unnecessary”. Pat Trueman, former Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, called ICANN’s decision on .xxx today “foolish and unnecessary” in an interview with Domain Name Wire. Trueman served in the Justice Department starting with Ronald Reagan in 1988 to the end of the administration of George H. W. Bush. Trueman said ICANN’s board appears to be caught up with process in ... read more ...
Thu 24th June 2010
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN Traveling to a Changed Colombia - Security is only a minor concern for upcoming ICANN meeting in Colombia. My image of Colombia is colored by the past. It’s an image of the days of Pablo Escobar, rampant kidnappings, crime, and guerrillas forces. It’s shaped by books such as Mark Bowden’s Killing Pablo and the 2000 film Proof of Life. So when ICANN announced its December meeting would be held in Cartagena, Colombia, my first thought was “here we go again”. Another Nairobi. Another Mexico. ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN Board Set to Approve .XXX Domain Friday - .XXX to get green light, but the value to ICM registry has wilted. Ex-ICANN staffer Kieren McCarthy is reporting that ICANN’s general counsel has spilled the beans on .xxx, saying ICANN will approve the new top level domain name tomorrow during its board meeting. Make no mistake, this is a monumental moment for ICANN. If it were up to the organization it would have let .xxx die years ago. But an independent review panel found ICANN erred. And, despite having ... read more ...