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 30th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
What domain names IdeaLab and other finish users bought final week - IdeaLab among buyers at GoDaddy/Afternic last week. GoDaddy and Afternic combined to sell nearly $1.8 million worth of domain names last week. Here are some that were sold to end users. (If you like to read about end user domain name sales, you can see previous lists here.) WPTI.org $2,569 – Workforce Professionals Training Institute in New York. Covius.com $1,800 – Atlanta company Covius, LLC, which appears to just be getting off the ground. BWM.com $15,000 – ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Here’s what we overtly consider about new tip turn domain names - I don’t think they’ll change the world, but I don’t wish for them to fail. I write a lot of stories about new top level domain names. Some are about the good and some are about the bad. Sometimes people read one of my positive stories and think I must be a new TLD supporter. Others read my stories about problems and challenges new TLDs will face and think I’m a new TLD hater. So let me set the record straight: I don’t think new TLDs are going to radically ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Want to see a new Trademark Claims Notice in action? Here’s an example. - See what it looks like if you try to register a second level domain in a new TLD that matches a record at the Trademark Clearinghouse. One of the rights protections mechanisms for new top level domain names is the Trademark Claims Notice. For the first 90 days after a new top level domain name is available (post sunrise), domain name registrars must post this notice when someone tries to register a domain name that matches a mark registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse. The ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Nominet sets Jun 10 date for shorter .UK domain names - Shorter .uk domain names will land this summer. Nominet will offer second level registrations under the .uk domain name starting June 10. Companies will now be able to get example.uk instead of example.co.uk or example.org.uk as part of a plan approved in November. Owners of existing third level .co.uk domain names (as of October 28, 2013) will get first rights to the matching second level .uk domain names and have five years to decide whether they want it. Registrants ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
The numbers are in! Donuts sunrises typically get 100+ domains, though they also got gamed - Most of Donuts domain names received at least 100 sunrise registrations, and some of them are of questionable merit. Donuts has just published its zone files for the seven domain names that recently exited sunrise. Most of the domains have at least 100 domains in their zone files, but there’s also some curious activity: it appears Donuts got gamed by some of its fellow applicants. First, some caveats. The zone files, dated 1-31, are post sunrise and include a lot ... read more ...
Wed 29th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Dude, Seriously! What Were You Thinking? The authorised row during NamesCon - A recap of the legal panel at NamesCon. A legal panel is a mainstay at domain name conferences. Earlier this month at NamesCon was no different. Perhaps trying to jazz up a panel full of lawyers, the session was titled “Dude, Seriously?!?? What Were You Thinking?!?” (which looks a lot like the click grabbing headlines on Weather.com). But seriously, it was a good session. Each person gave a story about someone who fought a fight they shouldn’t have or did something ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
.Uno wants to be a domain of choice for Spanish speakers - .Uno top level domain name to cater to Spanish-speaking internet users. A lot of new top level domain name applicants have suffered through years of ups and downs waiting for the new top level domain name program to launch. Not Shaul Jolles. Jolles, who is behind six top level domain name applications, decided to apply just a few months before the application window closed. He was visiting with his acquaintance Efraim Gershom at one of Jolles’ co-working spaces ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Donuts’ EAP opens today, though usually some domain name registrars support it - GoDaddy and eNom are offering Donuts’ domains today, but other big registrars are not. Seven of Donuts new top level domain names, including .guru and .clothing, are available starting today under the company’s “Early Access Program.” For the next five days the domains can be purchased at premium prices. Today the prices are over $10,000, and the price will drop each day going forward. Only some of the major domain name registrars appear to be offering Donuts’ ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
End user domain name purchases adult to $350,000 - Sedo brokers sale of True.com to car sals data company. This week’s Sedo end user sales list includes the big $350,000 sale of True.com to car sales data company TrueCar. If you’ve never checked out TrueCar.com, it’s a really cool site. Based on the landing page currently at True.com, it appears the company will use this as a holding brand/site as it branches out into other data services. Here’s the rest of the list. (If you like ready about end user domain ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN Labs takes a breather to concentration on new ICANN website - Group pauses other activities to work on new website. Since making a post on November 20 about working on a new ICANN.org website, the ICANN Labs initiative has been radio silent. ICANN Labs launched last summer as a way to improve communications and community involvement within the ICANN community. The initiative, which involves an outsourced team at Neo, has created four beta projects so far. It is practicing fast-cycle development – so fast, apparently, that ... read more ...
Tue 28th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
GoDaddy’s 2nd Super Bowl ad to underline chairman quitting their pursuit (for real) to start a biz - GoDaddy posts teaser for second ad for Sunday’s game. GoDaddy has already posted one of its two Super Bowl commercials for Sunday’s game. It hasn’t posted its second yet, but it has revealed some of the subject matter. According to a video teaser GoDaddy just posted, the second commercial will feature someone quitting their job (for real) in front of the Super Bowl TV audience. Apparently only the production staff and the person’s father knows about her resignation. ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Captain American, Wolverine, and X-Men discovered in Australian domain dispute - A superhero rescue down under. Disney has rescued a handful of its superheroes from an Australian artist. Disney, along with its Pixar and Marvel divisions, filed a cybersquatting complaint against Australian James Kite for the domain names CaptainAmerica.com.au, Wolverine.com.au, Avengers.com.au, Pixar.com.au, and x-men.com.au. Kite appears to be a cartoon artist and was forwarding some of the domain names to his personal site. As soon as he received the dispute, ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Chinese IDN TLDs devise dual day launch celebration and live auction in Macau - New TLD applicant plans big launch party and live auction in Macau. It’s going to be really difficult for new top level domain backers to get much attention for their launches in an environment where multiple TLDs are launching every week. But TLD Registry, which is launching Chinese equivalents of online (.在线) and website (.中文网) is going all in with a two day celebration and live domain name auction. The event is scheduled for March 20-21 at the Galaxy ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Why is it so formidable to remember that TLDs have been practical for? - The fact that there are so many of them makes it more difficult for me to recall which ones were applied for. I live and breathe domain names, and research what’s going on with new TLDs on a daily basis. But when I’m put on the spot and people ask me for examples of some of the new domain names coming out, I often freeze. I can think of a few, but after that I start questioning to myself: wait, did someone actually apply for this domain about about to mention? Was ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
UNiDAYS guilty of retreat domain name hijacking - Company that uses MyUnidays.com tries to hijack Unidays.com. UK company MYUNiDAYS, which offers products at a discount to college students under the UNiDAYS brand, has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking in a cybersquatting case. The company uses MyUnidays.com for its web address and filed a cybersquatting UDRP complaint against Unidays.com. UNiDAYS launched in 2011 and obviously chose the MyUnidays.com domain name because Unidays.com was already registered. ... read more ...
Mon 27th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
What domain names Pepsi and others bought - Pepsi bought a domain name for one of its sodas and other end user domain purchases. Sedo reported $1.6 million worth of domain names sales for the week ending January 19. Here are a dozen that involved end users, including Pepsi. You can see previous end user sales reports here. FederalCreditScores.com $17,950 – One Technologies, which services the direct-to-consumer credit monitoring industry. Sym-Tech.com $816 – Sym-Tech, which provides services to car dealers ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
BuyDomains defends UDRP brought by Academy Sports - BuyDomains said it registered AcademyOnline.net as a generic domain name, not because of the sports retailer. BuyDomains, part of NameMedia, has successfully defended a UDRP brought by Academy Sports + Outdoors against the domain name AcademyOnline.net. The company successfully argued that the domain name is made up of two generic words and that the parking page for the domain, which includes links such as “Art Academy” and “Police Academy Online,” was used ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
New TLDs disappear from GoDaddy home page, and 1&1’s dark sunrise - GoDaddy demotes new TLDs from the home page, 11 not offering sunrise registrations through its largest brand. Here are a couple noteworthy items related to new top level domain names. First, over the weekend I noticed that promotions for new top level domain names are nowhere to be found on GoDaddy’s home page. After promoting them for the past month or two, it’s been kicked off the home page. (It is front and center, however, on the “Domains” tab.) In response ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Amazon gets a win in .Amazon quarrel & IO found to have dispute of seductiveness in case - Panelist finds Independent Objector Alain Pellet has a conflict of interest and sides with Amazon.com in domain name dispute. Amazon.com has successfully defended community objections brought against its applications for .amazon and the Chinese and Japanese equivalent top level domain names. At the same time, it has also successfully questioned the Independent Objector’s conflict of interest in filing the cases in the first place. The internet retailing giant argued ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
ICANN creates swell on information influence waivers for domain name registrars - ICANN posts its first preliminary determination on a data retention waiver. ICANN published today the first preliminary determination on a registrar’s request to change the data retention requirements in the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). The 2013 RAA requires registrars to keep certain information about their customers even after the customer takes its business elsewhere or lets a domain name expire. Some registrars balked at this requirement, arguing ... read more ...
Sun 26th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Donuts tops $5 million in “orders and commitments” - New TLD company reports metrics as it gets ready for general availability later this week. New top level domain name “mega registry” Donuts says it has topped $5 million in “orders and commitments” for its services so far. Seven of Donuts new top level domain names exited sunrise yesterday. Next up they’ll go into the “Early Access Program” and then general availability by January 29. It has another 40 domain names currently in sunrise. Given the relatively ... read more ...
Fri 24th January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Man who sole Teamwork.com for $675k tells his story - Seller acquired the domain name from Great Domains over a decade ago. Earlier this week Silicon Republic reported that Irish tech company Teamwork PM acquired the domain name Teamwork.com for $675,000. I reached out to the seller, Alex Lerman, to confirm the sale and ask for more details. He confirmed that the $675,000 sale took place via Escrow.com and the seller buyer paid the escrow fees. He also gave this background: I was fortunate to be an investor in premium ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Uniregistry’s new TLD launch skeleton are opposite from a others - Uniregistry plans a more inclusive sunrise, no landrush, and simpler pricing. Frank Schilling’s Uniregistry is taking a very different approach to launching its domain names than most other registries. Rather than squeeze out every last drop of revenue possible from launch phases, it’s doing what it can to push its domains into the hands of registrants. That’s according to launch documents it has filed with ICANN as well as public statements Frank Schilling ... read more ...
 
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Did we know Apple let iPad.com expire? That’s what one internet association (wrongly) claims. - Company uses iPad.com domain as an example of a cybersquatter snagging an expiring domain. But that’s not true. From the “right idea, wrong example” department… Newcastle, England company Zebra Internet Services is now pitching “domain portfolio management” to help its clients protect against cybersquatters that might grab their domain names when they expire. The Journal in Newcastle covered the product launch in a story that kind of misses the mark overall. ... read more ...
Thu 23rd January 2014
Written by DomainNameWire in EN and tagged
Nat Cohen sells LGG.com for $175k to association that filed UDRP opposite a domain name - Company pays up after playing dirty in domain name negotiation. This week’s DNJournal sales report includes a $175,000 sale of LGG.com. When reviewing the report, I instantly knew this domain name was familiar. Sure enough, I’ve written about it before. The company that just bought the domain name, a Finnish dairy company called Valio Ltd, filed a UDRP against Telepathy (owned by domain investor Nat Cohen) last year in an effort to get the domain name. Telepathy ... read more ...