Burned-Out Lawyer, Domainer

Interesting read (excerpt follows) --

How a Burned-Out Lawyer Quit Her Job and Discovered Her Dream Career | Brazen Life: " . . . . Instead, a million Ideas for businesses I could start, products or services I could sell, websites I could create and more flooded my brain. For each idea I had, I bought the related Web address (domain name). Before I knew it, I owned more than a hundred domain names. One day, someone called me and wanted to buy one of my domains. That day changed my life, because I learned that domain names are like pieces of digital real estate on the Internet and can sometimes be extremely valuable. My domain addiction only grew from there. Hundreds of domains turned into thousands. And at an average renewal price of $10 a year, owning thousands of domain names came with a hefty price tag! It’s fair to say I had become a full-fledged Internet junky. I was working around the clock to learn how to sell and trade domain names, develop websites, blog, use Google Adwords and Adsense, write Web copy and more. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Finding a perfect, affordable domain name

5 steps to help you find a perfect, affordable domain name - The Next Web: " . . . If you are looking for an obvious and great domain name chances are that someone beat you to it. Too often great startups with bad names tell me they picked their name because the domain name was still available. That is a lousy excuse and very bad start for your multi-billion dollar company. My advice: see what awesome names you can pick up for a little more than you were initially planning to spend. Seriously, you can spend a week finding a domain name that sucks, or an hour to get an awesome one for a little more money – how much is your time worth? The saving you make in time hunting for a domain name could be spent investing more in a better one. . . ." (read more at link above)

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ICANN and its express train to new gTLDs and litigation

Looking ahead -- more disputes and litigation over new gTLDs --

Retailers fail to derail ICANN’s ‘express’ train to more top-level domains - Lexology: " . . . . Indeed, the results in these cases may spur trademark owners to pressure ICANN to give more deference to trademarks. But at the least, these rulings reinforce the lesson of the mid-1990s that Internet domains can create seismic disruptions in the trademark world. They also reaffirm a timeless principle of trademarks: Descriptive and other weak trademarks are the most at risk for dilution from non-trademark use. As the new TLD process rolls out this fall, expect more trademark battles with a twist—including disputes over new complete domain names using the new TLDs. Many of those disputes will go through ICANN’S UDRP process, or its new Uniform Rapid Suspension process, after trademark owners become aware of potential problems through Trademark Clearinghouse procedures."

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Tips for Aspiring Domain Speculators

Many expert opinions out there -- this guy I trust --

Seven Expert Domain Name Sales Tips for Aspiring Domain Speculators - Sweetmantra: Domain Name Strategy: "In general, the kind of inventory that sells best in today’s world is one-word, two-word, and three-word English language .com domain names that directly relate to business products or services. If you are holding non .com inventory (e.g., .net, .org, .biz), or domains that consist of invented words, or are phrases, be prepared for the sad probability that this inventory will not move in your lifetime." (read more at the link above)

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Report says Domain Name Sales To Flourish Through 2018

Research and Markets: New 2013 Report 'Web Domain Name Sales in the US' says The Industry is Set To Flourish Even Further Over the Five-Year Period To 2018 | SYS-CON MEDIA: "The Web Domain Name Sales industry has thrived over the five years to 2013, despite a spending slowdown during the recession. Businesses' mounting demand for internet presence, coupled with individuals' increasing desire for personal web space, has driven revenue growth over the period. With the recently announced expansion of web domain name suffixes, the industry is set to flourish even further over the five-year period to 2018. Coupled with mounting demand from internet publishing and broadcasting and growing demand for personal domain names, industry revenue is anticipated to grow at a strong average annual rate." (read more at link above)

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Movies, Domain Names, Social Media Handles

This is interesting --

Flicks' Advertising Picks - FairWinds Goes to the Movies - FairWinds Partners: "FairWinds selected 12 blockbusters on the U.S. News and World Report 2013 Summer Blockbuster Movie Guide and looked at how production companies are digitally targeting moviegoers this summer. Some key results:
The majority - 42 percent - use the domain name structure "TitleMovie.com"
Seventeen percent use a catchy domain name: ItsBetterUpHere.com (Elysium); PutOnTheMask.com (The Lone Ranger). 58 percent of movies advertise social media handles in their trailers - with 24 percent choosing only to use social media handles . . . " (read more at link above)

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Domain Names, Expired Registration Recovery Policy

The Expired Registration Recovery Policy (ERRP) regulates how domain name registrars handle expiring domain names. Expired Registration Recovery Policy | ICANN: Redemption Grace Period
3.1. With the exception of sponsored gTLD registries, all gTLD registries must offer a Redemption Grace Period ("RGP") of 30 days immediately following the deletion of a registration, during which time the deleted registration may be restored at the request of the RAE by the registrar that deleted it. Registrations deleted during a registry's add-grace period, if applicable, should not be subject to the RGP.
3.2. During the Redemption Grace Period, the registry must disable DNS resolution and prohibit attempted transfers of the registration. ICANN-approved bulk transfers and permitted partial bulk transfers are not subject to the prohibition of attempted transfers. The registry must also clearly indicate in its Whois result for the registration that it is in its Redemption Grace Period.
3.3. Registrars must permit the RAE to redeem a deleted registration during RGP (ifRGP is offered by the respective registry)." (read more at link above)

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Expired Domain Name Rules

ICANN: "When a domain name expires, it enters the Auto-Renew Grace Period (for zero to 45 days). Registrars may delete domain names from their databases during this period (according to their deletion and auto-renewal policies). Before a registrar deletes an expired domain name, it must also interrupt the domain name's resolution path. This means that all the services associated with the domain (such as email addresses and websites) will stop working. This can alert you that a domain name has expired and must be renewed. Once you renew your domain name, the registrar must make the domain name work again (as soon as commercially reasonable). If you have a dispute with your registrar regarding payment of renewal fees, please visit ICANN's About Renewal Fee Paid But Domain Not Renewed page. If you successfully paid to renew your domain name and it still does not work, please submit a Domain Renewal Complaint Form." (read more at links above)

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ICANN, self-interest, public interest

Well worth a second read --

Letter from Verisign's Chuck Gomes to ICANN's Fadi Chehadé
30 August 2013
Sender's Title: Vice President, Policy
Sender's Affiliation: VeriSign, Inc.
Issue: GNSO Discussion with ICANN CEO
File: gomes-to-chehade-30aug13-en [PDF, 3037kB]

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Google as Registrar, Charleston Road Registry, Domain Names

Google is a domain names owner and domain name registrar (like GoDaddy or Network Solutions). Google owns Charleston Road Registry (an ICANN approved Registry like Verisign). What exactly is Google planning? Who knows? -- follow the links below --

Google: "Here are some of the domains we are excited about launching. Most of them will be open for you to register and use however you like. Some have rules which specify how the domain may be used. . . . please check back regularly to see our updated offerings. . . ."

Charleston Road Registry – Google: "When will these domains be available for registration? ICANN has committed to delegating approximately 20 top level domains each week, starting later this year. Delegation order was determined by ICANN’s prioritization lottery. To check on CRR’s domains, please visit this page. We'll post a list of our registrar partners once our domains are open for registration, and be sure to update it regularly. . . . Please fill out this form if you're interested in becoming a registrar partner. . . . Charleston Road Registry (CRR) is a subsidiary of Google. Because ICANN requires that registrars and registries remain separate entities, and Google is already an ICANN-accredited registrar, CRR exists as a separate company from Google. We don't favor any registrar over any others in terms of pricing, awarding domains, or any other domain operations; we'll partner with any ICANN-accredited registrars that are interested in our domains."

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The Wild, Wild West Is About To Get Wilder

I first heard of the Wild, Wild West internet back in the 1990s. Now we are back to that, only even more thanks to the new ICANN gTLDs --

First New gTLDs Get the Green Light for Delegation: " . . . These first new gTLDs, or strings, are:
شبكة (xn--ngbc5azd) – the Arabic word for “Web” or “Network”
Registry : International Domain Registry Pty. Ltd.
онлайн (xn--80asehdb) – Russian for “Online”
Registry: Core Association
сайт (xn--80aswg) – Russian for “Web site”
Registry: Core Association
游戏 (xn--unup4y) – Chinese for “Game”
Registry: Spring Fields, LLC
You’ll note that all four of these new strings are Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs). IDNs are currently available as Second-Level Domains and country code Top-Level Domains, but this will be the first time non-Latin characters can be used in a generic TLD. Building on the addition of Internationalized country-code TLDs in 2010, the move is an effort to create a more inclusive Internet. . . ."

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Mobile Computing, Domaining

Ramifications of mobile computing on domaining? It's not as much about "type-in traffic" anymore--

Mobile Computing Puts the Location Back in Retail | MIT Technology Review: ". . . the offline environment is actually more important when consumers connect through a mobile device. With colleagues including Sang Pil Han of the City University of Hong Kong, we studied 260 users of a South Korean microblogging service similar to Twitter. What we found was that behavior on the small mobile screen was different from behavior on the PC. Searching became harder to do, meaning that people clicked on the top links more often. The local environment was also more important. Ads for stores in close proximity to a user’s home were more likely to be viewed. For every mile closer a store was, smartphone users were 23 percent more likely to click on an ad. When they were on a PC, they were only 12 percent more likely to click close-by stores. . . ."

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Retail? Everything Is E-Commerce Now

“Retail has become a blur. And the blurring is 100 percent driven by technology,” says Tige Savage, a partner at AOL founder Steve Case’s investment company, Revolution, which is investing in new online retail startups. “Are you at the store? Or is the store at you? And then there’s mobile, the store is in your pocket. The game is to satisfy demand wherever and whenever it is.” (source infra)

How the Definition of E-Commerce Is Changing | MIT Technology Review: "With its thousands of engineers, Amazon is starting to look like a software company that just coincidentally sells things. But now it and other Internet companies, including eBay and Google, are investing in same-day delivery—getting goods to people just hours after they order them. With their drop boxes and fleets of delivery cars, they’re bidding to eliminate one of physical retailers’ main advantages: immediate gratification."

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Online Retail, Amazon, Profitability

Online retail? -- better think niche markets, and consider using or associating with larger services like Amazon because it is cut-throat online --

Profits? Amazon Prefers Technology | MIT Technology Review: " . . . Even the most successful online retailer, Amazon.com, has a business model that leaves many people scratching their heads. Amazon is on track to ring up $75 billion in worldwide sales this year. Yet it often operates in the red; last quarter, Amazon posted a $41 million loss. Amazon’s founder and chief executive officer, Jeff Bezos, is indifferent to short-term earnings, having once quipped that when the company achieved profitability for a brief stretch in 1995, “it was probably a mistake.”. . ."

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Use Outlook dotcom for free domain name email accounts

Why pay for email? And I mean email using your domain name -- yourname@domainname.com --

Why I use Outlook.com for my custom email accounts (and how you can too) | ZDNet: "I’ve just converted several domains that had been running on ancient POP servers to a modern, cloud-based infrastructure. And it didn’t cost a dime. You can do the same . . . I could have chosen Google Apps for Business or Office 365, but either of those options would have meant a hefty annual bill . . "

Tutorial Guide to using outlook.com with your domain name: http://www.zdnet.com/why-i-use-outlook-com-for-my-custom-email-accounts-and-how-you-can-too_p2-7000015546/

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Rule 1 on Starting a Business

Rule 1: Get the Domain Name first -- Do not start or make any public announcements UNTIL after you have obtained your business domain name -- if in doubt, register several names (you can always sell the ones you do not use later, or redirect them to your main business website) --

How to Get Your Startups' Technology Up and Running Today | Entrepreneur.com: "Thanks to a bevy of cloud-based applications, you can be in business faster than it takes for the cable company to install your internet connection. Follow our steps to get the technology side of your venture up and running today.
Step 1: Lock down a URL or domain name for your website through a registrar . . .
Step 2: Set up your website. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Everything wrong with ICANN and new generic top-level domains (gTLDs)

Pretty much everything wrong with ICANN and its new generic top-level domains program (gTLDs) is summarized in the article at the link below (excerpt follows), and although it is specifically referenced from the gay community's point of view, the points made are relevant across the board --

ICANN generic top-level domains: The battle for .gay and .lgbt.: How the ICANN Top-Level Domain Scheme Puts LGBTQ Organizations at Risk - " . . . . For many years, ICANN was cautious about creating new ones [gTLDs]. There are currently a total of 22 . . . ICANN seems to have gotten greedy...it is clear that ICANN and related bodies can generate plenty of revenue from a massive expansion. The current first wave of creations will take the number of gTLDs from 22 to more than 1,400. Anyone with the money to file—it costs $185,000 just to apply—and follow through on an application could propose a gTLD. The cost of the process was behind the significant opposition to the scheme, particularly from brand owners who are now pressured to apply not only for their own brand as a gTLD (.chase, .omega, .qvc, for example), but may now be compelled to purchase new gTLDs in their area of business to protect their existing trademarks...ICANN's scheme appears very much like a racket on businesses and organizations: Pay or you'll lose visibility on the Web. And small companies and nonprofits run the greatest risks, because their brands can now be associated with hundreds of new TLDs. Even if only a tiny fraction of the 1,409 new gTLDs concern an organization's activity, the cost to pre-emptively protect a name or to wage a legal battle to recover a brand name is beyond the means of most such organizations. . . ." (read more at link above, emphasis added)

And if you throw in the fact that other than ".com," all the other current 22 gTLDs are way underutilized  (Verisign pdf),  there is no need for such a massive expansion other than greed. ICANN (and its greed) is out of control. The internet is being corrupted by special interests and ICANN. For most businesses, organizations, schools, and individuals, the best way forward is to just acquire your ".com," ".net," ".org," ".edu," or your nation's ccTLD and go about business. In the meantime, let ICANN and everyone else waste their time, money, noise, and resources trying to put "lipstick on the pigs." In the meantime, if you care about the internet and its potential for purposes other than making money for ICANN and its special interests, hope and work for reform or replacement of ICANN.

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Good Domain Advice from 2008

TheBuzz: Being the master of your domain(s) | starbulletin.com | Business | /2008/07/27/: "Brand Strategy Group principal Gloria Garvey believes they are right not to sweat it. "If somebody else owns a name that is tangentially relevant to what they're doing, it doesn't matter unless somebody buys it to use it against them." "More important than owning all the dot-whatevers that go with your name is to take what you have, brand it really well and make sure you cross reference it and integrate it throughout all of your efforts," including brochures, advertising and the like, Garvey said."

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89% of US small businesses online prefer dot com domain

In the stock market they say "don't fight the Fed" -- domaining is similar -- if you invest in any extension other than dot com this is what you are fighting:

Starting an Online Business and How to Start a Business Website – Verisign: "89% of U.S. small businesses with an online presence prefer .com for their company website." (go to link above for more information and resources)

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Rick's Prediction on Domain Names

The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog RicksBlog.com | Home of the "Domain King" | Domain King's® thoughts on domain names, web traffic, increasing web sales, success, life & plain old business & marketing 101. Nothing happens until a sale is made.: ". . . .The next 12 months will be what dreams are made of. An avalanche of deals are being done. Stunning deals. So all I can say is don't sell yourself short. You have unique assets that have great value." (read more at link above)

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VeriSign, Domain Names, Dot Coms

VCexp.com: VeriSign, Domain Names, Dot Coms: "Forget the new gTLDs (and the coming morass of confusion, litigation, trademark issues, etc., incited by ICANN) -- "dot Com" is and will continue to be the "gold" of the domain business -- VeriSign 2nd-Quarter Profit Up 23% on Higher Revenue - WSJ.com: "VeriSign Inc.'s (VRSN) second-quarter profit jumped 23% as the Internet-domain-name company reported a double-digit increase in revenue . . . " (read more at link above)

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Study says Domain Names fading, but dot Coms have value

Domain names fading out of fashion? If so, bad news for new gTLDs --

Domain names fading out of fashion: study | Business Spectator: "Internet domain names may be fading out of fashion with a new study revealing that the majority of Australians do not own a web address and do not see the need to invest in one either. Of the 10,000 Australian polled for the study, 87 per cent said they did not own or run a domain name. Two thirds of those surveyed indicated that sites like Facebook and Tumblr serve as an adequate replacement for a presence on the web. The survey – which was jointly conducted by AusRegistry, the .au Domain Administration and analyst firm Effective Measure – comes as a blow for the domain name industry, which is currently trying to promote the benefits of owning a web address amidst the release of new unique top level domain names.  . . ." (read more at link above)

The Australian study also revealed that businesses and consumers who invest in a domain name see value (brand value) in the top level domains (e.g., dot Coms, and in Australia, .au).

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gTLD madness, "Dot Com is the gold standard" - Frank Schilling

Part 1 above, Part 2 below Watch the debate (above), then go back and read Frank's blog entry from 2012 --

In New gTLDs, The Only Certainty is Change « Seven Mile Blog: "For me, today’s snapshot of currency pecking order rhymes with the domain World.  . COM is the gold standard. Universally accepted and used.  Close behind are CC TLD’s; issued and minted by the Country you live in. There are regionally vibrant alternative TLDs like .net, .org, .TV .biz, .me and .co. – some of which are CCTld’s, well marketed and visually appealing as gTLD alternatives. I liken this bunch to currencies accepted in certain instances – like Yen would be accepted in Hong Kong and Korea or Canadian Dollars would be accepted in the northern US states, close to the border. . . ." -- Frank Schilling, May, 2012 (read more at link above)

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Social Media, Engagement, Attention, More Signal, Less Noise

More signal less noise: why attention matters but engagement is a tactic not an outcome. from Reading Room

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Startups, Domain Names, Misspelled Words, Branding

Keyword or Brandable Domain Name? Many have been successful with "made up" names:

What’s in a startup’s name? Why the trend for misspelled words and -ly won’t go away - The Next Web: ". . . . A popular trend that many major players have found success with involves coining new terms. Think of Evernote and Instagram: These companies do such a great job of succinctly describing the product and the experience for the user, they are often used as verbs. Exploring this naming convention could also help companies come up with brand names that are memorable not because they’re short, but because they remind users of the benefit they gain from using and associating with those brands. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Lousy Domain Name Ruins Business

Business owners -- caveat emptor --

Why your terrible domain name is ruining your business: " . . . . Ever wonder why phone numbers only run seven digits? This is because seven is the magic number when it comes to the brain’s memory capacity. Just like phone numbers were formatted around the limits of human memory, you should follow a similar rule for domain names. According to a report from 2011, the most popular length for a domain name was eight characters. In 2010, the average was a bit longer at 10 characters, but among the most popular sites it was actually closer to six characters. So obviously short and sweet rules the day when it comes to choosing a domain name customers will actually remember. Finally, when it comes to what comes after the domain name, .com is still by far the best way to go when trying to brand your company as a leader. While other web destinations like .me and .net have gained traction, the .com ending still sounds the best to customers and potential partners. After all, there were 100 million .com domain names in 2012. . . ." (read more at link above) (emphasis added)

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ICANN, Strategy Panels, Internet Governance Ecosystem, Vinton Cerf

ICANN Announces Strategy Panel Members | ICANN: "ICANN's Role in the Internet Governance Ecosystem - Chair: Vinton Cerf — VP and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google . . . ."

There's no one better than Vint Cerf to chair that panel.

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Acronyms, Domain Names (video)

OMG! Will Acronyms Take Over English? - Digits - WSJ: "When you get a text message, you may know what LOL means, but how about YOLO, GLHF or IDK? The WSJ’s Eva Tam updates us with the latest tech-inspired acronyms."

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US Control of the Internet Soon Gone Thanks to NSA

ICANN, good or bad, at least had some moderating oversight via US Department of Commerce, and the US internationally has been a steady proponent of internet freedom (vs the censorship of China and other less enlightened nations), but that will most likely change soon thanks to the NSA actions --

What Does It Mean for the U.S. to 'Lose Control of the Internet?' - Robinson Meyer - The Atlantic: " . . . The leaders of 10 organizations signed the statement in Montevideo, Uruguay. They include ICANN, the standards-making IETF and W3C, the Internet Society, and the five regional registries. But of those 10 organizations, the U.S. has oversight powers over only one: ICANN. So if the Uruguay statement concerns the United States, then it really concerns the functioning of ICANN. And three bullet points in the statement imply ICANN. Here’s the main one: [The signatories] called for accelerating the globalization of ICANN and IANA functions, towards an environment in which all stakeholders, including all governments, participate on an equal footing. . . ."

Bottom line: Balkanization, Chaos, and Censorship will be continuing threats to the internet.

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How many websites are registered on each gTLD?

Generic top-level domains (gTLDs), the “.com” or “.net” part of web addresses, are massively expanding soon, but as of June 2012, the existing 21 gTLDs, had the following websites registered, per gTLD (source: CNN):

source: CNNMoney Graphic via link above

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Generic Top-Level Domains, Dot Com Still King

Intellectual Property Bulletin - Spring 2013: Revisiting Generic Top-Level Domains | Fenwick & West LLP - JDSupra: " Few would doubt that no matter how many gTLDs go live, .com will remain king. Prior challengers such as .pro and .mobi have failed to displace the venerable .com, and there is no reason to think any new domain will fare better."

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gTLDs To Hasten End of Domain System or a Rush to Dot Coms?

Intellectual Property Bulletin - Spring 2013: Revisiting Generic Top-Level Domains | Fenwick & West LLP - JDSupra: "We should see, before too long, whether the gTLD expansion of the domain space will serve only to hasten the demise of the domain system. Once the domain space is cluttered with a thousand or more gTLDs, if the result is disinformation, misinformation, and fraud, consumers may rush even more quickly to a platform that they believe gives them more control and less noise." (read more at link above)

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A Dot Com Web Address, A Business Must Do

Before you file anything public, get the Dot Com! --

Julie South; Why A Website Is Still Key For Businesses... | Stuff.co.nz: "It's easy in today's online world of 'social' for business owners to think they only need to be on Facebook as having a website is so last century. After all, why pay for a website when social is free? Sadly, many business owners fail to appreciate that having a dedicated and transferable website is far more important to their future survival than any free social media platform is ever going to be. Let's take that last sentence apart bit by bit: Dedicated - this means the domain name is that of your business. Not your business's name hanging off the end of a third-party address. . . . Having your own domain name is important. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Frank Schilling says Dot Com Will Become Like AM Radio?

Last time I checked, there were 2 commercial radio bands -- AM and FM. Is Frank saying Dot Coms, 20 years from now, will continue with about 50% of internet traffic (and probably the most LUCRATIVE traffic) and the other 10,000 gTLDs will split the other 50% of internet traffic -- twenty years from now? In any event, who buys a domain name based on a hope and prayer of something having value in twenty years? Particularly when the track record of the other gTLDs--dot mobi et al is so pitiful!

Frank Schilling Live From London: “.Com Will Become Like AM Radio” | TheDomains.com: "The Digital Marketing & gTLS Strategy Congress conference kicked off today with Frank Schilling of Unregistry, laying out how he see the future of the domain name space and its the new gTLD program. Mr. Schilling was being interviewed on stage by Kevin Murphy of Domainincite.com As always Mr. Schilling had some interesting observations and bold predictions: Big brands placed their internet presence on .com as it meant commerce smaller brands and companies followed them into .com . . . ."

Dot Coms will continue to dominate the percentage of internet traffic for the foreseeable future. However, Schilling is right that registrars will make a lot of money selling next to worthless names with the new gTLDs, and of course fortunes will be spent trying to protect trademarks (ICANN's new gTLDS are a lawyer full-employment scheme), and further billions (US dollars) sucked out of the economy to fraudsters and scammers utilizing new gTLDs -- all as ICANN was warned, or maybe this is what they intended?

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ICANN, internet abuse

ICANN and Your Internet Abuse: "There seems to have been a purge of critical compliance staff at the end of 2012 which coincides with the general decline of performance. Meanwhile, a minority of players are using the DNS as a weapon against consumers all under ICANN's watchful eye. There cannot be consumer trust in an environment of skullduggery. It is part of the reason why sites like the Rape Tube are allowed to endure." (read more at link above)

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Domain Name Aftermarket, Liquidity, Afternic

The Changing Face of the Domain Name Aftermarket - 'Net Features - Website Magazine: " . . . Afternic's DLS (Domain Listing Servie) displays domain names at more than 100 different registrars - including 18 of the top 20. . . . GoDaddy plans to incorporate the DLS into its own domain search results and add its aftermarket domain name inventory to the DLS in the coming months. It may come as a surprise, but Web.com (operator of Network Solutions), Register.com, and Tucows.com are supportive of GoDaddy’s new registrar-led model. . . ." (Read more at link above.)

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ICANN's ill-conceived new gTLDs now a failure in execution

What a mess ICANN has made in their rush for the unnecessary expansion of  gTLDs (generic top level domains). After disregarding and ignoring complaints, protests, warnings, and wise advice, ICANN plunged ahead and now it is even getting worse -- nothing less that a slow motion train wreck -- read more:

Radix, TLDH & Westerdal Asks ICANN To Suspend All Pending Expert Panels In New gTLD Process | TheDomains.com

Congress should hold hearings on ICANN and its new gTLDs program which is designed to maximize profits for ICANN and its contractors, as well as fraudsters, scammers, lawyers, and others, and consider reforming the entire management of the Domain Name system -- but, please, don't give it to the ITU or any other UN bureaucacy!

And remember, ICANN brought this on itself -- it was warned, even by its founding chairman --

What's in a domain name? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs: " . . . Most of the people active in setting ICANN’s policies are involved somehow in the domain-name business, and they would be in control of the new TLDs as well. It’s worth it to them to spend their time at ICANN meetings (or to send staffers), whereas domain names are just a small part of customers’ and user’ lives. And that means that the new TLDs are likely to create money for ICANN’s primary constituents, but only add costs and confusion for companies and the public at large. . . ." -- ICANN’s founding chairman Esther Dyson

But did ICANN listen? No, ICANN is arrogant, ignorant, and incompetent, and Congress needs to do something about it!

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Domain Names, Honesty, Transparency

What Laurel And Hardy Have In Common With Digital Marketing - Forbes: " . . . today the domain name traders that are prospering the most are those who have a policy of complete transparency with their clients, showing them exactly how much a specific domain name is being bought or sold for. Taking some cues from Stuart Diamond, author of “Getting More” and Donald Trump, savvy domain broker and CEO of Media Options Andrew Rosener has found the Gold Standard in domain name sales is that old catch phrase: “Honesty is the best policy.” Rosener said, “Negotiations are about meeting goals and helping both sides achieve their goals.  Trying to outmaneuver, out smart or over power the other party is most often counter productive to closing a deal.”. . . . "

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How many of the now 63 TLDs can you name?

There are now 63 TLDs -- dot com being the only gold, dot net and dot org now diminished by the new gTLDs and having only marginal value, and the rest next to worthless without the dot com. As others have said, if you are in business and you do not have the dot com, you will bleed traffic to the dot com, always.

More info:

Registry Agreements | ICANN

Stephane Van Gelder

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New gTLDs, Useless Jobs, Waste of Resources

What's in a domain name? – Global Public Square - CNN.com Blogs: "Handling the profusion of names and TLDs is a relatively simple problem for a computer, even though it will require extra work to redirect hundreds of new names (when someone types them in) back to the same old Web site. It will also create lots of work for lawyers, marketers of search-engine optimization, registries, and registrars. All of this will create jobs, but little extra value. To me, useless jobs are, well, useless. And, while redundant domain names are not evil, I do think that they are a waste of resources." (read more at link above)

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ICANN, new gTLDs, malicious activity

Some say that the new professional domains, such as .bank, will bamboozle the public and become a con man’s dream. Others say the new domains are a complete waste of time.(source infra)

Keep an eye on top level domain name chancers: " . . . .David Harley, senior research fellow for Eset, agrees. “There's potential here for an expansion of such malicious activity.” At AVG Technologies, director David Haadsma is critical of ICANNs handling of TLDs. “It’s been easy enough for ICANN to create a new top level domain and make a tidy sum for it in the process, but as the years pass who’s going to regulate and police this confusing domain landscape for trademark, privacy and property issues?”. . ." (read more at link above)

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Domain Names, hijacking, abuse

News links:

What You Should Learn from the Diigo Domain Hijacking incident

What To Do When Your Domain is Hijacked? | B R A N D A I D E | From Bricks to Clicks

architelos | Domain Name Wire: "The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent application (pdf) for Architelos‘ NameSentry domain abuse protection system. The patent application is officially titled “Managing Domain Name Abuse” and was filed in March 2012." (read more at link above)

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Apothecarie, dot com Domain Change

Apothecarie.com Announces Domain Change to Reflect the Company’s Worldwide Clientele - Press Release - Digital Journal: "Apothecarie New York, announced that it has changed its online domain name from Apothecarieny.com to Apothecarie.com. The company has grown from a local boutique to an online enterprise providing premium skin care products to consumers around the United States and around the world. The domain name change was initiated to more accurately reflect the focus, clientele and direction of the company."

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DNS, DoS attacks, internet addresses

The Economist explains: How does an internet name become an internet address? | The Economist: " . . . the underlying problem remains. DNS can still be poisoned through computer viruses that affect local networks or compromised servers that have their DNS subverted. Beyond poisoning, simpler attacks work too: China's recent outage occurred because of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack against one of its top-level DNS hosts, overloading it with bogus traffic and preventing people from performing DNS lookups. . . ."

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Protecting Brands, Trademarks

Get the dot com, then prioritize before taking any action against infringers --

A New Approach to Fighting Cybersquatters | NEWS.GNOM.ES: "...smaller brands may be able to take action on the few domain registrations that infringe their trademarks, the reality for many large brand owners is that they have to heavily prioritise. To date, this has meant time consuming and costly filtering to find the high-value targets rather than domains that are purely parked and may never actually attract any traffic.... (read more at link above)

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RDNH, HallofShame.com, Rick Schwartz

The HallofShame.com Press Release | The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog RicksBlog.com | Home of the "Domain King": "The website www.hallofshame.com will shine a bright light on those companies found guilty of trying to hijack more than a domain name, but somebody’s business or dream. “Today is the day we begin the end of this disgusting practice. Since there is no legal or criminal penalty, these companies now put at risk their brands and entire online/offline reputations,” said Rick Schwartz owner of the website and leading the charge against those trying to steal domains and the lawyers that represent them. Until now Rick had been skewering these folks at Ricksblog.com after a Brazilian company was found guilty of trying to Reverse Hijack one of his domains, SaveMe.com, in March of 2012." (read more at link above)

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USPTO, Applications for Marks Comprised of gTLDs

USPTO Publishes Draft Trademark Examination Guide Update Regarding Applications for Marks Comprised of gTLDs | Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP - JDSupra: "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is currently considering applications to add up to 1,400 new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) to the Internet landscape, with some gTLDs opening for domain-name registrations beginning as early as late 2013. In response, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has prepared an update to the policy and procedures related to the USPTO’s handling of trademark applications for marks comprised of gTLDs, and has set forth the circumstances under which a mark consisting of a gTLD for domain-name registration or registry services may be registered." (read more at link above)

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New gTLDs, fraud, criminals, ICANN

ICANN encouraging fraud, crime, unnecessary litigation and legal expenses -- the list could go on --

New dot com addresses | New web URLs | New .com - PC Advisor: "...One of the many issues with the new TLDs is that people are used to the .com and other geographical domain names. While the Trademark Clearing House should stop Joe Public from registering Harrods.mobile, the new system is bound to be used and abused by criminals looking to set up phishing sites. In theory, new rules should mean fraudulent sites are taken down within weeks rather than months, but it’s still worth being careful before entering your details once the new domain names are in use...."

Forewarned is forearmed.

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Verisign wins objection against dot ecom

Some good news in the new gTLDs --

Verisign wins objection against .ecom top level domain name | Domain Name Wire: "Verisign has killed off eCommerce Inc.’s application for the .ecom top level domain name by winning a string similarity objection. Verisign, which acts as the registry for .com domain names, said it was probable that internet users would be confused by web addresses ending in .com and .ecom. It also said it is worried that registrants of .ecom domains might be confused, thinking they are actually registering a .com domain name." (read more at link above)

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Choosing A Brandable Domain Name

How To Crowdsource Choosing A Brandable Domain Name | Search Engine Journal: " . . . The first step is to ensure that you start with an easily brandable domain . . . seven factors for choosing a strong, brandable domain:

1. Choose a .com extension
2. Be Memorable
3. Be Relevant
4. Make it Easy to Spell
5. Sound Authoritative
6. Be Short
7. Be Unique"

(read more at link above)

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Companies lock Web domains after New York Times hack

Locking it down makes sense for some --

Companies rush to lock Web domains after 'NYT' hack: "The list of companies scrambling to lock down their domains includes Adobe Systems, Barnes & Noble, Cosmopolitan, Cisco Systems, Engadget, Hyatt, IBM, Ikea, Lufthansa, McAfee, Neiman Marcus, Starbucks, Toshiba, TechCrunch, Victoria's Secret and VMware. The SEA used simple e-mail phishing trickery to steal the user name and password to an account used by one of Melbourne IT's distributors, says Bruce Tonkin, chief technology officer of Melbourne IT. Using that distributor's account, the hackers were able to access and alter the Domain Name System records for The New York Times, Huffington Post and Twitter, disrupting the website of the daily newspaper off line for about 20 hours."

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Domain name registration, trademark infringement, China

A recent decision --

The relation between domain name registration and trademark infringement - Lexology: "   . . . To conclude, GUO ZHONG CO. LTD.’s registration of the disputed domain name has violated the good faith principle and business ethics. Such act has damaged WeiChai Co. Ltd.’s legitimate rights and interests and violated Article 2 of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law of the People’s Republic of China, which provides the meaning of “unfair competition”. In view of this, Beijing First Intermediate People’s Court dismissed GUO ZHONG CO. LTD.’s claim. . . . "

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ICANN blasted for new gTLDs expansion

Even the New York Times weighs in on ICANN's gTLDs, and reports what a lot of others have been saying, but ICANN doesn't listen --

When You Can’t Tell Web Suffixes Without a Scorecard - NYTimes.com:  "...Some technology veterans and trademark experts view the domain expansion as largely unnecessary. “You are creating a business, like derivatives on Wall Street, that has no value,” says Esther Dyson, a technology investor who served as the founding chairwoman of Icann. “You can charge people for it, but you are contributing nothing to the happiness of humanity.” There’s a larger issue at stake, however. Advocates of Internet freedom contend that such an expanded address system effectively places online control over powerful commercial and cultural interests in the hands of individual companies, challenging the very idea of an open Internet. Existing generic domains, like .net and .com, overseen by Verisign Inc., a domain registry, have an open-use policy; that means consumers can buy domain names ending in .com directly from retail registrars like GoDaddy. With a new crop of applicants, however, Icann initially accepted proposals for closed or restricted generic domains, a practice that could limit competing views and businesses. “It’s a very legitimate competition concern,” says Jon Leibowitz, a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission who recently joined the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in Washington as a partner. “The public at large, consumers and businesses, would be better served by no expansion or less expansion” of domains...."

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Attack on Google Palestine Site, Risks of Foreign Domains

Have a foreign domain name?

Attack on Google's Palestine Site Shows Risks of Foreign Domains - Bloomberg: "...Google, which was infiltrated in 2009 by hackers from China, now has 300 information-security professionals focused on protecting data, a figure approaching bank-like proportions. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, the largest U.S. bank by assets, said in April that his bank has more than 600 employees dedicated to security. Still, Google's security force couldn't stop hackers from breaking into a third-party service that manages Palestine's .ps domain, changing the IP address of google.ps and temporarily redirecting traffic to an anti-Israel page. Jay Nancarrow, a spokesman for Google, declined to comment on the company’s security. Google's Palestine site itself wasn’t hacked and the company is talking with the domain manager to resolve the issue, he said...." (read more at link above)

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ICANNLabs

ICANNLabs: "ICANN has unveiled a new digital platform intended to foster collective experimentation and innovation in the hopes of increasing community-wide engagement.  The platform, called ICANNLabs can be accessed at http://labs.icann.org . . . Anyone can sign up to receive updates and provide feedback. The platform will create a truly transparent process, essential to ICANN and consistent with the organization’s multi-stakeholder model. “It’s all about increasing our reach and relevance to new digital audiences which are engaging us through the web,” said Fadi Chehadé, ICANN President and CEO. “We are searching for new ways to innovate and stay true to our principles of bottom-up, community driven policy formation. ICANNLabs is quite simply an open experiment aimed at creating new digital forms of communication."

To read and comment on the ICANNLabs blog, visit: http://www.icannlabs.tumblr.com
To follow ICANN labs on Twitter, please visit: https://twitter.com/ICANNLabs

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Games and Domains

Hung Over From Grand Theft Auto? - mxdwn Games | mxdwn Games News: Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive has made claim on the domain name HungoverX.com. . . . With a name like “Hung Over” it’s a safe bet Rockstar would be attached to the project if it’s real. . . .

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Heritage Auctions, Domain Names, IP Division

Domains Go Mainstream! One of the World's 3 Largest Auction Houses - Heritage Auctions - Opens New Domain Name & IP Division Headed by Aron Meystedt: "In a landmark leap into the mainstream auction world, domain names and other intellectual property will take their place alongside Heritage Auctions' vast offering of collectibles and investment quality items including fine art, sports memorabilia, rare coins, wine, movie posters and more. Meystedt told us, "Securing the involvement of a major auction house like HA.com is something I’ve wanted to accomplish for several years. This is going to help spread the reach for domain owners and brokers going forward.""

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Some Domain Name Must-Reads

A VC: Finding And Buying A Domain Name

How To Blow $140,000 In Domain Registrations | TheDomains.com

WhatDomain.org - "Over the next two years more than 1,400 new top-level domains will come online, each a new neighborhood. Think you have places to go now? Wait until you see what’s coming."

Its Time To Name Names: We Call Out Dead Beat Buyers, Game Players, Liars | TheDomains.com

fab just fab | Search Results | Domain Name Wire: "Just Fabulous, the company behind online fashion site JustFab.com, has sued white-hot e-commerce site Fab.com. Just Fabulous claims that Fab.com is infringing its Just Fab marks.

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Online presence, Domain names, Disputes

Protecting your online presence: Domain name disputes: ".com dispute resolution procedure
In addition to the .co.uk dispute process, all generic top level domains such as .com and .net have a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) allowing the filing of a complaint against a domain name that has been registered AND is being used in bad faith. The hurdle is a little higher on a .com action in that you must prove the following three elements:
1. the domain name is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which you have rights; and
2. the domain owner has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
3. the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith." (read more at link above)

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Trademarks, domain names, remedies

Trademarks, domain name wars, and the birth of cybersquatting remedies - Lexology: " . . . . Both the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), passed by Congress in 1998, and the Uniform Dispute Resolution Procedure (UDRP), required as part of all domain name registration contracts since 1999, addressed cybersquatting, defined as the registration or use of a domain name in bad faith and for profit. Under the ACPA, you could sue in court to recover a domain name registered by a cybersquatter. Under the UDRP, you could invoke a special cybersquatting dispute resolution procedure, even against a cybersquatter halfway around the world, one who is not amenable to suit in the United States. Both were altogether new remedies, creating an altogether new twist on trademark law in that special place: cyberspace."

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Domain Name Battle for 35 Percent of the World (Video)

The Domain Name Battle for 35 Percent of the World: Video - Bloomberg: "(Bloomberg) -- GoDaddy.com Senior Director, Icann Policy & Planning James Bladel discusses Icann's domain expansion (new gTLDs) and overhaul plans. He speaks with Emily Chang on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg)"

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Registrars, Domain Names, Service

WorkersCompensation.com CompNewsNetwork - @GoDaddy or No Daddy? (Or, Why Our Domain is Not for Sale): " . . . We specifically inquired if they still held the custom direction data we had programmed in the system. He assured us it would. It didn't. It contained default IP info resulting in the "parked free" page some of you saw. We realized this and remedied it as quickly as possible, but the damage was done. So that is how we came to be parked free with offered assistance to sell our domain name. GoDaddy over the years has brought innovative services to the industry and has been a key in lowering costs for the industry. I like innovators. I like disruptive forces within the economy. However, low cost does not always equate to value, particularly if that service does not work as designed. As pleasant as it may be for us to be greeted by Danica Patrick every time we visit their site, I would much prefer our sites work as intended. That can only happen when our registrar performs their role as required. This week we will start testing domains with a different registrar, and hope to resolve the overall name server issue. . . ."

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Verisign UDRP, profits, growth

Verisign files first UDRP since 2007 | Domain Name Wire: "It looks like it goes through Google’s pay-per-click feed, so GoDaddy is paying for someone to click on an ad on its own lander. If Verisign chose to file an in rem lawsuit against a .com domain instead of a UDRP, the court could end up ordering Verisign to transfer the domain to itself…"

VeriSign 2nd-Quarter Profit Up 23% on Higher Revenue - WSJ.com: "VeriSign Inc.'s (VRSN) second-quarter profit jumped 23% as the Internet-domain-name company reported a double-digit increase in revenue and higher operating margins, lifting results above Wall Street's expectations. The company has posted double-digit revenue gains and higher income for nine consecutive quarters. VeriSign has spent the past few years shedding several Internet-related businesses, making it almost totally dependent on the mainstay Internet domain operation. VeriSign's domain-name business--which operates the registry for .com, .net and other domains--is based on a contract from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, overseen by the U.S. Commerce Department. . . ."

Verisign does not forecast significant revenues from new gTLDs (if any) before 2014.--
Verisign Pre-Earnings: Expecting Modest Growth -- Trefis: "We expect the market share of .com and .net domain names in overall Internet domains to fall from 48.1% in 2012 to 46.6% in 2013. This is based on our forecast that the total number of registered .com/.net domains will increase to around 130 million by the end of 2013. At the same time, the total number of Internet domain names will increase to 280 million. We estimate slower growth in .com and .net domain names, as compared to the overall industry on account of competition from country code domain names and pending introduction of new gTLDs."

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The Trademark Clearing House – why sign up?

The Trademark Clearing House – do you need to sign up? - International Law Office: "Brand owners will need to weigh up the benefits and limitations when considering whether it is worth registering with the TMCH. As a general rule, brand owners should consider protecting their trademarks at the TMCH, just as they should consider putting in place other protection measures in respect of their trademarks, such as watch notices. However, the TMCH regime is not for everyone and it is likely that bigger companies with a large portfolio of trademarks – and which have the resources to pursue infringers – will be more likely to put such protection measures in place. Certainly, the TMCH registration fees look like a good value against the cost of acquiring domains from third parties later down the line."

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Google goes with Chromecast.tv, not ChromeCast.com

Google Announces ChromeCast Without Owning ChromeCast.com But Did Just Register Chromecast.Tv | TheDomains.com: "The domain name ChromeCast.Tv was just registered last week by the brand protection company Mark Monitor.com on July 18th although it is not yet resolving."

Registrant of Chromecast.com appears to be a Canadian company--site is "under development."

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Using an UDRP to steal a Domain Name

Rick Schwartz is naming names, and doing everyone in the domain industry a service--interesting reading at link below, and particularly note Rick's "explanation of reasons"--including "Plan B"--

Reverse Domain Name Hijackings 2000-2013. All 143 Cases Sorted by Year. - The Rick Schwartz Domain Name and Traffic Blog RicksBlog.com | Home of the "Domain King":  " . . . . The ‘Reasons’ column is an attempt to identify and categorize the various circumstances cited by panels in support of a finding of RDNH. Explanation of Reasons: (there are a total of 11 categories at the link above--just 2 follow)
Bad Faith – No Evidence – the complaint provides no evidence of the respondent’s bad faith . . . .
Plan “B” – the complainant is using the UDRP as an alternative acquisition strategy after commercial negotiations failed . . . ." (read more at link above)

An "Alternative Acquisition Strategy"--Rick calls it as he sees it! And what does ICANN do to prohibit or penalize abuse of UDRP policy? Seemingly nothing--and they have been on notice since at least year 2000! Why not require UDRP complainants post $1,000,000, or have their claim dismissed, once a respondent asserts a RDNH defense? If complainant then posts the $1,000,000, and RDNH is found by the panel, the $1,000,000 would be split 80/20--80% to respondent and 20% to ICANN!

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ICANN chaos coming with new domain names

'Things are going to break'--

New domain names bound for collisions: 'Things are going to break' -- GCN: "The Internet is on the brink of the largest expansion of generic Top Level Domains in its history, with as many as 1,000 new strings expected to be added over the next year, more than quadrupling the current gTLD space. Some observers, including the operator of two of the Internet’s root zone servers, worry that this expansion of public domains could result in naming collisions with private internal network domains, disrupting those networks. “We know things are going to break,” said Danny McPherson, chief security officer of Verisign, the company that runs the A and J root servers. Networks in the .gov domain could be affected, as well as those supporting emergency services such as public safety answering points for the nation’s 911 system. “It makes us uneasy,” McPherson said. . . ."

Thank you ICANN for bringing chaos to a previously stable domain system.

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Verisign's IDN Implementation Plans

Update on Verisign's IDN Implementation Plans: "The composition of the Internet's population has seen a dramatic shift over the last two decades. In 1996, the majority of end users were based in the U.S.; according to a 2012 Comscore report, the non-English speaking Internet population has grown to 87 percent, with more than 40 percent based in the Asia-Pacific region. In order to embrace this population shift, we believe the Internet must become multilingual so it can be accessible and relevant to the majority of end users today. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Amazon hand registered JetCityComic.com

And who says you can't find any good domain names to hand reg?--and by the way, Amazon didn't bother with registering any other domain name extension other than dot com--

Amazon picked up domain names for new Jet City Comics imprint in March - Domain Name Wire: "Amazon.com hand registered the JetCityComic.com domain name in March. At the same time it acquired the plural version JetCityComics.com from a Grandview, Washington man. Both domains merely forward to a Jet City Comics specific page on apub.com."

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Why Would Any (legitimate) Business Avoid An Internet Presence?

Why Would a Business Avoid any Internet Presence? - Business Insider: " . . . . There should be no doubt that an Internet presence is as basic to success in business today, as brick and mortar was a hundred years ago. Yet I am amazed to see US Census Bureau data from 2012 that at least 50%, maybe up to 75%, of small businesses still have no presence at all. These are soon to be the walking dead, and the competitors you can beat today. In fact, you need to have at least a prototype web site published several weeks before you expect anyone to find yours, since it takes that amount of time for the web search engine “spiders” to find you and index your content. I still remember my disappointment the first time I published my website, did an immediate Google search on the name, and it said my company didn’t exist. . . ."

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Generic TLDs, Name Collisions, Information Leakage

Generic TLDs Threaten Name Collisions, Information Leakage -- Dark: " . . . The security issues underscore that the ICANN process for creating gTLDs has mainly focused on the companies applying for a specific top-level domain and not on the Internet users who could be impacted by that application, according to two members of PayPal's Information Risk Management group. ICANN's "analysis and recommendations fall short of what is needed by primarily considering the potential impact of the widespread use of such names to the applicants for these names," wrote Paypal's Brad Hill and Bill Smith in a March letter to ICANN. "The considerable security and operational risks to users of these names is not given adequate consideration. Delegating these names will put millions of users and high value systems at considerable risk." Another problem hindering any solution: Because the organizations managing the root name servers assiduously maintain their independence from one another, there is little sharing of data about what Internet issues are impacting those servers. When the global TLD systems is turned on, the response to any issue will likely be slowed because of the lack of collaboration and information sharing, he says. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Second Thoughts on Generic Top-Level Domains

gTLDs? ICANN's folly--seeing more and more comments like the following--

Intellectual Property Bulletin - Spring 2013: Revisiting Generic Top-Level Domains | Fenwick & West LLP - JDSupra: " . . . some companies are choosing to abandon their gTLD applications rather than pioneer this new area. While some might cite the significant economic cost and management effort in migrating business plans beyond the .com world, there may be something more fundamental going on. In short, the value of domains to businesses and other organizations may have peaked; and, in particular, the value of gTLDs may not be nearly what was anticipated in the years leading up to the gTLD introduction. Few would doubt that no matter how many gTLDs go live, .com will remain king. Prior challengers such as .pro and .mobi have failed to displace the venerable .com, and there is no reason to think any new domain will fare better. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Best Business Domain Name Tip

2 Ways to Get the Best Business Domain Name | ITX Design: " . . . . One Last Key to Your Company’s Domain Name - The last key to your business domain name is to make sure it is a .com domain name and that you have good hosting for it. This is the highest ranking type of domain name and it is the easiest for your customers to remember as well. This is the default type of domain name that most people will try to type in when they are trying to find a company . . . ."

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Domain Name Strategy

Domain name strategy varies dependent upon the resources, goals, and vision of each domainer--here are some considerations--

Domain Name Offer: Helpful Service, or Marketing Scam? | Burns & Levinson LLP - JDSupra: "Whether to acquire domains beyond the standard generics (.com, .info, .net, etc.) really involves a number of considerations, including:

• the geographic scope of your marketing efforts and sales channels;
• the geographic scope of your trademark registrations;
• the nature of your products and the channels of trade and advertising you use; and
• your budget." (read more at link above)

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Verisign Find Your Custom Domain Tool

Verisign Launches Find Your Custom Domain Tool/App: Domaininspiration.com | TheDomains.com: "The results seem to be geared to domain names my last name, my company my sports interests and professions couple with common words. All of the domain names are available for registration but many of the suggested domain names are for .net, .tv and even .name domain names for which Verisign is the Registry for in addition of course to .com." (read more at link above)

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Branding and generic domain name risky

Fling.com discovers the challenges of branding with a generic domain name - Domain Name Wire: " . . . the Panel is of the view that they are entitled to do so as long as they do not infringe the particular rights covered by the above trademark registration(s) in accordance with the requirements of the Policy. In this regard, it is relevant to note that Respondent has added to the common descriptor “fling” the words “best” and “sites”. While these words are themselves descriptive, once combined in this way, a term with a quite different meaning emerges – namely a reference to “the best fling sites”. Such reference is both apt and appropriate for use in relation to an entity or website that reviews sites or services aimed at those interested in having a “fling” or in the wider community involved in such affairs. . . ." (read more at link above)

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Trust and a New TLD Success

The Role of Trust in Determining a New TLD's Business Success: "Like it or not, every Top-Level Domain (TLD) is a brand in the eyes of the consumer. So, just how important is trust in the success of the new top-level-domains? I'm no branding expert, but I grasp that no brand, no matter how memorable, will fail to achieve its goals if it does not gain the public's trust. TLD's are no different. Several TLD's in the past have learned this the hard way by running pricing promotions that flooded their namespace with undesirable content or behavior. Once a TLD is tagged as having a distrust issue, it is difficult to erase it from the public's mind. ..." (read more at link above)

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Global Name Branding Challenges in the New Digital Age

Global Name Branding Challenges & the New Digital Age: " . . . The world has already entered a new age digital marketing and branding and ICANN is the best global mother ship to the Internet protocols, but has yet to prove its global efficiency on naming complexities and trademark understanding. The original “first-come basis” chaos, UDRP explosion and defensive name registrations industry boom, all reflect on that reality. . . ."

USSR's old domain name attracts cybercriminals: "The Soviet Union disappeared from the map more than two decades ago. But online an 'e-vil empire' is thriving. Security experts say the .su Internet suffix assigned to the USSR in 1990 has turned into a haven for hackers who've flocked to the defunct superpower's domain space to send spam and steal money. . . ." (read more at link above)

Domain Name Offer: Helpful Service, or Marketing Scam? | Burns & Levinson LLP - JDSupra: "The ruse works likes this: Trademark owner applies for a trademark in the U.S. or with another office in another country.  Information about the mark and the owner is publicly available to scammers through simple searches.  The scammer sends an email to the trademark owner purporting to warn the mark owner of the ill behavior of a potential domain name squatter. . . .  " (read more at link above)

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