DomainTools Blog

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1. yofie Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 3:34 am

   I have missed (tried to register) several domains but these mentioned companies nabbed them first, so it’s good Dell stepped in and is taking charge! There could be hundreds, even thousands of companies that could go after Tasters, since they do not even look at What the domain is when registering it!

   The fact is, I keep my domains that I register!

2. jmcc Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 8:49 am

   It looks like this could cascade. Going after the cybersquatters and domain tasters could be the start. These guys seem to be cybersquatting on an industrial scale so I don’t think that too many domainers would be worried about these domain tasters getting hammered. However it should be interesting to see where this leads - will PPC advertising providers be enjoined?

3. DREAMDEALER Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 9:57 am

   Ok tasting as a practice i see as an abuse of the current ICANN policy especially the way some domains are constantly tasted.I think if the same legal entity(personal or corporate) requesting a specific Domain more than once in a 365 day period could even be some sort of fraud since they never actually pay for the domains use id think ICANN/VERISIGN or any other REGISTRY would actually take legal action against any that do this for possible theft of services since the rest of us actually PAY for DOMAINS in our portfolios id think that 6dollar and change reg fee would add up to alot if actually paid also its about time REGISTRARS become RESPONSIBLE they can reg a name and use it(like these listed in the case these registrars then sell off to the rest of us under protection but if we buy one of those were not legally allowed to own it since it was a trademark and we are now targets for a infringement ?there needs to be Domain Amnesty/correction period as a law before people get sued but also serious penalties for Reverse Domain Hijacking for overreaching TRADEMARK holders.On another note dont assume the Registrant paid just the standard registration for some of these Domains you beat up portfolio owners but do you beat up your local real estate tycoon who most people look at as a visionary and one to be emulated think Donald Trump for seeing value in previously worthless land and eventually making a profit many years later or the USED CAR salesman that sells previously used cars they have purchased from someone who no longer wanted it ? or ANY other type of Merchant that sells ANYTHING they dont actually MAKE OR GROW THEMSELVES ? I THINK NOT Domain Name Portfolio holders in most cases are no different think of how many variations of the same product exist yet are all sold the content should matter and sometimes through no fault of the registrant a parking service or hosting company can make an error and cause a issue this is very real i had a domain that was somehow redirected without my knowledge or consent because of a registrar error so there should be times to correct ?Realize this it seems the BROAD SPECTRUM PATENTS AND TRADEMARKS are as much the problem these were as far as i know supposed to be very specific in nature and like laws arent supposed to be vague,arbitrary or capricious if i have that right or not ask our esteemed legal minds and for those out there that hate people who buy and park realize some people have great ideas but website development isnt easy or cheap and can take a long time even for just a blog page so instead of automatically thinking a parked page is some EVIL DOMAIN TASTER realize some people can come up with an idea just as easy as you dont fault them for acting on it when they saw oppurtunity to do so the system is broken and needs reform this is just just my PERSONAL NON LEGAL and obviously RANTING OPINION)As an added thought how far away are all the Lawsuits for even giving a search result other than for what is actually typed in because these search engines dont send you to an actual paid for registerd Domain based on the fact they consider it non profitable to them ?what right do they have to do this if a Domain is PAID for and exists in ANY FORM OF DIRECT TYPE IN TRAFFIC SHOULD ALWAYS RESOLVE if there is anything at all on a Domain no matter how distasteful or uselessotherwise it is the same(my opinion)as thugs stopping clients from going into your store or keeping you from your own home or business.There needs to be Internet REFORM and TRUE NET NEUTRALITY in search engines as well heck they seem to be CyberBlockSquatting(all those that dont meet their critera.I hope this has made sense to all of you since i jumped around a tad but this is a complex and inter related issued in my mind.And many dont take the thought deep enough when we dont get what we want or feel an injustice has occurred IMHO.

4. MsDomainer Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 10:22 am

   The domain auction houses will be next; maybe it’s time to weed out those expensive TM infringing domains from their catalogues.

5. info32036 Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 10:30 am

   http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/175182-who-is-domibot.html

   iholdings.com was the registrant of dotregistrar. Dotster and Dotregistrar.com share the same phone number

   Why don’t they just call these guys

   http://dotster.com/about/bios/

   and ask them if they are associated with any of these John Doe companies?

6. DREAMDEALER Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 11:19 am

   Ok so i got sidetracked above yes tasting in and of itself isnt bad its abuse of it as i have stated previously once no problem if a Domain is tasted a second time in 365 day period it should go into a category of Domain Name Availability that can be registered at any registrar for the registrars normal registration fee.I find it HYSTERICAL people get mad at Portfolio holders but these bulk tasters are the real problem think of it this way they taste it keep it if good traffic then send it to a delete status ? these TASTED DOMAINS SHOULD NEVER BE DROPPED UNTILL A VALID REGISTRATION DATE ENDS because since all these Drop catching companies can hold them for ransome at 18.95 and up its not in the publics best interest im really suprised that a MONOPOLY/COLLUSION/PRICE FIXING ANTI TRUST or RICO TYPE suit (I am not an Attorney but with all the stuff i hear about this would fit in my opinion)with teeth hasnt poped up if any of the Registrars that offer Drop services are also BULK TASTERS thnk about it Scoop a name for free get the parking revenue then resell it at 18.95 or more without ever really owning it since they never actually paid for outside of Countries who else actually has the darn near the right to PRINT MONEY besides these companies?if these Domains were pulled off the internet tomorrow what would be left ?.Seriously i wonder how many Domains in each TLD are actually PAID VS TASTED now theres a data dig worth having Jay how many Domains are registerd more than once in a given year out of all those supposedly in existance just do .COM since im sure thats where 95 percent of this goes on it would very much explain the huge gap if i could guess id guess 25 percent on a conservative estmate off the top of my head might not be real paid for Domains.If you could answer that Jay i think you would be able to single handedly be able to have the ammunition to change the internet policies within months instead of years.

7. crooky Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

   I almost hope Dell loses, because then what they might do is perhaps gather up companies and try to get ICANN to change the tasting policy, which is the root of the problem to begin with. Sue these companies successfully and they’ll just fizzle, with other “random” companies stepping in and continuing the tasting. Juan Pablo Vazquez might be the named person on this one, so then they’ll set up the ensuing companies with someone else’s name. Not to say the massive level of tasting shouldn’t be combatted in some form, but I don’t think a lawsuit is really going to phase it.

8. spambait85738 Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 3:41 pm

   The reason domain tasting works is people are actually fooled or else are enticed by some offer that they see on the offending tasted domain. If they’d instead be offended by and wary of anyone who would adopt a domain that stepped upon the good name of a reputable company or entity this domain tasting might not be so profitable.

   Same thing with spam. Everybody hates spam but then they see one supposedly good deal and fall for it. Just once won’t hurt will it? And a couple thousand others think the same thing. And some spammer get all the encouragement he needs.

   What I’m saying is people should make sure the store they entered is the store they intended, Brick and Mortar or online.

9. michael91806 Says:
   November 28th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

   Jay,

   As a taxpayer I hope the Infernal Revenue Service (IRS) has booked several Florida hotels at extend stay rates. As I commented previously, there are no statues of limitations on Income Tax evasion in the United States. Now if Dell can only get the RICO laws applied, squatted Domains could be recovered in the millions.

   Mike

10. joe80645 Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 5:46 pm

    MsDomainer, email me at the contact form on examish.com to discuss the tm names.

11. info32036 Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 6:03 pm

    I hope Dell and their attorneys are aware of Registrant Search. That would make it interesting for sure.

12. MsDomainer Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 6:54 pm

    joe80645:

    Done! (see my email message)

    For example, googlepeers[dot]com for sale at Snapnames. Ready for backorder. Right now. Available December 22. Current minimum bid: $79.00 (which suggests many people have already backordered it).

    Don’t get me wrong: there are a lot of great generic domains on Snap and Pool (I shy away from NameJet); I have bought a few nice generics at lovely prices from both companies, but, sooner or later, those TM clunkers are going to bite ‘em in the butt.

    If ICANN doesn’t begin policing them, the US courts will get involved because affected infringed companies are going to figure out where the deep pockets are, and it ain’t me or the typical small-time domainer. Dell and others have figured out (or will soon figure out) where the money trail leads.

    BTW, Interesting forum–I live near Amish country (about 35 miles from Lancaster County).

    Best,

    Ms Domainer

13. jlandress Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 7:00 pm

    As someone who has personally had problems with CapitolDomains I welcome Dell in this lawsuit. Hopefully today is more than just one day closer to the end of domain tasting.

14. MsDomainer Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 7:13 pm

    Actually, I’m rather fond of ScrewGoogle[dot].com, available December 30, minimum bid $79.00.

    One could have some forum fun with that puppy.

    If Google were smart, they would grab that one at just about any price. Cheaper than going to court (and possibly losing anyway, given that this domain would fall under the 1st amendment).

    Ms Domainer

15. MsDomainer Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 7:18 pm

    I just picked up a “tasted domain.” Too bad for the taster who cut it lose, for it’s getting some brisk traffic.

    Ms D.

16. info32036 Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 8:37 pm

    OK, here is a teaser:

    When you look up “iholdings.com”
    Registrant Search: “Dotregistrar, LLC” owns about 33 other domains

17. MsDomainer Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 10:23 pm

    Hmmm.

    The registrant tool needs some tinkering.

    Another teaser. Look up homeequitylines[dot]com on Snapnames and note status; then look it up in Whois.

    What do you find?

    Ms. D

18. save-me-from-my-gf Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 11:06 pm

    There large corporations like Dell have started the race to get your domains. Its these three companies now, tomorrow it will be you and me who will loose our names to them.

19. HBaker Says:
    November 28th, 2007 at 11:43 pm

    save-me-from-my-gf: What are you hiding?

20. trasier Says:
    November 29th, 2007 at 2:13 am

    ?????????

    Form?
    http://blog.designlinks.cn

21. smartnames Says:
    November 29th, 2007 at 8:10 am

    Iholdings, i.e. dotreg, dotregister, was bought some time back by Dotster.

22. jmcc Says:
    November 29th, 2007 at 11:16 am

    Any update on the responses from the defendants?

23. michael_kassing Says:
    November 29th, 2007 at 11:22 am

    LONG LIVE DELL!!!!

    Michael

    SizeMonkey.com

24. eric_menhart Says:
    November 29th, 2007 at 3:43 pm

    This is a case that deserves a lot of attention. The anti-counterfeiting claims are of particular interest, and I think Dell has a rea chance of winning with them. Read more at:

    Dell Sues Cybersquatters

    You can also see it on the homepage for a limited time:

    CyberLawOnline.com

    Would be interested in comments in this thread.

25. yofie Says:
    November 30th, 2007 at 4:42 am

    MS Domainer: Just an FYI, If a domain is at SnapNames and the Min backorder price is $79, it does not mean it has backorders. Depending upon which Registrar has the domain, is the reason for the backorder price.

    So even with the price of $79, does not mean anybody has it backordered, but I’m not saying nobody would backorder it, but if they are dumb enough to backorder a TM domain, then they should get a C&D or a date in court.

26. MsDomainer Says:
    November 30th, 2007 at 7:41 am

    So, Yofie, the auction house gets off scott-free (and with the dumb domaniner’s money)…

    I think not, which is why registrars are being dragged into court and why aftermarket auction houses will be next. The courts (U.S., that is) don’t give a hoot about ICANN policy. I think that auction houses will soon be held legally accountable for their blatant sale of obvious TM names.

    I do think the beginning auction bid is an indicator of number of bids. When I had backordered LiteraryAgent[dot]com (I didn’t get it–too expensive), the original opening bid was $59.00. BEFORE the the name was “acquired,” I received an email that I would need to up my initial bid to $99.00 in order to remain in the auction.

    There were over 50 bidders in that auction, about 20 of us serious bidders.

    Ms Domainer

27. HBaker Says:
    November 30th, 2007 at 8:47 am

    I remember seeing on Pool.com’s homepage a while back an ad for their auction of Adidas.net. However now it is hosted on a server with many other Adidas related domains and it redirects to a blank page, so hopefully Adidas AG owns it now.

28. yofie Says:
    December 3rd, 2007 at 2:48 pm

    MsDomainer:

    I do not agree one bit that Snapnames, Pool, NameJet, TDNAM or any domain auction house should be able to auction off a TradeMarked domain, nor did I say that.

    There should be action taken when they sell them, because it’s just like you or I sold them.

    For the min bid… Again, the min bid is set based on the Registrar who currently has the domain. It has 100% nothing to do with how many backorders a domain has (this is at snapnames). The $59 to $99 jump, was when NetSol first changed there prices.

29. richard79348 Says:
    December 4th, 2007 at 1:57 pm

    MsDomainer,

    I do not agree with your assertion about auction houses. They merely provide a venue where competing customers can vie for an asset they want to own. I don’t believe that Pool, NameJet, Snap or TDNAM build TM-like portfolios of their own volition. They are responding to customer requests. And as long as customers see value in owning domains of a particular type, they will continue to order those domains. And if the auction houses did not snap them up when they deleted, you can bet the customers that wanted it would find other ways to register those domains in the aftermarket.

    In the Dell case, it has been mentioned that one of the difficulties will be to tie the Registrars directly to the Registrants. Most Registrars will not arbitrate on TM rulings but rather leave that to the proper authorities. Which means that if a customer wants to register a particular domain, on whose authority should a registrar refuse? Should they have the responsibility to verify a Registrant’s claim to a particular “character string”? I think not.

30. MsDomainer Says:
    December 4th, 2007 at 5:02 pm

    Then, richard79348, because of customer demand, then it’s okay to knowingly buy up and auction off TM domains.

    What a sweet deal for the auction places.

    I’ll bet the courts are going to have heyday with that one.

    Ms Domainer

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