Domain Name News: Week 5 of 2011 in Review

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A Second Tour As CEO – 05-Feb-11
David Ulevitch of OpenDNS says a professional setback helped him fine-tune some management skills.
“Massive .co Domain Registration Sale! – 05-Feb-11
If you’ve ever wanted a short custom domain name for your business, organization or whatever it may be, a .CO domain name may be just what you need! The new and highly talked about .co domain extension is the perfect choice to get your brand or business name on the web! A .co domain name is the perfect alternative to the .com domain extension which has been highly dominate for years now across the world wide web as we know it.

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From Big Pong to Fight Centre … The Rush to Register Online Typos – 05-Feb-11
BIG Australian companies are buying misspelt internet domain names to stop sneaky businesses making money from their brand names. And corporations such as Qantas, Westpac and Woolworths have registered the incorrectly spelt internet names because some people are terrible typists or cannot spell.
How to Stop Domain Names Being Seized By The US Government – 05-Feb-11
As the United States authorities continue with their domain name seizure policy, file-sharing, streaming and link site operators around the world are looking for ways to mitigate this aggressive action. To this end, an Internet engineer and website operator has put together a guide that might just help site owners avoid a whole heap of inconvenience in the future.
“Broomfield Man Grabs Metro State-associated Domain Names – 04-Feb-11
What’s in a domain name? For an enterprising Broomfield man, there’s the hope for some income should Metro State go ahead with plans to change its name. According the domain name-manager GoDaddy.com, John Gunter, of Broomfield, bought both universityofcentralcolorado.com and denverstateuniversity.com on the same day the Denver Post reported that Metropolitan State College of Denver is considering changing its name to either University of Central Colorado or Denver State University.

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“Senator Wyden Demands Feds Justify Domain Seizures – 04-Feb-11
Asks Obama Administration to explain what standard the DoJ expects other countries to use when seizing US-based domain names, as well as whether or not the DoJ and ICE take into account the legality of sites in their home country before seizing them.

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Trademarking a Domain Name? Sure, Why Not? – 04-Feb-11
So what’s the short answer to the question can a domain name be a trademark? They are subject to the same rules and standards as all other types of trademarks so the generic transfer protocol, dot, and top level domain can’t function as source indicators.
Oregon Senator Questions Homeland Security’s Domain Seizures – 04-Feb-11
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden has sent a letter to the head of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (www.ice.gov) that questions the agency’s seizure of domain names over the past few months.
IANA About to Release Final Seven Batches of Domain Names As Ipv4 Runs Out – 04-Feb-11
Almost four billion domain names have now been taken since the internet began nearly 40 years ago, according to the organisation that runs the distribution of addresses. The Internet Address and Naming Agency has announced that it will be releasing the remaining seven blocks of domain names later in February, as the latest system – IPv4 – runs out combinations.
“Internet ‘Land Rush’ Anticipated in 2011 With Introduction of New Web Domains – 03-Feb-11
The Internet is set to see its greatest ever transformation as literally hundreds of new domain extensions are added to the global communications network. New rules will soon allow the expansion of available “generic top-level domains” from 21 to literally hundreds of new names. It represents a drastic change in how information will be accessed online and in terms of business opportunities.

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Super Bust: Due Process and Domain Name Seizure – 03-Feb-11
With the same made-for PR timing that prompted a previous seizure of domain names just before shopping’s “Cyber Monday,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement struck again, this time days before the Super Bowl, against “10 websites that illegally streamed live sporting telecasts and pay-per-view events over the Internet.” ICE executed seizure warrants against the 10 by demanding that registries redirect nameserver requests for the domains to 74.81.170.110, where a colorful “This domain name has been seized by ICE” graphic is displayed.
Senator Wyden Asks WTF is Up With Homeland Security Domain Seizures – 03-Feb-11
We’ve been talking a lot about Senator Ron Wyden lately, as he appears to be one of the few folks left in Washington DC who seem to actually care about overreaching efforts by law enforcement — especially in the area of copyright. We’ve talked about his efforts to block COICA, question ACTA and require more oversight on government spying. He’s also not been shy about standing up for what he believes in, even when corporate interests start pressuring him, such as his eloquent response to companies who urged him to support censorship via COICA.
Internet to Run Out of Available IP Addresses Tomorrow – 03-Feb-11
Tomorrow the internet will exceed the number of IP addresses available, speeding up the need for internet protocol version 6 or IPv6 to replace version 4. The original system was established in the 1980s, and the service was created with the maximum of 4.1bn addresses, with the intention of never running out.
“Network Solutions Adds .ASIA to Its Portfolio of Domain Names – 03-Feb-11
Network Solutions¬Æ, a leader in providing quality web services for businesses, is adding .ASIA to its line of available domain name extensions. The .ASIA domain names enable businesses and organizations to expand their Web presence to the Pan-Asia and Asia-Pacific regions, which have the world’s most rapidly growing economies.

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Blackout! Government Shuts Down Popular NFL Streaming Domains – 02-Feb-11
Yesterday evening, BTB member Foyesboys alerted us in his FanShot that a number of popular online video streaming domains have been seized by the U.S. Government in what he described as “the worst news possible (from a sports perspective) for out of state Cowboys fans today”. The U.S. government has seized popular streaming domains such as channelsurfing.net, adthe.net, firstrow.net or ilemi.com. Visit any of these sites and you’ll find the logos of the Department Of Justice as well as Homeland Security prominently emblazoned across the now defunct domains.
Feds in NY Pull Plug On Pirated Sports Broadcasts – 02-Feb-11
Federal authorities on Wednesday moved to short-circuit 10 websites accused of stealing and streaming a large menu of live TV broadcasts, including NFL games and pay-per-view events produced by World Wrestling Entertainment.
Homeland Security Domain Seizures Raise More Questions: is Embedding a Video Criminal Infringement? – 02-Feb-11
Just as with last time Homeland Security’s Immigrations & Customs Enforcement (ICE) group seized a bunch of domain names, the deeper you look into what sites were targeted, the more questions are raised about how ICE seems to interpret the law in its own unique manner. Lots of people do this, but usually they’re not the federal government with the ability to simply seize property with no adversarial hearing and no concern for either due process or the First Amendment.
“Go Daddy Customers to Leverage \’Super Bowl Glow\’ for Domain Sales – 02-Feb-11
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Jan. 31, 2011) РAn aftermarket domain name sells faster and more easily when it’s in the public spotlight. If this year’s Super Bowl ad results come even somewhat close to previous years, Go Daddy is set to receive a huge traffic surge in the days and weeks following the game – a huge benefit to customers using Go Daddy Premium Listings to sell their domain names.

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Pac-10 Asks Arbitrator for Pac12.com Domain Name – 02-Feb-11
Collegiate conference wants Pac12.com domain name. After last year’s conference realignment the Pac-10 now has 12 teams. As it looks to rebrand itself as the Pac-12 it ran into a snag — it doesn’t own Pac12.com.
Domainfest Comes to Santa Monica – 02-Feb-11
The Lookout News. Santa Monica, CA. February 2, 2011 ‚Äì Domain speculators from around the world are converging on Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar this week ‚Äì nearly 700 have registered for DomainFest, a gathering of entrepreneurs who make profits buying and selling internet domain names.
Verisign Selected to Operate .GOV Domain Name Registry – 02-Feb-11
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world, has been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to operate the nation’s mission-critical domain name registry for .gov.
LCN.com Offers .UK.com Domain Names – 02-Feb-11
Leading domain registrar, LCN.com, today announced it is offering .UK.COM domain names to all customers. Multiple year discounts on all registration a
US Calls Blitz On Alleged Pirated-Sports Sites – 02-Feb-11
Government seizes domains of sites accused of illegally streaming live sports events–the latest round of government site seizures. Read this blog post by Greg Sandoval on Media Maverick.
“Frank Schilling Announces He Sold $7 Million Dollars in Domains Since July … – 01-Feb-11
While moderating the opening session at DomainFest this morning Frank Schilling mentioned in passing that since July 2010 his company Name Administration sold just about $7 Million dollars in domain names “without trying too hard”.

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US Resume Controversial File-sharing Domain Seizures – 01-Feb-11
US authorities have seized the domain of the hugely popular sports streaming and P2P download site Rojadirecta. The site, which is one of the most visited sites on the Internet, lost its .org domain which now redirects to a notice from DOJ/ICE. Rojadirecta is an unusual target because two courts in Spain have ruled that the site operates legally, and other than the .org domain the site has no links to the US.
Azerbaijan Has Over 1600 New Internet Domains – 01-Feb-11
Azerbaijan’s national Internet area (.az) had 10,970 registered domains as of 1 February, an increase of 1,692 over the past year. On 11 January 2010, 9,278 .az domains were registered, according to figures from whois.az, the national registrar for domain names.
CentralNic Bolsters Team for New Top-level Domains – 01-Feb-11
Global domain name registry CentralNic announced today several new appointments as part of its growth strategy to empower brand owners, city governments, not-for-profits and businesses to acquire and manage their own top-level domains (“TLDs”).
‘Love’ Domains Available in Domainfest Auctions Thursday – 01-Feb-11
Flirtatious domains go up for auction in just two days. You can bid to own Love.Me, Kiss.Me, Miss.Me, Want.Me and even Hate.Me at the DOMAINfest.
Halfords’ Website Goes Down After Domain Name Renewal Problem – 01-Feb-11
The website of UK bikes retailer Halfords went down for 24 hours because of a domain name renewal problem.
New Domains Bought By Microsoft Points to SSX Game Exclusive for Kinect – 31-Jan-11
Microsoft has registered two new domain names which points out a new SSX title which might be in developement exclusive for Kinect.
Last Two Days for Gambling Domains London Auction – 31-Jan-11
London, United Kingdom, January 31, 2011 –(PR.com)– The online auction of 2300 gambling domains, including picks.us, bettingexchange.us, igaming.us, asianbookmakers.com, soccerbookmakers.com, tennispicks.com, worldcuppicks.com, totobet.com, londonbet.com and p2pbet.com, started on Wednesday 26 January. “The selection of domain names available should appeal to igaming operators and affiliates alike as domains represent a good investment and many of the names available for sale in the auction are perfect to be developed into web properties,” commented GamblingInvest.com founder, Pierluigi Buccioli.
iGoldrush Launches Domain Name Brokerage Network – 31-Jan-11
iGoldrush has launched an innovative domain brokerage that approaches the market with a clear focus on reaching end users. The brokerage network is comprised of some of the best and most achieved independent domain brokers from around the world. We hand pick domain names from client submissions, and for those accepted, we pair them with a broker who has experience in that specific market. The new brokerage model meets the ongoing demands of domain owners who are becoming increasingly frustrated with the current options available to them.
ICANN Approves Short and Numeric-only .tel Domain Names – 31-Jan-11
Telnic Limited, the Registry Operator for the communications‚Äêfocused .TEL top level domain (TLD), recently announced that, following the ICANN board meeting conducted in January 2011, ICANN has now approved the release of both short (such as jj.tel) and numeric-only (such as 442074676450.tel or 88.tel) .TEL domain names for registration.
Go Daddy Suggests Domain Sellers Use The Super Bowl Bump – 31-Jan-11
Company touts Premium Listings ahead of Super Bowl commercials. On Super Bowl Sunday traffic will flood to GoDaddy.com as millions of guys decide they want to get teased by possibly naked pictures of Danica Patrick and Jillian Michaels. Some of them will buy domain names, and that’s good news for you.
What is Demand Media Worth? SeekingAlpha Says $5-$10 a Share – 30-Jan-11
As you know Demand Media went public this week closing around $20 a share after getting to as high as $25 on its opening day. There is a lot of debate concerning what the proper valuation of Demand is from inside and outside the domain industry. SeekingAlpha, a site that focus on investing and the stock market in general, published a story on Thursday when Demand Stock was trading at $22.65 (closed Friday at $20.44), entitled “The Bubble is Back: Will Demand Media Go Below $10?”
Url Shortening Service Makes You The Master of Your Domain – 29-Jan-11
New web service, TrafficShaping.com, enables online marketers to create short URLs using their own domains while retaining total control over the web traffic flowing through them.
We Should Find Out Next Week if UDRP Reform is Coming – 29-Jan-11
Next week on February 3 the GNSO (General Names Supporting Organization) of ICANN will take a vote on a motion that will determine whether ICANN will consider UDRP reform.
Julian Assange Now Owns Wikileaks.com – 29-Jan-11
Founder of controversial WikiLeaks organization now owns Wikileaks.com domain name. Last week I wrote about how the domain name wikileaks.com had expired. The domain name was registered by Wikia, Inc, the group behind Wikipedia, for defensive reasons after Wikileaks.org, the official WikiLeaks site, launched. Wikia was trying to hand …
Oversee.net Acquires ShopWiki Shopping Comparison Network – 28-Jan-11
Oversee.net, the leader in Internet real estate, specializing in monetizing, registering, selling and developing domain names, acquires New York-based multinational shopping search engine to expand its portfolio of websites that help consumers make informed purchase decisions. The acquisition is the first in the consumer retail space for Oversee’s expanding Vertical Markets division, which is further developing the company’s contextual search and comparative results capabilities to create site experiences that help consumers make purchase decisions.
Google Changes Algorithm to Address Sites With Unoriginal Content – 28-Jan-11
Algorithm change went into effect earlier this week. Google web spam czar Matt Cutts blogged today about a recent algorithm change to Google’s rankings. The algorithm change is a follow up to Cutt’s post a week ago about addressing low level “content farms”. This could affect parked domains which take advantage of re-used content to make a domain look fully populated, which in turn drives up the price of a domain name.
ICANN Approves Short and Numeric-only .tel Domain Names – 28-Jan-11
Telnic Limited (https://telnic.tel), the registry operator for the .tel top level domain (TLD), today announced that, following the ICANN board meeting conducted in January 2011, ICANN has now approved the release of both short (such as jj.tel) and numeric-only (such as 442074676450.tel or 88.tel) .tel domain names for registration.