- Lawsuit: Bird.com and Fish.com domain buyer failed to pay
- A counterparty wanting to use cryptocurrency for a domain is a red flag
- Registering NFT domains? Skip the trademarks
- After losing cybersquatting dispute, Qatar tries trademark infringement
- Lawsuit alleges CEOs.com, xus.com and other domains are stolen
News
Car warranty company upgrades to Olive.com
Company moves from GoGetOlive.com to Olive.com.
A company that sells extended service plans for cars has acquired the domain name Olive.com.
Olive previously used the domain GoGetOlive.com for its olive brand of car service plans. It now forwards the long domain to olive.com.
In a press release, olive CMO Paul Sherman explained why the company upgraded its domain name:
We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of olive.com. This is a direct response to the olive brand growth. Our demographics have shown that 50+% of consumers that purchased an olive plan have never purchased mechanical breakdown coverage before, therefore we want to make olive easy to access and simple to find.
The car service plan industry is one where credibility is extremely important, and a domain name like GoGetOlive.com does not scream “we’re a credible company.”
I reached out to the company for more details and will update this story if it responds.
Post link: Car warranty company upgrades to Olive.com
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Categories: Domains
How I finally got the domains I won on SnapNames
I jumped through a lot of hoops to get the domains I acquired.
Last month I started buying domain names on SnapNames after a long hiatus. I purchased 20 domains over 30 days, taking advantage of SnapNames’ access to expiring Network Solutions and Register.com inventory. I’ve had to jump through a lot of hoops to get control of the domains I acquired.
I blame buggy systems for the majority of the issues. SnapNames makes GoDaddy Auctions look like the latter is built on pristine, modern code.
Let’s start with the weirdest issue that causes the most pain. SnapNames creates a lot of new registrar accounts to put your domains in. In my case, it has split the 20 domains into five accounts.
Each time SnapNames creates an account, you have to do a “forgot password” process to get control of the account. Then, unless you want to manage lots of logins, you have to merge the accounts. It’s a fairly simple process once you figure out how to do it (Network Solutions’ own instructions are incorrect).
Merging works most of the time. But in one case, I got this cryptic error message:
After 30 minutes with Network Solutions support and an escalation to the “back office,” I learned that you could not merge accounts that have .IO domains in them. I have no idea why, but an error message that states, “You can’t merge accounts with .IO domains in them,” would have saved me and Network Solutions a lot of time. Network Solutions told me I could transfer the domains individually into my other account, except that Network Solutions puts a 60-day lock on new registrations even for internal transfers.
I ran into another issue with some accounts. I tried to do a password reset when I got the usernames from SnapNames, but I didn’t get the reset email. I tried it multiple times over multiple days. Then, looking closely at the obscured email address Network Solutions said it was sending the reset emails to, I noticed it had a different number of characters than my email address.
Somehow, Network Solutions managed to change my email address. It dropped the plus sign from the email address I use (more on that later) and created Network Solutions accounts using the incorrect email address.
When I asked SnapNames how to fix this, they told me to talk to Network Solutions. Network Solutions told me I needed to send in a copy of a photo ID, a utility bill, and a notarized letter to get control of the accounts.
I can appreciate Network Solutions improving its security measures given the number of thefts it faces. But at this point, I’m talking about spending even more time going to a notary (during the pandemic!). I was also worried because the Gmail address Network Solutions used to create these accounts didn’t exist. If someone sent an email to the email address in Whois and got a bounceback message, they could register the Gmail address and get control of the domains.
So I registered a brand new Gmail address that matched the bad address SnapNames used. Now I have access to all of my domains. Yay!
(I went back in forth with SnapNames support about not receiving a domain at Moniker I was owed, too. It turns out it was due to the incorrect email address.)
Web.com’s trouble ticket systems are also broken, leading to headaches resolving these issues.
The first ticket I submitted to Network Solutions went through just fine. Subsequent tickets disappeared when I submitted them.
After working for a while, SnapNames’ support kept giving me a security error. Monday, when I checked if it was fixed, clicking the support ticket link on the Contact Us page just forwarded to the Contact Us page, sending me in an endless loop. I tried it in Chrome and Firefox.
Add in other weird things, like the Order History page telling me I was the winner of auctions I didn’t win…
And you’re left with a decrepit system.
It’s important to keep track of your wins to make sure you get your domains. And plan on spending time to get your domains. All told, I probably spent over 10 hours just getting control of the domains I already paid for.
Web.com leaves thousands of dollars a day on the table with old bidding apps that don’t properly send alerts and customers who aren’t willing to put up with the headaches necessary to get control of domains they win.
I hope that Web.com, under its new Newfold Digital umbrella, will create a new expired domain system that replaces SnapNames and NameJet. It’s time for something new, built from the bottom up.
Post link: How I finally got the domains I won on SnapNames
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Sav joins Afternic Fast Transfer network
Domain registrar known for low prices and domain investor tools adds Afternic Fast Transfer capability.
Sav.com has made a name for itself over the past year or two thanks to its low prices and tools for domain investors. Domain investor Anthos Chrysanthou founded the company.
The company now has the one missing piece that holds many domain investors back from using a particular registrar: Afternic Fast Transfer. Sav officially integrated with the network today.
With Afternic Fast Transfer, domain investors with domains at Sav who opt into the network can list their domains across Afternic’s syndication network, which includes GoDaddy. Customers at other registrars can buy domains and they are automatically transferred to their accounts.
Sav.com is also a member of Sedo MLS, so domainers can list their domains held at Sav.com on both platforms.
Post link: Sav joins Afternic Fast Transfer network
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Threats don’t play well in cybersquatting disputes
These two domain owners tried to play hardball and got nothing.
How you approach a potential buyer for your domain impacts what happens in a UDRP hearing. Here are two examples.
A World Intellectual Property Organization ordered Magna.co transferred to Magna International Inc., a company that uses Magna.com.
Magna is a dictionary word and the name of a town. A registrant could fairly register it in good faith. But when you use the following approach to try to sell it, a UDRP panel is likely to view you unfavorably.
The owner of Magna.co sent a LinkedIn message to someone at Magna International in August 2020:
I own Magna.co domain name and I am reaching out to few companies to explore a possible sale of the domain name.
When I setup [sic] the email address for magna.co to contact potential end users, I started receiving business emails concerning your company (check attachment).
Would you be interested in owning this domain name to protect your business information and brand
Magna International rejected the offer. The Respondent then apparently raised his price before sending this message:
Thank you for your reply. I thought its [sic] better that your company owns this domain name. In the last three weeks I got 350+ emails concerning your company.
Imagine your competitors American Axle & Manufacturing, Lear Corporation, Visteon, Faurecia, Linamar, Aptiv or Gentex owning the domain name and what information they can extract from the emails to gain advantage on your company. It can be a minor leak with serious consequences.
Once the domain is sold to an end user its [sic] very difficult and expensive to own. If you are reconsidering this matter, Visit magna.co and submit your offer.
In another recent case, T. Rowe Price CEO Bill Stromberg won a UDRP against the owner of BillStromgberg.com. It would be harder for the owner of this domain to justify registering the domain in good faith. But its sales pitch to Stromberg sealed its fate in the ensuing UDRP:
Subject: Urgent – CEO Domain
Hello Mr. Stromberg,
Without prejudice, we are getting in touch with you, with regards to the following domain:
billstromberg.com [billstromberg.com]
We are a brand protection agency and our team has secured this domain. Our team values it at $9,725.
The CEO is an integral part of a company. If a competitor were to get control of a CEO’s domain name and point it to one of their assets or worse still, to malicious websites, it would be incredibly embarrassing for a public company. It could hurt sales as well as brand reputation. Shareholders wouldn’t be too pleased once it reaches the media. Especially as the above domain will rank number one on Google.
For that reason, we always advise clients to secure their personal domain names as soon as possible. The domain can be used by anyone, for anything. It’s a great asset to have in your control whether used or not. This prevents potential abuse from competitors as well as disgruntled employees.
We are here to help prevent that and to protect your assets. Please do get in touch, if you’re interested.
Thanks,
Lewis Davids
Victor Platinum
Both domain name owners attempted to defend the domains in the UDRPs but they had steep curves to overcome.
Post link: Threats don’t play well in cybersquatting disputes
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Tackling DNS Abuse – DNW Podcast #334
New group wants to get a handle on DNS abuse such as phishing and malware distribution.
My guest this week is Graeme Bunton, Director of the new DNS Abuse Institute. We discuss types of DNS abuse and how the institute plans to help the domain name ecosystem combat abuse.
Tip of the week: Bulk auth codes at NameBright
Also: Blockbuster Angel.com sale, Facebook lawsuit, Queen of .XYZ
Sponsor: Sav.com
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, or click play above or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)
Post link: Tackling DNS Abuse – DNW Podcast #334
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Namecheap reports 36% revenue growth in Q1
Domain registrar and hosting firm reports continued strong growth in the first quarter of 2021.
Privately held domain name registrar Namecheap revealed its Q1 results to Domain Name Wire today.
The company generated over $62 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2021, up 36% from its results in the same quarter last year.
The company added 665,000 domains under management last quarter, taking its total domains under management to over 13.26 million. That’s up 2.53 million (24%) since Q1 2020.
Customer growth continues at a fast clip. Namecheap added 390,000 new customers in Q1 2021, a 79% increase over the same period last year. This follows 1.1 million new customers last year, so the fast growth continues. The company reports that it has seen significant growth across its product portfolio, including in its hosting, email, security certificates, and Managed WordPress products, amongst others.
Post link: Namecheap reports 36% revenue growth in Q1
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Squarespace files to go public
Site builder files S-1.
Squarespace is a site builder that makes it easy to create and launch websites.
One month after raising $300 million from investors, website building software company Squarespace has filed its S-1 with the SEC to allow investors to sell their shares on the market.
Here’s a look at Squarespace’s business by the numbers.
- 3.7 million unique subscriptions at the end of 2020, up from 3.0 million at end of 2019. This includes standalone sites, standalone scheduling subscriptions, and social service subscriptions.
- $621 million annual revenue in 2020, up from $485 million in 2019. 28% revenue growth.
- $150 million cashflow from operations in 2020, up from $102 million. Net income $58 million, up from $31 million. Net income was $31M in 2020, down from $58M in 2019
- $142 million commerce revenue, up 78% YoY.
- 12 month ARPU of $187.
Squarespace is an easier-to-use alternative to WordPress. It competes with Wix, Weebly, and GoDaddy’s site builder.
Post link: Squarespace files to go public
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Facebook sues Web.com’s NVSC for cybersquatting
Social media company alleges that Web.com subsidiary owns 74 infringing domain names.
Facebook has filed a lawsuit (pdf) against New Ventures Services Corp (NVSC) for alleged cybersquatting of its brands, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
NVSC is a Web.com subsidiary that holds domain names for traffic revenue and resale. It gets many of its domain names by cherry-picking expiring domain names from Web.com registrars, including Register.com and Network Solutions. (Web.com was acquired by a new entity called Newfold Digital earlier this year.)
Facebook alleges that NVCS holds at least 74 domain names that infringe its marks, including FacebookBusinessLeads .com, Instagram-Online .com and InstallWhatsApp .com.
Many of these domains are parked with links to a Network Solutions page where the domains can be purchased for as little as $300.
Last year, Facebook sued domain name registrar Namecheap and its proxy service in a cybersquatting suit. In that case, Facebook alleges that Namecheap customers registered infringing domain names.
Post link: Facebook sues Web.com’s NVSC for cybersquatting
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Angel.com domain name sells for $2 million
Sedo broker Dave Evanson brokers megadeal.
Sedo domain name broker Dave Evanson announced today that he brokered the sale of Angel.com for $2 million:
Just sold Angel .com for $2,000,000.00!! Congrats to buyer and seller!! Look for the domain to be put to use very soon!
— dave evanson (@SedoDaveEvanson) April 15, 2021
Based on historical Whois records from DomainTools, the seller is Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc. Genesys acquired teleco company Angel.com in 2013 and rebranded the product as Genesys Premier Edition.
The domain is currently pending transfer at the domain name registrar CSC.
The buyer is not yet known, but one prospective buyer is AngelList. It uses the domain Angel.co. [Update: the domain name forwards to Angel Studios, a group with crowdfunding platform for movies and other entertainment.]
This is the second public seven-figure sale of the year. Last year there was one public seven figure sale (Bullish.com for $1.08 million).
Post link: Angel.com domain name sells for $2 million
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Security company Proofpoint files for reverse Whois patent
Proofpoint wants a patent for its domain discovery system.
A figure from Proofpoint’s patent application showing reverse Whois data.
Cybersecurity company Proofpoint (NASDAQ: PFPT) has filed a patent application (pdf) for a reverse Whois system.
Reverse Whois refers to finding all of the domain names associated with a given owner. A typical reverse Whois lookup involves using an email address or Registrant Name in Whois and discovering the domain names associated with it.
Proofpoint’s system is designed to start with a seed domain name owned by a company. It then runs reverse Whois checks on the Whois data and infrastructure around the domain name. It uses what data is available to try to determine all of the domains owned by the same entity.
If the domain uses Whois privacy, it will look at the domain’s infrastructure (name servers, IP addresses, MX records, etc.). The system can use a combination of data to try to ascertain which domains belong to the entity.
One goal of a system like this is to determine when a bad actor registers a brand domain.
The system sounds a lot like some of the tools that DomainTools offers.
Proofpoint filed the original patent application (Ser. No. 16/244,955) in January 2019 and filed a continuation patent application (Ser. No. 17/129804) in December 2020. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published the continuation application today.
Post link: Security company Proofpoint files for reverse Whois patent
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Sizing the domain name aftermarket
Please provide me with data to estimate the size of the domain name aftermarket.
How big is the domain name aftermarket? How much dollar volume of domain names sell on the aftermarket each year?
It’s a challenging question to answer, which is why estimates vary widely. It’s hard to come up with accurate numbers when the inputs are hard to come by. Most large domain investors are privately held. Those that are publicly held offer many services and don’t break out aftermarket sales.
A recent Boston Consulting Group study estimates that 1.25 million domains changed hands in the aftermarket last year and that domain investors own 27.7 million .com domains. That implies a 4.5% sell-through rate (assuming we’re just looking at .com), which is well above what domain investors achieve. Based on the methodology, it’s possible that the study also considers expired domain sales, which might account for the high sale rate, but then the average sales price in the study is too high.
With this in mind, I’m going to explore piecing together how big the domain aftermarket is. It will be challenging and I’d like your help. Please send me any data you think might be helpful. This includes data you have captured about the largest domain investors, or your own data if you have a large portfolio or operate a service that captures domain data. I will keep data sources confidential and will only present information in aggregate.
Post link: Sizing the domain name aftermarket
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Categories: Domains
Bloomberg writes about Nick Lim and Epik
Bloomberg publishes a story about Nick Lim, who sold BitMitigate to Epik.
Bloomberg Businessweek cover
Bloomberg has published a profile of Nick Lim, who sold his company BitMitigate to Epik in 2019.
Lim has since left Epik but remains a shareholder. He now spends his time helping sites favored by White supremacists and QAnon followers stay online.
It’s a fascinating story about the 23-year-old who says he is motivated by free speech. Authors William Turton and Joshua Brustein dig into Lim’s background, finding some contradictions in his story.
The story also discusses Epik and Rob Monster. Bloomberg discusses how the company provides services to extremist sites and provides this nugget:
In October, Bloomberg Businessweek emailed Monster, requesting an interview to discuss Epik’s political philosophy and its relationship with Lim. [Rob] Davis, the Epik executive, sent a nine-page response arguing that Epik had been demonized unfairly and had done a great job of combating extremism. Davis accused the news media of trying to destroy the lives of Epik employees and said the interview request itself was part of an attempt to manipulate the 2020 presidential election. “The long and short of it,” he wrote, “is that we don’t give interviews to traitors of our country that participate in attempted coups sponsored by offshore money.” He cc’d close to 100 other recipients, including the Republican chair of the Federal Communications Commission, the antitrust division of the Federal Trade Commission, and Fox News host Sean Hannity.
This will sound familiar to anyone who has received an email from Davis. When PayPal dropped Epik, Davis wrote an open letter mentioning Hollywood pedophiles and Hunter Biden. When GoDaddy terminated its Afternic partnership with Epik, Epik questioned receiving GoDaddy’s letter “two hours after the election was called for Joe Biden.”
And when some domain name investors reacted to an ostensibly racist comment by an Epik representative, Davis sent an email cc’d to the FTC telling people to stop, threatening that he could email 300 million people within 15 seconds.
Post link: Bloomberg writes about Nick Lim and Epik
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End user domain name sales up to €135,000
An NFT analytics platform, a vacation rental home agency, and a laser hair removal business bought domain names.
Sedo’s top public sale this past week was Link.co for €135,000. That’s the second-highest .co sale ever report, according to NameBio! The domain hasn’t been put to use yet, but the buyer uses Com Laude, a brand management registrar.
Here’s a list of end user domain name sales that were just completed at Sedo. You can view previous lists like this here.
Link.co €135,000 – A Com Laude client bought this domain name.
Neo4j.cn $12,000 – Software technology company Neo4j Sweden AB bought this domain. It uses the domain neo4j.com.
LuckyTrader.com $7,700 – Lucky Trader will be an analytics platform for NFTs.
HighStrike.com $4,950 – HighStrike is a trading school for stock traders.
SmartMarket.net $4,888 – OOO S-Marketing, a Russian marketing and advertising agency, acquired this domain.
Ferienhausurlaub.com €4,165 – This is a vacation rental home company in Europe. The term appears to be German for “vacation home”.
GulfCove.com $4,000 – Stratford Management is an apartment community management company. This is presumably for one of the properties it manages.
NeverShaveAgain.com $4,000 – The domain forwards to MilanLaser.com, a company offering laser hair removal.
BD.law $3,995 – BD is short for Business Development. BD.law helps lawyers win more business.
VillaAntica.com €3,500 – Villa Antica is a Prosecco brand.
DogPsychology.com $3,500 – Pack Leader Dogs, a certified dog behavior expert and trainer, bought this domain name.
BookingHotel.com €2,500 – This site will be a hotel booking site. It has a coming soon page.
DiverBelow.com $2,500 – Diver Below is a resource site for scuba divers.
SmithfieldCareers.com $2,065 – Smithfield Foods, a seller of meats including bacon and hot dogs, bought this domain.
Post link: End user domain name sales up to €135,000
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Law firm files in rem cybersquatting lawsuit against Oved .com
Firm claims Oved.com is cybersquatting on its brand.
A New York law firm has filed an in rem lawsuit (pdf) against the domain name Oved .com in an effort to acquire the domain name without paying for it.
Oved & Oved LLP filed the in rem lawsuit yesterday in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.
It’s an odd choice of venue. The lawsuit states:
Plaintiff files this in rem Complaint against the Domain Name in this district because the Domain Name’s registrar and authoritative domain registry are located in this district…
The Registry is physically located in Virginia, and the registrar, GoDaddy, is in Arizona. Typically, law firms file in rem lawsuits against .com domains in Virginia.
The current owner of the domain acquired it upon expiration in 2012. Whois lists an owner in Ukraine. The registrant monetizes the domain name through Above.com. When I visited it today, my antivirus software blocked an exploit that is likely through a parking company’s zero-click service.
In 2007, Oved & Oved filed a trademark application for “Oved & Oved LLP Attorneys & Counselors at Law”. It claims common law rights in the Oved mark.
The lawsuit alleges that the domain name owner has posted it for sale at the “extortionate price” of $30,000.
It will be interesting to see if the domain name owner responds to the dispute. It’s also interesting to think about why the firm chose to file an in rem lawsuit rather than a UDRP.
Post link: Law firm files in rem cybersquatting lawsuit against Oved .com
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Verisign gets patent for GDPR-compliant Whois privacy
Patented methods help Thick Whois registries handle privacy law compliance.
A figure from Verisign’s patent that describes a way to offer GDPR-complaint Whois privacy in Thick Whois systems.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent number 10,979,384 (pdf) to Verisign (NASDAQ: VRSN) for Systems and methods for preserving privacy of a registrant in a Domain Name System.
I wrote about the patent application in 2017 after it was published.
The patent describes methods for domain registries with Thick Whois models (in which the registry is required to store personal data) to comply with data laws. It’s Whois privacy with some twists, including using privacy providers in jurisdictions that are allowed to handle the data:
Provided herein is a solution to addresses the problem described above by defining a method by which personal information collection is delegated to privacy providers residing in a locality where it is legal to store the personal information. This addresses the problem of adhering to privacy laws by automating the production of a ‘cloaked identity’ that only the privacy provider knows is associated with the person. This cloaked identity can then be given to the person who’s identity is being cloaked and to various entities that need to associate some form of identity with data or a service the cloaked person is registering. The cloaked identity is not associated with the personal information of the person except within the data storage of the privacy provider, and the privacy provider will not disclose that information unless a legal mechanism applicable to the locality of the privacy provider is used. The person’s private or personal information is therefore shielded except in cases where it is legally retrieved from the privacy provider.
The system could also create DNS records, such as for emailing the domain owner:
In some examples, the cloaked identity can include a cloaked email address. If the cloaked identity is a unique cloaked email address, several other benefits are possible. The cloaked email address can be used to communicate with the person without having personal information being accessible by a party that knows the cloaked email address unless they go through a legally accepted process to get it from the privacy provider. If the cloaked email address and the public key for a person is recorded in an secure/multipurpose internet mail extensions (“S/MIME”) A-type record (also called a S/MIMEA) in a DNS server under a domain owned by the person, then proof of origin of data and email from the person can be enabled using digital signature. Proof of origin for an email is achieved if the person has used their private key to sign an email sent using the cloaked email account and a recipient uses the person’s public key received from the S/MIMEA record for the cloaked email account to verify the person’s digital signature.
Verisign’s .com namespace was scheduled to switch from a Thin Whois system to a Thick Whois System in 2018, but that has been delayed as ICANN wrestles with GDPR.
Andrew Fregly, Principal Engineer at Verisign, is listed as the inventor. Verisign applied for the patent in March 2016 and it was granted today.
Post link: Verisign gets patent for GDPR-compliant Whois privacy
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Two podcasts to listen to this week
Hear from two people in the domain industry on The Side Hustle Show.
Once you’re done listening to this week’s Domain Name Wire Podcast, I recommend downloading two recent The Side Hustle Show episodes.
In episode #437, Nick Loper interviews domain investor Mark Levine. Mark discusses his results from last year and his philosophy about pricing domains. He also explains how there are opportunities in non-.com domains.
In episode #424, Nick interviews domain investor/developer Peter Askew. You’ve probably heard Peter’s story about VidaliaOnions.com before (like on the DNW Podcast), but Nick has a great interview style and publishes to a broader audience.
If you like Nick’s podcast, you can listen to my interview with him in DNW Podcast #311.
Post link: Two podcasts to listen to this week
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Categories: Domains
NameJet and SnapNames combine for $495k in sales
ManagedCareMag.com and Mutation.com top the charts.
Newfold Digital’s domain name aftermarkets NameJet and SnapNames combined for $495,000 in sales over $2,000 last month. This does not include the many sub-$2,000 sales the platforms made.
The top sale was managedcaremag.com for $28,000, which was obviously bid high because of the domain’s previous use.
Mutation.com came in second at $26,555.
.IO domains did well: Thread.io ended at $9,149, Collection.io pulled in $8,652, and Prosperity.io tallied $6,319.
All told, the platforms combined for 117 domains over $2,000.
In other positive news, I finally managed to get access to all of the domains SnapNames put in random accounts with the wrong email address. More on that later.
Here’s a complete list:
DOMAINNAMEBRANDTYPESALES AMOUNT managedcaremag.comSnapNamesExpiring28000 mutation.comNamejetExpiring26555 97aiai.comSnapNamesDeleting17500 neway.comNamejetExpiring14500 huaguo.comSnapNamesDeleting12833 eview.comSnapNamesExpiring10749 enak.comNamejetExpiring10500 iwager.comSnapNamesDeleting9995 thread.ioNamejetDeleting9149 collection.ioSnapNamesDeleting8652 curren.comSnapNamesExpiring7349 justme.comNamejetExpiring6830 boldcapital.comNamejetExpiring6700 35188.comSnapNamesDeleting6700 prosperity.ioNamejetDeleting6319 custodylawyer.comSnapNamesExpiring5805 severine.comNamejetDeleting5438 sevenoaks.comNamejetDeleting5305 pixal.comSnapNamesExpiring5250 yn209.comSnapNamesDeleting5250 ku9999.comSnapNamesBrokerage5195 m9.netNamejetExpiring5000 humanjourney.comSnapNamesBrokerage5000 codechain.comSnapNamesDeleting4802 coder.ioNamejetDeleting4709 01222.comSnapNamesDeleting4531 bacalar.comNamejetExpiring4338 engineeryourlife.orgNamejetExpiring4300 novamov.comSnapNamesDeleting4300 yoshizuka.comSnapNamesExpiring4288 connectone.comNamejetExpiring4110 partyballoons.comSnapNamesExpiring4102 berkshirehomes.comSnapNamesExpiring4090 clubpass.comSnapNamesExpiring4077 sociallive.comSnapNamesExpiring3944 theplaymania.comSnapNamesExpiring3887 coinschool.comNamejetExpiring3709 finr.comNamejetExpiring3709 dardar.comSnapNamesExpiring3650 sealofapproval.comSnapNamesExpiring3639 txqxw.comSnapNamesDeleting3500 alisos.comSnapNamesExpiring3488 nbya.comSnapNamesDeleting3488 restaura.comNamejetDeleting3445 studiocycle.comNamejetExpiry3425 chenai.comSnapNamesExpiring3413 tokyo.ioNamejetDeleting3400 artit.comNamejetExpiring3211 batr.orgNamejetExpiring3200 thocp.comSnapNamesBrokerage3195 planetajoy.comSnapNamesExpiring3110 indizze.comSnapNamesDeleting3100 bs.tvSnapNamesExpiring3027 andalusian.comNamejetExpiring3010 ennovate.comNamejetExpiring3006 azull.comSnapNamesExpiring3002 liatairline.comNamejetExpiring3000 brinca.comSnapNamesExpiring3000 digitalconsumer.orgNamejetExpiring2987 autotraining.comSnapNamesExpiring2902 diverter.comNamejetExpiring2900 agileteam.comSnapNamesExpiring2900 multiculturalmarketing.comSnapNamesBrokerage2888 bondsonline.comNamejetExpiring2855 timetobuy.comSnapNamesExpiring2822 creema.comNamejetDeleting2814 leadelectric.comSnapNamesExpiring2795 playloteo.comSnapNamesDeleting2787 spurl.netNamejetExpiring2701 komed.comNamejetDeleting2700 nysfair.orgNamejetExpiring2700 intellitools.comSnapNamesExpiring2700 definitiveconstruction.comSnapNamesExpiring2695 rokkus.comSnapNamesExpiring2695 unassigned.comNamejetBrokerage2655 shoemarket.comNamejetDeleting2652 spielo.comSnapNamesExpiring2622 inwords.comSnapNamesExpiring2601 kunna.comNamejetDeleting2600 peero.comNamejetDeleting2600 wildolive.comNamejetExpiring2600 spheere.comSnapNamesExpiring2595 txtd.comNamejetDirect Lister2501 storysellers.comSnapNamesBrokerage2500 stylewebsites.comSnapNamesBrokerage2500 lemonaidcars.comNamejetExpiring2455 njcb.comSnapNamesExpiring2416 pantor.comNamejetDeleting2395 obin.comSnapNamesExpiring2383 thebeesknees.comNamejetExpiring2373 gw99.comSnapNamesDeleting2315 sonarcrm.comSnapNamesExpiring2270 executiverentals.comSnapNamesExpiring2257 m01.comSnapNamesExpiring2255 englishworld.comNamejetBrokerage2250 sabank.comSnapNamesExpiring2250 glenco.comNamejetDeleting2201 slv.orgNamejetExpiring2183 abilitygroup.comSnapNamesExpiring2158 calvarybaptist.comNamejetExpiring2156 thisone.comNamejetBrokerage2151 coinect.comNamejetDeleting2150 staycold.comSnapNamesDeleting2125 masterfit.comNamejetBrokerage2100 drscott.comNamejetExpiring2100 pathnet.orgNamejetExpiring2100 legionfoods.comSnapNamesExpiring2095 dougsmith.comSnapNamesExpiring2069 economicos.comSnapNamesExpiring2055 jlux.comSnapNamesExpiring2051 patentbox.comSnapNamesDeleting2050 pattersonlaw.comSnapNamesExpiring2049 casinosolutions.comSnapNamesExpiring2005 yesfit.comSnapNamesExpiring2001 afroammuseum.orgNamejetExpiring2000 goodmaster.comNamejetDirect Lister2000 lionrealty.comNamejetExpiring2000Post link: NameJet and SnapNames combine for $495k in sales
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Related posts:Categories: Domains
More domain investing competition with Braden Pollock – DNW Podcast #333
How increasing competition is changing domain investing dynamics.
Domain auction prices are going through the roof. What does this mean for domain investors? Is there a fallout coming? On today’s show, I discuss this with long-time domain investor Braden Pollock. Braden makes some good observations about today’s market that are worth considering as you invest in domain names.
Tool of the week: OneWord.Domains
Also: GoDaddy’s buying spree, UDRP cases, and more
Sponsor: DAN.com
Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, or click play above or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)
Post link: More domain investing competition with Braden Pollock – DNW Podcast #333
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Related posts:Categories: Domains
This domain investor has rocked it with .XYZ
Swetha Yenugula has built a name for herself with .xyz domain names.
Domain name investor Swetha Yenugula has found success in an area that many domain investors haven’t: new top level domains. Specifically .xyz domain names.
Yenugula has sold over 300 .xyz domain names. She says the median price is about $2,000 for roughly $600,000 in revenue. Some of her recent sales include:
Props.xyz $7,888
Split.xyz $7,888
Propel.xyz $2,850
Shimmer.xyz $2,700
Zinc.xyz $3,495
Islands.xyz $3,495
Based on her Twitter stream, she seems to sell 2-3 solid domains every week. She uses DAN.com landers and Afternic’s network.
Most of the domains she sells are one-word .xyz domains.
While many registrars offer first-year .xyz registration for about a dollar, Yenugula has invested quite a bit into registering and renewing her .xyz portfolio. It currently totals 16,000 domains, and she estimates her total investment to be about $450,000.
Post link: This domain investor has rocked it with .XYZ
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Categories: Domains
Biohacks GmbH tries reverse domain name hijacking
Panel had a laundry list of problems with the company’s case.
A World Intellectual Property Organization panel has found German company Biohacks GmbH guilty of reverse domain name hijacking.
Biohacks GmbH filed a cybersquatting dispute against Biohacks.com even though the current registrant acquired the domain years before Biohacks GmbH was formed. It doesn’t help the Complainant’s case that biohack is also a generic term.
The three-person panel gave five reasons for finding that Biohacks GmbH filed its dispute in abuse of the policy:
i) the Complainant, through its counsel, should have appreciated the weakness of its case and the fact that the dictionary term “biohacks” encompassed in the disputed domain name could not be exclusively referable to the Complainant, as claimed in the Complaint without any supporting evidence;
ii) the Complainant knew or should have known that the Respondent was not acting in bad faith, especially considering the disputed domain name was registered long before the Complainant acquired trademark rights for BIOHACKS;
iii) the Complainant should have carried out a minimal due diligence that would have disclosed the fact that the Complainant would not have succeeded in any way under any fair interpretation of the available facts before the filing of the Complaint;
iv) the Complaint was brought only after the Complainant failed to purchase the disputed domain name; and
v) the Complainant has failed to demonstrate its use of the trademark BIOHACKS before or after the registration of the disputed domain name and has not even addressed the bad faith registration requirement.
Horak Attorneys at Law represented the reverse domain name hijacker. Zak Muscovitch represented the domain name owner.
Post link: Biohacks GmbH tries reverse domain name hijacking
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Related posts:Categories: Domains
