Domainers Lose Big Time In Verizon Cybersquatting Lawsuit

Thu, Jun 26th 2008 3:22pm

Filed Under:
domain kiting, domain tasting, icann, tlds, top level domains

Companies:
icann

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ICANN Finally Relaxes TLD Requirements -- But It Still Looks Like A Money Grab

from the *cluster.f**k* dept

For years, we've been among those who wondered what good it did for ICANN to dribble out new top level domains (TLDs -- such as .info, .biz, .aero, etc.) every few years. For the most part, these new domains didn't do much other than force companies to buy their name on each new TLD as it was released. It basically just seemed like a way for ICANN and registrars to keep fleecing companies. Instead, we agreed with those who wondered why we had a limited number of TLDs in the first place. Why not just open it up and let any address work?

Well, now ICANN has taken a step in that direction... but, not really. It has agreed to open up the TLD system to those beyond what was approved, but anyone registering a name on a non-standard TLD will need to show a "business plan and technical capacity." Why do they need a business plan? What if they just want to set up a site for fun? Oh, right, because if you have a business plan, it means you have money to pay for stuff -- say $100,000 to $500,000?

In other words, rather than really opening up the system, it looks like yet another money grab.

In better news, however, it appears that ICANN has also decided to put in place a tiny charge for registering domain names and dropping them in the "grace period." This hopefully should greatly reduce the practice of domain hoarding (or "domain kiting" or "domain tasting" depending on who you talk to). As you may know. companies have been pulling all sorts of tricks using this grace period to register domains without ever having to pay for them. And, as a result, even companies like Network Solutions have gotten into the game, while pretending that they were holding any domain you searched for in order to "protect" you from others who might squat on the name.

Scams

Mon, Jan 28th 2008 9:52am

Filed Under:
domain kiting, domain names, domain tasting, scams

Companies:
google, icann

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Can Google Solve The Domain Tasting Problem?

from the worth-a-shot dept

The issue of "domain tasting" (or "domain kiting") has been getting a lot more attention lately. Dell sued a company for pulling a domain tasting scam to make ad money off of domains without having to pay for them and ICANN has recently started to look into the problem. Of course, at ICANN's snail's pace, it didn't seem like anything was going to happen any time soon -- so it appears Google has decided to step up with a potential solution.

For those who don't know, domain tasting is used by certain companies to register a bunch of domain names and place ads on them. Since ICANN's rules say that you can register a domain for five days before deciding if you actually want to pay for it and keep it, the domain tasters just hold onto the domain for five days, put Google AdSense on the domain and collect any money before returning the URL. If a domain is particularly valuable, they might actually buy it -- but the more recent scam is to have a series of shell companies repeatedly take the domain for five days at a time, quickly reregistering it seconds after the previous "holder" gives up the domain.

It's clearly a scam and wasn't at all what was intended with the five day grace period. However, with ICANN taking the slow road towards dealing with it, Google has now announced that it will not allow any Google AdSense ads to appear on a site during the five day grace period. This is a bit of a surprise, since Google likely makes plenty of money from this practice. While domain tasters will quickly gravitate to other ad platforms, Google was probably the most effective one, and hopefully other leading ad platforms will follow Google's lead.

(Mis)Uses of Technology

Thu, Jan 10th 2008 1:45am

Filed Under:
domain names, domain tasting

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ICANN Finally Realizes Domain Tasting Is A Problem, Might Fix It Sometime This Decade

from the or-maybe-not dept

The practice of "domain tasting" (or "domain kiting" as it used to be called) has been a well-known problem for at least two years now. Since domain name registrars offer a five day grace period whereby you can buy a domain and return it saying you made a "mistake," scammers have been buying up every domain name imaginable, throwing ads up on the site for five days, seeing what kind of return it gets, and then tossing it back (without ever paying for it). In some cases, scammers have set up multiple shell corporations to keep renewing those names for 5 days at a time indefinitely, without ever having to pay a dime. When we first wrote about it in May of 2006, the estimate was that over 90% of new domain registrations were of this nature (though, some question that number). Either way, it's clearly a big issue. Yet, it's taken nearly two years just to get ICANN to acknowledge it's a problem. On top of that, they're merely discussing the problem, and may not take any action towards dealing with it for some time. As per usual with ICANN, expect lots of talk and little useful action.

In related scammy domain name news, apparently the very first domain name registrar, Network Solutions, has joined the ranks of scammy registrar sites that reveal the names you're searching to scammers who register them quickly. This, also, has been a well-known problem since at least 2006, though usually for less reputable whois sites. Most people felt you were okay if you researched the names at a reputable site like Network Solutions. Network Solutions has responded to these accusations by claiming this is for customer protection (talk about double speak). Effectively, NetSol's claim is that they're trying to prevent others from registering the domain you searched for, so they're holding it themselves (and making it more expensive than you can get anywhere else). Maybe ICANN will notice this activity sometime in early 2011, and try to put in place a solution sometime before 2020.

Scams

Thu, Nov 29th 2007 5:13pm

Filed Under:
domain kiting, domain names, domain tasting, registrars

Companies:
dell