Expired Domains

Senator Snowe of Maine and two other members of the U.S. Senate commerce committee have recently introduced legislation that would allow trademark interest to bypass the UDRP and ACPA and engage in legally sanctioned reverse domain hijacking. The proposal allows corporate interests to take away domains that have nothing to do with trademark infringement. If this law passes it will provide a much easier way for corporate hijacking to take place with no due process. This bill if passed could affect owners of generic domains, by allowing them to be sued at the whim of any trademark owner that feels they have deeper pockets than the current owner. This bill is being labeled as an anti-phishing bill, however the bill is being labeled incorrectly in hopes that Congress will allow it to pass. Bypassing the UDRP process and going straight to court could triple the statutory damages awarded, up to a maximum of $6 million. In my opinion this is just another ploy by big business to make up for their lack of foresight, and not getting it initially.

Domainers need to see this as a wake-up call. If domain owners do not understand that this is just the beginning of the war against big business, then it will be too late. The ICA “Internet commerce Association” led by lobbyist Phil Corwin, is taking a strong stance on fighting this bill from making it through Congress, however without the help of domain owners across the world, big business will always have the upper hand because of their deep pockets. Join The Fight

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Las Vegas 2007
March 5-8 2007
TRAFFIC WEST at the Venetian

Attend the conference and world’s largest live domain auction that will completely change the way you think about the Internet and traffic!

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The two big conferences for the domain industry are coming up soon!

Domain Roundtable 2006 April 19-21 in Bellevue, Washington
This show is hosted by NameIntelligence (Whois.sc)

After the successful conference last spring in Seattle, The Domain Roundtable Conference returns April 19th through April 21st 2006. The Domain Roundtable conference will be held at the new Westin Hotel in Bellevue, Washington. The event will feature four keynote speakers and many seminars covering every aspect of the domain business.

More info at
http://www.domainroundtable.com

T.R.A.F.F.I.C. WEST 2006 May 2-5, 2006 in Las Vegas, NV
Hosted by industry pioneer Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu

The T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Las Vegas domain conference May 2nd through the 5th at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas will be the fifth T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference, and the second time being held in Las Vegas. T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East was recently held in Florida in October and a new show was held in Santa Clara in January.

They are predicting a $1 million total from the live domain auction. Domainers should bring their checkbooks or be prepared to wire the funds within 3 business days after the end of the show. And talk about getting serious, there will also be on aite domain financing for domain auction purchases (by Domain Capital).

Being held at The Venetian, one of the best hotels in Las Vegas, Domainers can look forward to Gambling at the casinos, shopping at the hundreds of shops in the Venetian Hotel, and networking with fellow domainers alike.

More info at
http://www.targetedtraffic.com/lv_show.html

I will be attending both shows and look forward to meeting new and old friends alike.

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2005 saw a return of six figure domain name sales, with some domains, such as earth.com which sold for $800,000, fetching astronomical amounts of money. In 2006 and beyond, many are predicting a huge growth in the demand for domain names, with even Bill Gates stating that “Domains have and will continue to go up in value faster than any other commodity ever known to a man.”

The growth of the domain market is being driven forward by the growing possibilities of content, with more and more people wanting to share their photos, files, blogs and information on the Internet. A unique domain name is far more memorable than a URL given for free by your ISP, making it easier to share your digital lifestyle on the web. With over 260 types of domain names available, there are still plenty of memorable addresses to register, especially with the addition of the new .EU domain name, which is specifically for individuals and organisations within the European Community.

As the growth of the digital lifestyle continues, owning your own unique location on the web will become increasingly important. You know that domains are really starting to get attention since we are now seeing trends whereby domains are being registered as gifts for significant events such as Christmas, Weddings, New babies and birthdays.

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China will narrow the meaning of “cybersquatters” and will now only use the term to refer to those who register Internet domain names and sell them to rivals of a company that owns the rights to the name.
According to the latest definition offered by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the country’s .CN domain name administrator, cybersquatters will no longer be referred to those who register a domain name “for the purpose of selling or renting it”. It now refers to those who actually “sell or rent it to competitors of a company whose rights are infringed upon.”

The definition came as part of a package of new rules set by the CNNIC in the hope of settling disputes over domain names, according to an anonymous official with the CNNIC.

The new rules, which will come into effect March 17, will safeguard the interest of the first registered domain name, following the common practice in the world, the official said.

“With the coming of the new rules, .CN domain names will be more orderly,” said Hu Gang, an Internet expert.

According to sources from the CNNIC, there have been more than 1 million registered .CN domain names and the lowest cost for a month’s use has plunged to 5 yuan (about 0.62 U.S. dollars).

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