DOJ Closes Probe of VeriSign Over .Web TLD

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DOJ Closes Probe of VeriSign Over .Web TLD

By CircleID Reporter
January 12, 2018, 11:23 pm PST Views: 12,568 Comments: 1

The Justice Department has closed its investigation into VeriSign Inc.‘s involvement in an auction for the .web internet domain. Alexis Kramer reporting in BNA: “The department’s antitrust division sent VeriSIgn, a Reston, Va.-based internet infrastructure provider, a civil investigative demand in January 2017 after the results of the .web auction. The DOJ told VeriSign Jan. 10 the investigation is closed, VeriSign said in a Securities and Exchange Commssion filing. .Web applicant Nu Dot Co LLC had won the domain for $135 million in an auction run by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers [ICANN] ... VeriSign announced days later that it had provided funds for Nu Dot Co’s bid and planned to acquire the rights to the domain. VeriSign hadn’t applied for .web. The auction spurred a lawsuit against ICANN by domain name registry Donuts Inc., one of six other .web applicants.”

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.web pre-exists - any one using it in California could be at risk Karl Auerbach – Jan 17, 2018 12:38 AM

Caveat Emptor: The .web TLD has existed and been operating in California for decades. There is a potential for legal risk to anyone who uses .web or tries to sell .web registrations in California. ICANN does not have the legal authority to pre-empt that prior use.

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