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Domain Names / Recently Commented

Ethos Capital to Acquire .ORG Top-Level Domain

The Internet Society and Public Interest Registry (PIR) have reached an agreement with Ethos Capital, under which Ethos Capital will acquire PIR and all of its assets from the Internet Society. Public Interest Registry (PIR) is the nonprofit corporation that operates the .ORG top-level domain. more

Colombian Government Releases Action Plan for the Selection of .CO Domain Registry Operator

In light of the approaching expiration of the .CO top-level domain registry operator contract, Columbia's Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MinTIC) today released an action plan for the .co operator selection process. more

Challenging Domain Names for Abusive Registration: UDRP and ACPA

There are predatory-domain name registrants, and there are registrants engaged in the legitimate business of acquiring, monetizing and reselling domain names. That there are more of the first than the second is evident from proceedings under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). "Given the human capacity for mischief in all its forms, the Policy sensibly takes an open-ended approach to bad faith, listing some examples without attempting to enumerate all its varieties exhaustively. more

More Privacy for Domain Registrants – Heightened Risk for Internet Users

A recent exchange on CircleID highlighted a critical need for data to inform the debate on the impact of ICANN's post-GDPR WHOIS policy that resulted in the redaction of domain name registrant contact data. A bit of background: in my original post, I made the point that domain name abuse had increased post-GDPR. A reader who works with a registrar (according to his bio) commented: "Can you back up that statement with data? Our abuse desk has actually seen a reduction in abuse complaints." more

Will Legacy TLDs Have a Long Legacy?

We all live in a world where the rapid pace of innovation can be both exciting and challenging. From keeping up with the latest consumer technologies, such as new mobile apps, social media platforms, and digital assistants like Alexa to business-driven innovations like Things (IoT) to Artificial Intelligence, the one certain thing we all face is change. In the Top-Level Domain (TLD) arena, can the same be said about legacy TLDs? more

.COM Contract Amendment Coming Soon for Public Comment

Last Thursday, during VeriSign's Q3 2019 quarterly earnings call, CEO Jim Bidzos offered statements that seemed to be carefully calibrated to satisfy Wall Street's curiosity about protracted negotiations with ICANN on a Third Amendment to the .com Registry Agreement while also appearing to distance the company from the soon-to-be forthcoming product of that year-long effort. more

Defensive Domain Name Registrations – Exactly Where Should They Resolve?

Domain names can be valuable assets, but many corporate domain name portfolios consist of non-resolving domains. In a recent survey conducted by Brandsight, more than 91% of domain professionals said that ensuring domains redirect to relevant content was an extremely important or somewhat important goal. That said, it's not uncommon for less than half of corporate domain name portfolios to point to live content. more

Cybercriminals Benefitting from Stalled Privacy/Proxy Policy

We've seen alarmingly BIG increases in multiple abusive behaviors – like phishing, hacking and malware – that often leverage the domain name system (DNS) and privacy/proxy services. Cybercriminals capitalize on gaps in DNS security measures, and ICANN is holding the door open for them by failing to implement their privacy/proxy policy. If you are ever targeted, you are not alone. more

New Zealand’s Top-Level Domain Manager Seeking New Registry Service Provider for .nz

The manager for .nz announced today that they have launched a registry replacement process and are calling for expressions of interest from potential service providers by November 29th. more

Cybercriminals Weaponize Bulk-Registered Domain Names

Domain names that can be rapidly acquired, used in an attack, and abandoned before they can be traced are a critical resource for cybercriminals. Some attacks, including spam and ransomware campaigns and criminal infrastructure operation (e.g., "botnets"), benefit particularly from the ability to rapidly and cheaply acquire very large numbers of domain names – a tactic known as bulk registration. more

Key Success Factors for Top-Level Domains: An Evaluation Grid

It isn't always easy to explain the whys and wherefores of domain name market trends. Major indicators such as growth are usually generalised, given that they are based on data common to all stakeholders, but the causes behind fluctuations are hard to pin down. And structural causes need to be separated from cyclical ones, which may be the source of major variations, as was the case with the domaining waves in China, without actually reflecting long-term market trends. more

Dead Ends: The Achievement of Consensus in UDRP Jurisprudence

Like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is consensus-driven; from the bottom up, not the top down. The result is a jurisprudence of domain names that develops in common-law fashion through Panel decisions that over time and through "deliberative conversations" among panelists resolve into consensus. more

Legacy TLD .ORG Takes On New Branding Focus as Part of a New Transformative Journey, Says PIR

Public Interest Registry (PIR), the non-profit organization in charge of operating the 34-year-old legacy top-level domain .ORG on Tuesday revealed a new global brand, including a new visual identity and a new website named TheNew.org. more

Corporate Domain Name Management Becoming More Difficult – Is Anyone Surprised?

Brandsight recently concluded their Third Annual Domain Management Survey. Designed to uncover issues of greatest concern to corporate domain name professionals, the survey was sent to more than 300 companies. The companies that responded spanned all verticals, ranging from financial services to high-tech to consumer packaged goods. Of those that responded, 18% had portfolios smaller than 500 domains... more

How Domain Data Helps Thwart BEC Fraud

It's true, domain data has many practical uses that individuals and organizations may or may not know about. But most would likely be interested in how it can help combat cyber threats, which have been identified as the greatest risks businesses will face this year. Dubbed as the greatest bane of most organizations today, cybersecurity can actually be enhanced with the help of domain data. How? more