After The Gold Rush: Domain Names Have Lost Their Glitter

When it comes to investing, I’m what financial advisers somewhat derisively call “risk averse.” But in all modesty, I just have this knack for woulda coulda shoulda. My latest involves the subject of buying domain names. Specifically, I shoulda registered the domain name VacationRentals.com, not too long ago, because I coulda sold it to HomeAway in 2007 for $35 million. Had I done that, today I might be negotiating the purchase of a Paris apartment and planning my next private jet vacation, instead of figuring out how to fit my…

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ICANN and Your Internet Abuse

In spite of the material we were presented with in Durban something has gone very wrong inside of ICANN Compliance. KnujOn has published a report which demonstrates that ICANN Compliance appears to completely collapse between September 2012 and December 2012. Following December 2012, ICANN seems to stop responding to or processing any complaints. It is around this time certain compliance employees start disappearing. This was not limited to the Sydney office as some would have us believe, all while we have been given assurances the compliance team was being ramped…

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Zodiac Prepares for Chinese New gTLDs, Announces “Chinese Advisory Services” for New gTLD Applicants

April 02, 2013, Zodiac Holdings Limited (“Zodiac”), the largest Chinese TLD applicant, is pleased to announce that 6 of its new gTLD applications have successfully passed the Initial Evaluation. The results for八卦 (gossip) and 集团 (conglomerate) were announced on March 23, 2013 and 网店 (online shop), 商城 (mall), 我爱你 (i-love-you) and 娱乐 (entertainment) were announced on March 30, 2013. “Applications that pass Initial Evaluation may be eligible to proceed to contracting with the execution of the Registry Agreement as early as 23 April 2013.”, according to ICANN. Zodiac looks forward to…

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