UDRP Filed Against TheToolShed.com, Owned by NameFind (Updated)

Elliot Silver
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A UDRP has been filed against the generic-sounding domain name, TheToolShed.com. The UDRP was filed at the National Arbitration Forum (NAF), and it is case #1737883. The UDRP was first spotted by UDRPSearch.com.

TheToolshed.com was created in 2003, and the domain name is registered to NameFind, a company that is owned and operated by GoDaddy. A Historical Whois search at DomainTools shows that this domain name was previously owned by Worldwide Media, Inc., the company founded by Michael Berkens. Michael sold the vast majority of his domain name portfolio to GoDaddy at the end of 2015. The Whois History Tool shows that Worldwide Media owned this domain name dating back to 2003.

The domain name is parked with pay per click advertising related to tools. I do not see a price for this domain name at NameFind or Afternic. The PGA recently filed a UDRP against ThePlayers.com, and that UDRP was terminated. The PGA now owns the domain name, so I suspect they were able to reach a deal prior to the decision being rendered. The complicating factor in that case were the golf-related PPC links. In this UDRP, the links are all related to tools, which makes sense because the keywords are “The tool shed”

Because the UDRP was filed at the NAF, the complainant is not yet known because the NAF does not publish that information prior to the decision being announced. The keywords “The Toolshed” seems like a fairly descriptive term, so I won’t know for certain who filed the UDRP until the decision is rendered. A Google search for “The tool shed” shows quite many different websites using that term:

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TrumpCasino.com Expires and Up for Auction (Updated)

Elliot Silver
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The TrumpCasino.com domain name, once owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc., has expired and is on auction at GoDaddy Auctions. The expiration was first reported by Jamie Zoch in a tweet this afternoon (with a link to the auction):

TrumpCasino.com was created back in September of 1998, making it nearly 19 years old. For the last few years, the domain name has been privately registered. Prior to the private registration, the domain name was registered to Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc., according to a DomainTools Historical Whois record. Archive.org shows that this domain name had been forwarding to TrumpCasinos.com, which is also registered to Trump Entertainment Resorts. That domain name has not lapsed.

I think this would be a very risky auction for anyone who wishes to monetize the domain name with advertising (or for someone who wants to sell the domain name). The Trump Organization seems

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GoDaddy: “Steal a Great Domain Name”

Elliot Silver
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It looks like GoDaddy is advertising at Major League Baseball games, and they certainly chose an interesting tagline: “Steal a Great Domain Name.”

Obviously the “steal” call to action is a play on words. A “steal” in baseball is a legal play where a runner moves to another base before he can be thrown out. A “steal” also signifies getting a good deal on something. GoDaddy is not literally suggesting that people “steal” domain names, and I presume their audience of baseball watchers can figure that out.

This sign was spotted by Mike Sallese behind home plate at a New York Yankees game last night played against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. It is important to note that the Yankees have lost 11 of their previous 14 games, and they currently sit behind the American League East leading Boston Red Sox.

Why You Might Get an Erroneous GoDaddy 2FA Message

Elliot Silver
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I have two factor authentication enabled on my GoDaddy accounts, in addition to added layers of security. Whenever I log into one of my accounts, I receive a text message with a security code. This happens both when I login to GoDaddy online and when I call in to speak with a representative.

The other day, I received a two step verification code text message from GoDaddy, despite being away from my office. Concerned that someone had managed to breach my account password, I called my account executive and asked him what triggered the text message. It turns out, my account security was never compromised. Another customer must have called in and and given the customer service representative a domain name my company owns. GoDaddy sent out the 2FA code to verify his identity, and it came to me since the domain name is mine. This prevented the caller from gaining access to my account.

I would imagine this may have had

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GoDaddy Launches Domain Investing Section on Website

Elliot Silver
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GoDaddy has launched a new domain investing section on its website. If you click on the “Domains” drop down menu on GoDaddy’s website, you can see the “Domain Investing” category on the bottom right section (with the word “New” next to it). Clicking on this link takes you to a section of the website that will provide educational materials about domain name investing.

The section was created to help educate people about the business of domain investing. There are a variety of resources and tools referenced within this section of the website. Interestingly, there is also a forum for people to ask questions about domain investing. I do not see this replacing other industry forums, as this seems more geared to helping people who have GoDaddy related questions, although there are plenty of broader, industry-related discussion threads.

GoDaddy’s Joe Styler shared this with me:

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Poll: Do You Use GoDaddy Valuations on Auctions?

Elliot Silver
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I recently wrote about the GoDaddy valuation tool  that was updated a month ago. The algorithm  that powers the tool uses the growing database of Afternic sales to give a valuation of what the algorithm think the domain name is worth. I thought the prior iteration of the tool was pretty worthless because it was only based on traffic and PPC earnings.

Now that the revamped valuation tool has been showing for a month, I am curious about whether others are using it.

When I have the time, I use the valuation tool as a way of sorting auctions. I don’t think I have placed more bids as a result of the tool though. Sometimes it helps me find names I may have missed. One thing the tool has done is made me second guess some names. There have been times I have been thinking about bidding on a name, and I wonder why GoDaddy thinks it has no value. There are other times that I see names with bids and high valuations, and I do a Google search to try and understand why the domain name may have value to bidders.

Do you use GoDaddy’s valuation tool to help you place bids at GoDaddy Auctions? You are welcome to share your feedback if you would like.


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