The Internet Commerce Association has had a busy 2008. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed, and are appreciated by domain owners with portfolios of all sizes. I am proud to support the ICA, and I urge all domain owners to join as members.
The ICA released their 2008 Annual Report today, and it’s important for domain owners to read the report so they can see just how much the ICA has been doing this past year.
ICA Releases Annual Report
TRAFFIC Down Under ICA Auction
TRAFFIC Down Under will hold a charity auction of ten premium domain names with the revenue to be donated to the Internet Commerce Association (ICA), a non-profit advocate for the domain name industry.
The auction will benefit the ICA, a grass roots organization formed to ensure domain services and owners are robustly represented in areas of great risk and importance to the global domain community.
The ICA utilizes dues and contributions to enable activities related to legislative lobbying, regulatory representation, industry public relations, legal test case support, industry publication of statistics and reports, revenue research, and market intelligence. In order for the association to continue and expand its activities, it requires the support and participation from current members and the entire professional domain name community.
We are happy to announce that the top ten domains to be auctioned off are:
LanzaroteCanaryIslands.com – Kevin J. Sinclair
CityChicks.com – Anonymous
FreeRangeFoods.com – Howard Hoffman
AudioCabinets.net – Rick Latona
CarbBlockers.com – Fabulous.com
FranchiseCompany.com – Fabulous.com
BiometricReader.com – Fabulous.com
MovingCosts.com – Fabulous.com
DisplayUnit.com – Fabulous.com
BodybuildingProducts.com – Fabulous.com
These domains are to be auctioned without reserves at the conference Gala Dinner on the 19th November. Rick Latona Auctions has also committed to donate their expertise and time to manage the charity auction.
Kentucky Domain Seizure: Ruling Delayed Until 10/16
According to a post on Poker News Daily, the eagerly anticipated ruling on the fate of 141 gambling domain names that were seized by the state of Kentucky has been delayed until tomorrow. The delayed ruling was attributed to a computer glitch in the presiding judge’s office. This ruling could be impactful to other domain owners – not just the owners of these 141 domain names or even to owners of other gambling domain names. In one way or other, this ruling could have an impact on any domain owner.
At the hearing last week, domain owners were well represented by the Internet Commerce Association.
ICA to Participate in Emergency Summit
News release from MarketWatch:
FRANKFORT, Ky. & WASHINGTON, Oct 03, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The Internet Commerce Association, a non-profit trade organization representing domain name investors and developers and the direct search industry, today announced it will be participating in an emergency Summit on the State of Kentucky’s unprecedented, wrongful seizure of 141 Internet gambling Websites. Hosted by the Blue Grass Institute, the panel discussion will include representatives from the Poker Players Alliance, Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association, and the Americans for Tax Reform organization. The Summit will be held on October 6, 2008.
Who: Michael Collins, executive director, Internet Commerce Association
What: The Summit will focus on reasons why the State of Kentucky’s seizure of 141 Internet gambling was wrong, as it violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Moreover, the state’s action lacks sufficient jurisdictional grounds. While Kentucky certainly has the right to regulate businesses that operate in the state and enforce the law within Kentucky, none of the domain names in the seizure order were registered or operated in Kentucky. The hearing for 141 domain names that Kentucky Governor Beshear ordered seized is scheduled for October 7.
When: The Summit will take place on Monday, October 6th at 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Capital Plaza Hotel-Frankfort, 405 Wilkinson Blvd., Frankfort, KY
How: For more information, please visit: http://www.internetcommerce.org/Kentucky_Seizure_Case_Delayed
ABOUT INTERNET COMMERCE ASSOCIATION
Founded in 2006, Internet Commerce Association (ICA) is a non-profit trade organization representing domain name investors and developers and the direct search industry. ICA is made up of responsible businesses and individuals who have joined together to improve public confidence in internet commerce. Based in Washington D.C., the organization’s mission is to promote and share best practices among participants in the domain name industry and to educate consumers, policy makers, law makers and the media about the value and benefits of direct navigation traffic and the domain name industry. For more information, please visit http://www.internetcommerce.org/.
SOURCE: Internet Commerce Association
LifeInsurancePolicies.com Nets $15k for ICA
An anonymous donor auctioned the domain name LifeInsurancePolicies.com at the TRAFFIC auction, netting $15,000 for the Internet Commerce Association. I didn’t notice this auction benefitted the ICA until this morning, and I wanted to make sure others know about it. Among other things, the ICA is currently assisting domain owners in reversing the Kentucky gambling domain decision.
The domain name VYK.com, which sold for $8,000, was also a donation to the ICA.
Internet Commerce Association Publishes By-Laws
In a great step to bring added transparency to the organization, the Internet Commerce Association published their by-laws on their website today. Many people in the domain investment industry have expressed a desire to see the by-laws prior to joining, and this should help to alleviate some concerns. Knowing Michael Collins (ICA Executive Director), if you have any questions about the by-laws, send him an email and he will be happy to respond.
The by-laws can be seen on the ICA website.