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
ICA to Participate in Emergency Summit
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.
Internet Commerce Association Membership
In an effort to promote transparency, the Internet Commerce Association has revealed its membership directory. The membership is beginning to take shape as a “Who’s Who” in the domain investment and developer community. As the Internet Commerce Association is able to continue to spread their message, I think the membership will continue to expand. I still believe the ICA is the only trade group that is looking after the rights of domain registrants.
Domain Industry Tsunami
In 2004, Thailand, Indonesia, and nine other countries suffered one of the deadliest natural disasters in history, when a tsunami killed well over 200,000 people. Thousands of tourists and other people in the area were killed when an unexpected giant wave quickly swept onto land and through their villages. There were just a few seconds available to decide whether to climb a tree, enter a building with a solid foundation, or run as fast as possible to beat the wave. Many who made the wrong decision died while trying to survive. It was a terrible tragedy, and the affected areas are still in the process of recovering three years later.
An interesting thing happened just moments before the tsunami reached land that saved countless lives. As the ocean began to recede, many natives who saw this began running in the opposite direction. They grabbed their children, warned their friends, and they booked it as fast as they could run, leaving most of their possessions behind. They knew that a receding ocean meant a tsunami was about to devastate their area, and they didn’t stick around to see what would happen. They grabbed what they could and took cover as far away as their legs could take them in the five minutes they had.
While changes to the domain industry certainly are not
Rick's Last Blog Post
Rick posted that yesterday’s blog post will be his last. While Rick offers some poignant thoughts, I think one of the comments on his blog post sums things up best:
“I hope you all realize what is going on here. The message should be loud and clear. Rick has been warning everybody all year to help him mount a defense against what is coming. Very few are paying attention, and very few are helping him build the fort to protect against the coming invaders. So, rather than waste is time blogging to people who don’t listen, he is leaving us to fend for ourselves and he will use his new found time to mount his own defense (probably by developing some of his domains and selling others). We have lost our visionary and a big industry voice.
WAKE UP PEOPLE! Rick stops blogging, Frank stops blogging, Yahoo kills arbitrage, Ask/Google, Snowe Bill.
The writing is on the wall.
Fast forward to 2010 and do a “Where are They Now” on the domainers of yesteryear. Some will have cashed out and be wealthy and happily retired. Some will have developed domains into businesses worth millions or maybe even billions. Most, however, will be EMPLOYEES working for a BOSS, wasting their hours thinking about the good old days and wondering what went wrong.” – Posted by: Robert Pearl
Everyone really needs to think about what is going on here. Our industry is changing. We had a much better chance a year ago when Rick first started discussing the problems that were on the horizon. They are no longer on the horizon – they are here. I hope it isn’t too late.