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Don’t Buy Brandable Trademark Domains!

Elliot Silver
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12

A few days ago, I received an email from someone who is new to the domain industry who asked me for my opinion on some of his 200 domain names. He started out buying domain names in the past year, and probably has spent in the ballpark of $2,000 on his domain investments. I won’t reveal any more details about the person or his names because the details don’t really matter, but most of his names were call to action domain names involving trademarks.

In the email to me, this person mentioned Rick Schwartz’s sale of iReport.com to CNN as a reason that he registered some of the names. I replied to this person with my advice, and I think it could be beneficial to others who have similar names or have considered purchasing similar names.

“The reason Rick sold iReport.com to CNN for so much was that they had already created the brand on their site, and they needed the domain name to expand.   Rick didn’t buy ireport.com to sell it to them, or else they probably would have sued him rather than try to buy it.

As someone who worked at an ad agency for a couple of years, I can tell you that creative directors love coming up with their own ideas, and they would probably not use a slogan that someone else created.   [XYZ Company] probably has an ad agency of record and doesn’t do their own campaigns (although they approve them).

I personally stay away from all trademark related names, because they can be much more trouble than they’re worth. Some people justify buying those that make money with parking pages by making a business decision (revenue outweighs risk). That’s not my game, and I highly doubt any company will pay for a name using their TM if it doesn’t mean anything to them.“

In my opinion, newly registered domain names that contain the name of a popular or well known brand are not of value and can be very risky and have little to no reward whatsoever. Many companies protect their brand names fiercely, and it’s not very likely that a company will buy worthless domain names from a cybersquatter.

While lawsuits involving trademark domain names are more rare than UDRP filings, I would say the likelihood of selling a blatant trademark name that you just registered is probably just as likely as a lawsuit.

Domain Suprise During English Premier League Game

Elliot Silver
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16

Growing up, I loved playing soccer, and I played on organized teams through high school. I never really enjoyed watching soccer on television, because I didn’t follow any teams or players. Lately, I’ve been watching English Premier League football games when I catch them on tv here in the US. This morning, I tuned in to the Arsenal vs. Tottenham game on ESPN2 and was surprised about the domain names I saw advertised.

When I was in the UK (and other European cities), I saw many more ccTLD domain names advertised than anything else. In the UK especially, I saw mostly .co.uk domain names used by advertisers. This morning, I didn’t see a single .co.uk domain name used in the stadium signage or uniforms, and I was very surprised. I know the Premier League is global, but I would have thought there would be more local advertising at the stadium.

Some of the domain names I saw advertised were Arsenal.com, Emirates.com, BarclaysTicketOffice.com (forwards to Barclays.co.uk), NikeFootball.com, PaddyPower.com, and Mansion.com.

I am sure that advertising at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium is very costly, and probably too much for most local companies. However, it was still surprising to see the urls that were used. I would have been less surprised if this was a World Cup game, because those will be truly global, but since it was a EPL game, I was surprised.

Looking Back on Geodomain Names

Elliot Silver
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23

I saw a thread that was rekindled on DomainState that I hadn’t looked at in a number of months. Recent comments seem to indicate that some people believe geodomain values are significantly diminished. For the purposes of this article, I am going to refer strictly to city/state/country/region .com domain names only.

Yes, I believe the value of these domain names (domains only – not websites) are down. As an active buyer and seller, I believe that just about every sector is down right now from last year and the prior year. There are a number of factors that I believe are impacting geodomain name values.

  • Most domain investors who are buying and selling regularly are making less expensive and less risky investments, and geodomain names aren’t in that category. No longer can you go out and buy a $50k geodomain name and then flip it for $75k right away.
  • Geodomain names need to be developed to make good money. I don’t know many people who make significant PPC revenue with geodomain names. I do know many people who make good money with developed geodomain names. Development takes time and costs a quite a bit.
  • Geodomain developers are fortifying and growing their internal businesses right now rather than expanding their reach. Companies are spending more on infrastructure and securing advertising accounts rather than making headway in new markets.
  • All companies are doing what they need to do to survive. It wouldn’t be prudent for a company to expand if it would jeopardize its current financial conditions.

One issue I have is that I am struggling to add advertisers in Burbank on Burbank.com, although I do have advertisers and do get a frequent check from WC Travel (hotel affiliate). I turned down an offer of over $100k for Burbank.com and would turn down the same offer again, despite the fact that it would be a profitable sale. However, if I could find a city .com of equivalent value in Massachusetts – or even New Hampshire, I would be more inclined to work something out.

It should be noted that geodomain names are still as difficult to acquire as ever. Good luck trying to buy a developed name at a “good” price from someone that has already developed it. It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s very easy.Values have decreased because of the economy, which may be contributing to lower advertising sales, but in terms of the reasons why geodomain names have value, little has changed in my opinion.

Yes, undeveloped geodomain names can be had for better prices than last year and the year before, however, geodomain names still command high prices. In case you missed it, Rio.com sold for $450,000 last week, and I know the owner is planning on building a site about Rio de Janeiro.

The bottom line is that prices are down, but I am still buying when I find something that would benefit my business (ie Newburyport.com a few months ago). As a domain investor, I am diversifying my investments, but I have not stopped making solid acquisitions and expanding my business.

Unique Ad Buy – Bloomberg on Twitter

Elliot Silver
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3

Bloomberg on TwitterI was going through my spam email message folder this morning, when I found an email from a colleague asking for an opinion on Twitter user names. I don’t know why it got marked as spam, but it was in there. As you may or may not be aware, Google monetizes all Gmail emails with sponsored links, and I found one that was very interesting when reading this Twitter-related email.

As you can see in the image above, New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is encouraging people to follow his account on Twitter. Not only was Gmail detecting my location via IP address (New York City), but it could also tell that the email was related to Twitter, and it placed a targeted advertisement on top of the spam email.

Over the past several months, my wife an I have received a significant amount of mail from Bloomberg, who is looking to become elected for his third term. He has also taken to the airwaves, bought space in print media, and now is advertising on Adwords to encourage people to follow him on Twitter.

Although I find political advertising to be quite annoying, I think it’s cool to see this integrated marketing campaign.

Rumors from TRAFFIC New York

Elliot Silver
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10

I won’t bore you with the details from TRAFFIC New York since Ron will certainly provide a great recap, and there are a few others covering the event. I want to give you inside access to the conference, and share some rumors I’ve heard over the last couple of days that are probably not true.

– Mike and Judi Berkens brought Bandit, their cute, cancer-survivor dog to the show. Conference organizers required Mike and Judi to pay the full General Admission fee of $1,995. Bandit also spoke on two panels.

– Monte Cahn couldn’t make it to the show because he injured his leg during a dance off with Rick Latona. Rick pulled out a sick move, and Monte tore his ACL – ouch! Now Rick Latona Auctions will be the sole auctioneer at TRAFFIC shows in 2010.

– This was the first TRAFFIC sell-out ever. In attendance, there were 75,000 thought leaders (from 32 countries), 4 heads of state, 48 members of the US congress, 178 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, 8 billionaires, 4 media moguls, professors from 60 universities from around the world, and you. (They were all here to see Owen.)

– Representatives from Microsoft and several other large companies were in attendance with some great branded giveaways. They were handing out official cease and desist letters.

– I almost wasn’t permitted entry to the show. Apparently they have a minimum height requirement. I was also carded at the bar, despite my receding hair line.

– Lonnie Borck didn’t have Internet access during one day of the conference, and sales at Snapnames and NameJet were down 39%.

Moniker Auction to be Held This Afternoon

Elliot Silver
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1

Today is somewhat of a bittersweet day in domain auction history, as it marks the final Moniker Live Auction to be held at a TRAFFIC show for the foreseeable future. Moniker was the pioneer in live domain auctions, and they’ve scored tens of millions of dollars in TRAFFIC auction domain sales over the years.

This afternoon at 4pm EST, Moniker will hold its live auction, with simultaneous bidding online at Snapnames. As you can see, there are some great domain names in the auction. Some of my favorites are bolded below (I have no domain names in the live auction).

10 CollegePrepClasses.com $501-$1000
20 PartTimeHelp.com $1001-$2500
30 CustomBoots.com No Reserve
40 TennisCamp.com $2501 – $5000
50 FramedPrints.com No Reserve
60 IceCreamMaker.com $5,001 – $10,000
70 TattooParlor.com $5,001 – $10,000
80 SchoolDresses.com $1001-$2500
90 ImportedLeather.com $2501 – $5000
100 ImportedMarble.com $2501 – $5000
110 Organic.info $5,001 – $10,000
120 SiliconeGel.com $5,001 – $10,000
130 SwineFlu.net $5,001 – $10,000
140 LNN.com $5,001 – $10,000
150 Business.cm $5,001 – $10,000
160 EnergyDrinks.org No Reserve
170 SportFishingBoat.com $1001-$2500
180 HorrorStories.com $5,001 – $10,000
190 ClothesDryer.com $2501 – $5000
200 SmartLink.com $10,001 – $25,000
210 EScripts.com $10,001 – $25,000
220 Pornos.net $10,001 – $25,000
230 Alimony.org $10,001 – $25,000
240 Aging.com $50,001 – $100,000
250 Minority.com $50,001 – $100,000
260 AutoClassifieds.com $50,001 – $100,000
270 Clarinet.com $50,001 – $100,000
280 NewYorkers.com No Reserve
290 CollegeEducation.com $250,001 – $500,000
300 Dropout.com $10,001 – $25,000
310 HonorRole.com No Reserve
320 Tested.com $2501 – $5000
330 Education.cm $5,001 – $10,000
340 GoodTeachers.com $1001-$2500
350 NYC.info $10,001 – $25,000
360 GraduateClasses.com $501-$1000
370 NewYorkSingles.com $25,001 – $50,000
380 NY.biz No Reserve
390 VD.com $250,001 – $500,000
400 NoseJobs.com $25,001 – $50,000
410 Lung.com $25,001 – $50,000
420 PregnancyCenter.com $25,001 – $50,000
430 Flatulence.com $10,001 – $25,000
440 ChestPains.com $10,001 – $25,000
450 ColdRemedies.com $10,001 – $25,000
460 MedicalPractice.com $5,001 – $10,000
470 ConciergeDoctor.com $1001-$2500
480 H1n1FluVaccines.com $1-$500
490 UsTrademarks.com $5,001 – $10,000
500 TrademarkLawyers.com $5,001 – $10,000
510 DivorcePlanning.com $10,001 – $25,000
520 Mediation.com $100,001 – $250,000
530 Arbitration.com $100,001 – $250,000
540 Zimbabwe.com $100,001 – $250,000
550 SanBernardino.com $50,001 – $100,000
560 CityTour.com $25,001 – $50,000
570 Holiday.org $10,001 – $25,000
580 IsleOfCapri.com $10,001 – $25,000
590 Arizona.info $5,001 – $10,000
600 DiscountAirfares.net $5,001 – $10,000
610 EuropeanVacation.com $2501 – $5000
620 FamilyVacation.com $50,001 – $100,000
630 SeattleRestaurant.com $1001-$2500
640 UsedTools.com $50,001 – $100,000
650 PowerSaws.com $2501 – $5000
660 Saws.com $50,001 – $100,000
670 ComputerRecyclers.com $5,001 – $10,000
680 ComputerChip.com $5,001 – $10,000
690 Hockey.org $10,001 – $25,000
700 DataCenters.com $100,001 – $250,000
710 QB.com $100,001 – $250,000
720 GameTickets.com $50,001 – $100,000
730 VolleyBalls.com $10,001 – $25,000
740 ElectricGolfCarts.com $10,001 – $25,000
750 FishingLine.com $10,001 – $25,000
760 SkiLodge.com $5,001 – $10,000
770 ExerciseClass.com $5,001 – $10,000
780 FantasyStats.com $2501 – $5000
790 GolfCaps.com $1001-$2500
800 OK.biz No Reserve
810 LocalGasPrices.com $5,001 – $10,000
815 Pesos.com $25,001 – $50,000
820 40.com $100,001 – $250,000
830 FreeSex.com $1MM – $5MM
840 ContractorsCoverage.com No Reserve
850 FarmInsurance.com $100,001 – $250,000
860 TermLifeRates.com $2501 – $5000
870 CamperInsurance.com $5,001 – $10,000
880 Insurance.cm $5,001 – $10,000
890 LendMoney.com $1001-$2500
900 FinancialProducts.com $5,001 – $10,000
910 I.biz No Reserve
920 SecondMortgage.com $100,001 – $250,000
930 Townhouses.com $100,001 – $250,000
940 Borrowers.com $25,001 – $50,000
950 MortgageModification.com $10,001 – $25,000
960 FreeEstimate.com $10,001 – $25,000
970 FreeFinancing.com $10,001 – $25,000
980 NewCarQuotes.com $5,001 – $10,000
990 Tube.com $1MM – $5MM
1000 HD.biz No Reserve
1010 TemporaryStorage.com $25,001 – $50,000
1020 CreditTips.com $25,001 – $50,000
1030 BostonTerriers.com $25,001 – $50,000
1040 Debentures.com $25,001 – $50,000
1050 Raspberry.com $25,001 – $50,000
1060 RecipeBooks.com $5,001 – $10,000
1070 EZ.biz No Reserve
1080 CostumeRentals.com $5,001 – $10,000
1090 Vultures.com $25,001 – $50,000
1100 IStream.com $10,001 – $25,000
1110 CollectibleCoins.com No Reserve
1120 Photo.com $1MM – $5MM
1130 PearlEarrings.com $50,001 – $100,000
1140 PetProducts.net $10,001 – $25,000
1150 VoiceNavigation.com $501-$1000
1160 SingleMen.com $100,001 – $250,000
1170 Stuff.com $1MM – $5MM
1180 Introduction.com $100,001 – $250,000
1190 StampCollectors.com $5,001 – $10,000
1200 OfficeSupply.com $500,001 – $750,000
1210 WoolSuits.com $1001-$2500
1220 Maintaining.com $1001-$2500
1230 EBuy.com $250,001 – $500,000
1240 PetBoarding.com $25,001 – $50,000
1250 MultiVitamins.com $25,001 – $50,000
1260 OrganicBabyFood.com $10,001 – $25,000
1270 BrassBeds.com $10,001 – $25,000
1280 OnlineWork.com $5,001 – $10,000
1290 WallOvens.com $2501 – $5000
1300 Originals.com $25,001 – $50,000
1310 StockMarket.info $2501 – $5000
1320 LincolnMemorial.com $2501 – $5000
1330 Loans.dk $1001-$2500
1340 Fail.org $1001-$2500
1350 Stage.com $250,001 – $500,000
1360 WineCellar.com $100,001 – $250,000
1370 SecurityNetwork.com $1001-$2500
1380 EarlyEdition.com $1001-$2500
1390 AfricanAmericans.com $250,001 – $500,000
1400 IBill.com $250,001 – $500,000
1410 MedicalExam.com $25,001 – $50,000
1420 HalloweenParty.com $10,001 – $25,000
1430 NannyCams.com $10,001 – $25,000
1440 WiseMen.com $2501 – $5000
1450 VinylCleaners.com $2501 – $5000
1460 EarnMoney.com $250,001 – $500,000
1470 Bands.com $100,001 – $250,000
1480 HouseRentals.com $100,001 – $250,000
1490 Brakes.net $2501 – $5000

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