Home Blog Page 232

Afternic Adds 2 Step Verification

Elliot Silver
-
3

Last Summer, I wrote an article imploring Afternic to enable customers to add two factor verification to their accounts. The added security measure is necessary because if a customer’s account was compromised, the bad actor could reduce the price on a Fast Transfer eligible domain name, allowing it to be sold and transferred at a much lower price than its valuation.

Earlier today, Afternic announced that customers can now add a second layer of security on their account. The Two Step Verification option is now available for all customers to enable within their accounts. The email that was sent, which I posted below, includes instructions on how to set up 2 factor authentication.

I strongly urge Afternic customers to set this up ASAP:

Read More

Details About NameBio Sale

Elliot Silver
-
16

NameBio is the most comprehensive source of historical domain name sales data. The website was founded in 2006, and the website and database was acquired by Adam Strong in 2010. In 2015, Michael Sumner came on board as a partner, and many new features were launched. In 2019, NameBio began offering a more robust search experience for paying customers.

I recently learned that NameBio changed hands. Adam has retained a minority stake in the business and will remain an advisor with the company. Michael Sumner and Anuj Bahl will continue to operate NameBio, and they have brought on Kevin Ohashi. Financial details about the deal are not being shared.

Read More

ICA to Host Event With UDRP Panelist Georges Nahitchevansky

Elliot Silver
-
1

The Internet Commerce Association (ICA) is hosting a member-only event that I think will be of interest to domain investors, myself included. Georges Nahitchevansky, an Intellectual Property Attorney at the Kilpatrick Townsend law firm. Notably, Mr. Nahitchevansky is also a UDRP panelist who has served on several notable UDRP cases, including the recent Picture.com decision.

The virtual ICA member event will be held on June 9, 2021 from 12:30 pm ET to 2:00 pm ET via Zoom. The format of this event will be a discussion with ICA General Counsel Zak Muscovitch, who has represented many clients in the defense of their domain names.

Read More

Loss of Personal Domain Name Can Lead to Impersonation

Elliot Silver
-
1

Losing control of a domain name due to expiration is something every domain registrant should fear. Domain investors tend to have a solid handle on domain name renewals, but the continued flow of solid domain names at expiry auction platforms like GoDaddy Auctions and NameJet illustrate how frequently good domain names expire.

Nick Grossman is a Partner at Union Square Ventures (USV). For many years, Nick operated a blog on his first+last name .IS domain name. .IS is the ccTLD for the country of Iceland. The domain name accidentally expired, and it was grabbed by a third party. Nick was able to register and use NickGrossman.XYZ, but he faced an issue that I don’t recall hearing about in the past:

Read More

Rid.com UDRP: Complaint Rejected

Elliot Silver
-
5

A UDRP was filed against the valuable Rid.com domain name at the ADR Center of the Czech Arbitration Court (CAC). The three member panel unanimously ruled in favor of the domain registrant, and the complaint was rejected. The domain registrant was represented by attorney Zak Muscovitch of Muscovitch Law P.C. Zak also serves as General Counsel of the ICA trade organization.

The complainant in this UDRP was Oystershell Consumer Health, Inc. This company acquired the RID lice treatment brand from Bayer Health in July of 2020. The domain registrant acquired Rid.com at auction in 2008. Not only is Rid.com valuable because it is a 3 letter .com domain name, but it is also a one word .com domain name. In my view, Rid.com is easily worth six figures retail.

One reason the complainant filed the UDRP to get the Rid.com domain name is because it believes it is “essential to the further development of the brand outside of the US.” I think the domain registrant’s rebuttal to this was stellar: “merely being covetous of a Domain Name does not warrant transfer pursuant to the UDRP.”

In ruling in favor of the domain registrant, the panel reaffirmed the rights of domain registrants to acquire and own domain names as investments. I thought this excerpt is particularly noteworthy:

Read More

Newfold Digital Brand Launch

Elliot Silver
-
5

Newfold Digital is the company that was formed when the Endurance group of companies merged with the Web.com group of companies. Newfold Digital now operates domain investor facing brands like Network Solutions, Register.com, NameJet, Snapnames, BigRock, BuyDomains, and several other brands.

This afternoon, the company introduced a new corporate logo and identity. In addition, a video was shared to introduce people to the Newfold Digital brand, which I embedded below:

More information about the company and its branding can be found in the press release that was shared with me today:

Read More
1...231232233...1,573Page 232 of 1,573