YouTube.mobi…

…doesn’t have videos because Google doesn’t own it. If you want to visit YouTube on your mobile browser, you need to visit m.YouTube.com. I don’t understand why a major registry like .mobi (or any other new registry) would sell a clear trademark domain name to a private domain investor. In my opinion, a registry needs the leading companies (like Google/YouTube) to market their websites using these new extension in order for people to adopt, which would lead to the growth of the registry.
YouTube.mobi would have been the perfect way to show that Google had confidence in .mobi. Now, if a savvy web browser tries to visit YouTube on his browser using .mobi, he will be left with a website with no videos. Why haven’t they filed a UDRP or an injunction to stop the owner from using their trademark to get this important domain name? One reason can be seen in this article found in the Yahoo Tech Ticker. For comparison purposes, Google owns the rights to YouTube.tv, YouTube.asia, YouTube.me, YouTube.eu and many other newer TLD.
The point of this is to basically say that while I do believe that relevant domain names in alternative extensions are good if they make sense, I also think you need to consider exactly which extension to purchase. You need to see whether consumers are really adopting the extension, which would add value to your brand and domain investment. Also,
Likewise, the registries need to do all they can to make sure consumers adopt their brands. Consumer adoption will lead to investor adoption, and more domain names will be sold if people use them. When speculators own and don’t develop the prime domain names of a particular extension, consumers can’t adopt. If consumers can’t or won’t adopt, the domain names aren’t really worth much. The only sales will be to other investors, and eventually the bubble bursts when new money isn’t invested.

Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

3 COMMENTS

  1. Elliot,
    I respect you and your blog, but lets discuss facts…as unpleasant as they are for both sides.
    YouTube.mobi is in the hands of a TradeMark holder. But it is not the YouTube as we know it.
    Here is the domain information:
    Domain ID:D97971-MOBI
    Domain Name:YOUTUBE.MOBI
    Created On:19-Sep-2006 04:44:58 UTC
    Last Updated On:13-Feb-2008 01:26:22 UTC
    Expiration Date:19-Sep-2008 04:44:58 UTC
    Trademark Name:youtube
    Trademark Country:CN
    Trademark Number:20738014
    Date Trademark Applied For:2000-01-01
    Date Trademark Registered:2002-03-05
    Please note that the trademark was applied for 2000 and awarded in 2002. All of this predates Google’s acquisition of YouTube.
    Not only that, but one would have to wonder about who predates who but this should clear it up:
    “YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. YouTube was created in mid-February 2005 by three former PayPal employees…”
    wikipedia.org (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube)
    I understand your concern (?) when I read “I don’t understand why a major registry like .mobi (or any other new registry) would sell a clear trademark domain name to a private domain investor”. But do we know that to be a private domain investor? Regardless, there is a legitimate trademark on file. It just does not happen to be the YouTube conglomeration we think it is. Or as much as I would like it to be.
    Unfortunately, Google appears to not have applied for the domain during the Sunrise period. On this matter, I do fault mTLD for not having done their PR effort to create awareness and market these to those that would use them to enhance the marketability of the extensions.
    Recently, the domain America.mobi came up for auction from a private individual. One would think that this certainly would be a reserved or premium name. And it is. It was.
    But it is also in the hands of the trademark holder. Or should I say one of 7,750 US trademark holders. I had the pleasure of speaking to the owner on the phone. He is an extremely nice young guy study to be a lawyer (patent and TM attorney of all things). He is a computer whiz. When he was in high school, he developed a program that is essentially a search engine comparable to the likes of Google and Yahoo. This was nearly 10 years ago. He won an national competition was sponsored by the likes of Intel and Microsoft. It was those companies who told him he needed to patent and TM his software. For the lack of not knowing what to call it, he called it AMERICA. Thus the TM filed and granted.
    In essence, we could easily claim that the soft rock group America owns rights to this or any of the 7,748 claimants.
    But, the bottom line, this young man applied for it based on his TM and the domain was granted to him.
    So it is not so much of an issue who deserves what or who should get what…it is who applied with the proper credentials and verifiable documentation.
    I hate to think that YouTube.mobi will lie dormant or not become what we know it can be. I equally hate that I could not buy the domain America.mobi for a superb mobile portal.
    But that is the reality of this matter. The domains I speak of are in the hands of legitimate trademark owners. They don’t have to be where we “think” they belong.
    On another note, hope you had a blissful honeymoon.
    And, it appears you are getting a good stock of geo’s along with some neat keyword domains. More importantly…SITES!
    I love it when words become more than just words.

  2. Elliot,
    Its an interesting topic that you raise and a question that we receive directly from time to time. For that reason, I’d like to clarify a few issues and help explain dotMobi’s position.
    I am in complete agreement that there is nothing more frustrating than coming across a great brand-related domain name and discovering that it is not owned by the associated company, rather a third party whose intentions may be somewhat dubious. However, it is a common misconception that Registries are able to step in with a big stick, rescue that domain and hand it over to the rightful owner.
    Firstly, as a Registry, we sell our .mobi domains via Registrars and not directly to consumers. Therefore, we have no visibility of who is actually buying the domains until the deed is done. Even if we were able to pick up on a questionable registration after the fact by scanning the records, we are limited in what we can do.
    The UDRP process, a process which all ICANN accredited Registries and Registrars follow, is in place for those parties who feel that their trademark rights have been violated – it is not in place for the Registries to take action. Nor could we file an injunction as we would have to hold trademark rights in the name itself. Unfortunately, we cannot fight trademark battles for others.
    dotMobi had a comprehensive programme in place before and during its launch period to protect the rights of the IP and trademark community. We arguably did more than any other Registry at that time – that is because Registries learn from each other and we learnt from those that went before us. Prior to our launch, we engaged in extensive brand and trademark outreach. We were on the road speaking to professionals in that industry, publishing articles and working in tandem with our corporate Registrars in particular, raising awareness of dotMobi’s upcoming launch and educating others not just about the importance of brand protection but also the value proposition around our domain.
    dotMobi then launched a four month Sunrise registration period, giving priority rights to trademark holders before opening up for general registration. Only those trademark holders that met the publicized trademark cut-off date were able to apply and that date was in place to circumvent the huge number of expedited trademarks that were approved in anticipation of the .eu launch. dotMobi also had a special Sunrise challenge period which lasted for 6 months. During this time, trademark holders could apply to the World Intellectual Property Organization if they felt that a registration had gone through that infringed on their IP rights. Finally, dotMobi also carried out a trademark validation process in liaison with PwC and many fraudulent Sunrise registrations were cancelled as a result.
    Now that this period has passed and we are in general registration, we are left with the UDRP process (as is standard for all TLDs) which more than adequately caters for those with trademark disputes. dotMobi is a Registry, not a body of trademark professionals, and it is not our job to be the trademark police however blatantly a case of cybersquatting may stare us in the face. We leave it to the experts as is right and proper.
    I hope this helps illustrate how dotMobi carried out its responsibilities to the trademark community and helps clarify the role of Registries.
    I wish you every continued success with your blog Elliot.
    Thank you.
    Caroline Greer
    DotMobi

  3. youtube.mobi will be youtube’s if they really want it… a little legal pressure will do the trick
    but yeah, why would the people who own .mobi even make it difficult for youtube to get that domain? to make money?

Comments are closed.

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