IDNer
2008-06-23, 11:22 AM
Goal: Stop Cybersquatters
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Over-the-Rhine-based advertising firm metaphor went to buy an Internet domain name last winter after a preliminary search found it to be available, but before they could buy it, the name was snatched away by an outfit based in the Bahamas with links to China.
The folks at metaphor could have the domain, the outfit told them, but instead of the normal registration fee of $30-50, it would cost them nearly $30,000.
Rather than giving in, metaphor went about developing a way to keep the growing phenomenon of Internet “idea theft” from happening again – to them or to anyone else. At 12:01 a.m. Monday, the company’s efforts come to fruition with the launch of LiberateDomains.com.
Metaphor says its service is a safer way to quietly check on the availability of domain names – of growing importance for both commercial and personal use as the Internet expands.
“We just want ideas to be free and people to be able to own and profit from their own ideas,” said Troy Davis, chief technology officer for metaphor and editspot, metaphor’s Web publishing subsidiary. “These guys are like bullies, and if no one puts up with their crap, they will eventually go away, and we’re hopefully trying to give people a tool to fight back.”
The launch highlights how crucial Web site names have become for building the brands of companies big and small – especially here in “the cradle of brands” – and even individuals as the Internet becomes more democratized. The issues also hit everyday Web users, who can merely mistype an address only to be bombarded by “spam” sites that feature everything from irrelevant advertising to pornography.
With its new product, metaphor is inserting itself into growing controversy over how the Internet is run and how individuals and companies lock down domains – the basis for the names of Web sites and even companies – and how online operators play the system to cash in on others’ ideas. Their market is any company or individual that wants to safely determine whether a domain name is taken without worry that the idea would be hijacked.
“You really can’t trust anything that you put into your browser anymore,” said Frederick Felman, chief marketing officer for MarkMonitor, a San Francisco-based brand protection agency. “Getting the right Web site is a huge issue, and why we see ridiculous names on the Web now – with companies coming up with names that sound like a noise you make when you’re sleeping – there aren’t any other good ones out there.”
More than 162 million new “domains” – the name under which a Web site and e-mail server operate – were created in the first quarter of this year alone, up 26 percent from the same period last year, according to a report by Verisign, a major player in the domain industry. And growing by 40 percent were instances of “cyber-squatting” – the practice of buying a domain name that is a registered trademark for someone else – according to a MarkMonitor survey.
What happened to metaphor wasn’t technically “cyber-squatting” and was not illegal, as is the other practice. It is called “front-running,” and it is starting to cause major havoc, Felman says.
“The big companies are buying up whole blocks of names that are associated with the actual name or just close in spelling, just to get around this,” Felman said, adding that the economic impact of such practices could range in the millions or billions.
Metaphor officials would not disclose the domain name they were hoping to register, which is associated with editspot, saying they still want the name but were negotiating with Nassau-based Wan-Fu China Ltd.
Efforts to reach Wan-Fu were unsuccessful, but a Web search indicated that it had been cited several times for improper conduct by the international governing board that oversees Internet naming issues.
Davis says metaphor’s new program – which is being launched on the 25th anniversary of the program that changed the Internet from a number-based to a word-based system – is open-sourced and verifiable, making searches for possible names more secure.
“We’re not going to hide how it operates, and we’re taking every reasonable effort we can to prevent ourselves or others from snooping on the process,” Davis said.
Originally intended as purely an in-house tool, the first version was “originally just hacked together” by Davis and his team. But metaphor chief executive Ran Mullins immediately saw the potential of a commercial launch.
As for how the other company came to get the name after metaphor conducted its preliminary search, Davis is suspicious.
That original search went through well-known domain registrar Network Solutions, which registers domain names on behalf of companies and individuals. A company spokeswoman said that it never purposely leaks any names that have been searched but not registered to such companies and points out that there are major Internet security leaks all over the world.
Regardless of who was to blame, Davis and Mullins are focused on making sure it doesn’t happen again.
“We know what these guys are doing, which is sucking the blood out of the business world,” Davis said. “Now, we’re saying to them that we’re going to get around you.”
http://news.enquirer.com
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The Over-the-Rhine-based advertising firm metaphor went to buy an Internet domain name last winter after a preliminary search found it to be available, but before they could buy it, the name was snatched away by an outfit based in the Bahamas with links to China.
The folks at metaphor could have the domain, the outfit told them, but instead of the normal registration fee of $30-50, it would cost them nearly $30,000.
Rather than giving in, metaphor went about developing a way to keep the growing phenomenon of Internet “idea theft” from happening again – to them or to anyone else. At 12:01 a.m. Monday, the company’s efforts come to fruition with the launch of LiberateDomains.com.
Metaphor says its service is a safer way to quietly check on the availability of domain names – of growing importance for both commercial and personal use as the Internet expands.
“We just want ideas to be free and people to be able to own and profit from their own ideas,” said Troy Davis, chief technology officer for metaphor and editspot, metaphor’s Web publishing subsidiary. “These guys are like bullies, and if no one puts up with their crap, they will eventually go away, and we’re hopefully trying to give people a tool to fight back.”
The launch highlights how crucial Web site names have become for building the brands of companies big and small – especially here in “the cradle of brands” – and even individuals as the Internet becomes more democratized. The issues also hit everyday Web users, who can merely mistype an address only to be bombarded by “spam” sites that feature everything from irrelevant advertising to pornography.
With its new product, metaphor is inserting itself into growing controversy over how the Internet is run and how individuals and companies lock down domains – the basis for the names of Web sites and even companies – and how online operators play the system to cash in on others’ ideas. Their market is any company or individual that wants to safely determine whether a domain name is taken without worry that the idea would be hijacked.
“You really can’t trust anything that you put into your browser anymore,” said Frederick Felman, chief marketing officer for MarkMonitor, a San Francisco-based brand protection agency. “Getting the right Web site is a huge issue, and why we see ridiculous names on the Web now – with companies coming up with names that sound like a noise you make when you’re sleeping – there aren’t any other good ones out there.”
More than 162 million new “domains” – the name under which a Web site and e-mail server operate – were created in the first quarter of this year alone, up 26 percent from the same period last year, according to a report by Verisign, a major player in the domain industry. And growing by 40 percent were instances of “cyber-squatting” – the practice of buying a domain name that is a registered trademark for someone else – according to a MarkMonitor survey.
What happened to metaphor wasn’t technically “cyber-squatting” and was not illegal, as is the other practice. It is called “front-running,” and it is starting to cause major havoc, Felman says.
“The big companies are buying up whole blocks of names that are associated with the actual name or just close in spelling, just to get around this,” Felman said, adding that the economic impact of such practices could range in the millions or billions.
Metaphor officials would not disclose the domain name they were hoping to register, which is associated with editspot, saying they still want the name but were negotiating with Nassau-based Wan-Fu China Ltd.
Efforts to reach Wan-Fu were unsuccessful, but a Web search indicated that it had been cited several times for improper conduct by the international governing board that oversees Internet naming issues.
Davis says metaphor’s new program – which is being launched on the 25th anniversary of the program that changed the Internet from a number-based to a word-based system – is open-sourced and verifiable, making searches for possible names more secure.
“We’re not going to hide how it operates, and we’re taking every reasonable effort we can to prevent ourselves or others from snooping on the process,” Davis said.
Originally intended as purely an in-house tool, the first version was “originally just hacked together” by Davis and his team. But metaphor chief executive Ran Mullins immediately saw the potential of a commercial launch.
As for how the other company came to get the name after metaphor conducted its preliminary search, Davis is suspicious.
That original search went through well-known domain registrar Network Solutions, which registers domain names on behalf of companies and individuals. A company spokeswoman said that it never purposely leaks any names that have been searched but not registered to such companies and points out that there are major Internet security leaks all over the world.
Regardless of who was to blame, Davis and Mullins are focused on making sure it doesn’t happen again.
“We know what these guys are doing, which is sucking the blood out of the business world,” Davis said. “Now, we’re saying to them that we’re going to get around you.”
http://news.enquirer.com