Subscribe to RSS Feed

02|21|2013 08:54 pm EDT

Uniregistry prepares for new gTLDs, sets up new retail registrar: Uniregistrar

by Frank Michlick in Categories: new gTLDs

Tags: , , , , , ,

Frank Schilling’s new gTLD play Uniregistry becomes ICANN accredited and launches their retail registrar, Uniregistrar.

Uniregistrar completed their accreditation earlier this month. The name and site clearly identifies it as being associated with Frank Schilling’s Uniregistry that is applying for 54 new gTLDs.

The new site states:

Uniregistrar is a new ICANN accredited registrar designed to let you create domain names in the new top level domain extensions offered by Uniregistry.

Beginning in 2014 anyone will be able to create and manage their domain names using the simple site we plan to create here. The names offered by Uniregistrar will be shorter, clearer, easier to use and manage than the .com .net or .org names you know from the past.

We think you’re going to like the names we have to offer and we look forward to serving you. Check back with us later this year as a new site gets created at this location.

With this move the registry operator and new gTLD applicant is one of the first of the new entries that is making it clear that they will be operating their own retail registrar.

“Vertical Integration” (registries that own/operate registrars) has been a long and ongoing issue at ICANN, but in late 2010 the board decided that registries are indeed allowed to own registrars. One of the other applicants, Demand Media, recently increased the reach of their retail channel recently by buying the retail registrar name.com.

02|14|2013 12:36 pm EDT

Luxemburg based IRIS buys 25 .XXX Domains from ICM Registry for $180,000

by Frank Michlick in Categories: Domain Sales, Up to the Minute

Tags: , , , , , , ,

ICM Registry, the registry operator for the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) exclusively used for online adult entertainment, announces today that IRIS SARL, based in Luxembourg, has secured an additional 25 Premium Domains in a deal worth $185,000.  This is the second significant order from IRIS who previously acquired $650,000 of premium names back in September 2012.

The new .XXX names include singles.xxx, sexvideos.xxx, adultchat.xxx and many more popular niche sectors of the adult market.

The Chairman of IRIS commented.” We have spent several months analyzing the key adult search terms and with our SEO experts and have chosen a further 25 Premium XXX names that are highly popular adult search terms. In addition, the recent changes by Google have seen a dramatic increase in traffic to our other .XXX sites and this is without doubt, a solid investment in the future”

Steve Winyard, ICM Registry Vice President, added, “IRIS have been diligent in their approach to launching their initial sites and have some leading technology and ideas which will make a huge impact when launched. We are once again delighted with this further investment and will work to support them and introduce them to the very best partners we know, in order to help them achieve their goals.

[via Press Release]

01|11|2013 02:54 pm EDT

Why did publication.com not drop today?

by Frank Michlick in Categories: Registries

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

The name publication.com was scheduled to be deleted today and had a large number of interest with the various backorder platforms – for example over 170 bidders at Namejet and pre-bids over $3,000. The drop just completed, yet the name was not deleted.

[Update]: The deletion was apparently prevented with a court order against VeriSign (VRSN).

Here is the whois as it was displayed earlier today:

Domain Name: PUBLICATION.COM
Registrar: DOMAIN.COM, LLC
Whois Server: whois.domain.com
Referral URL: http://www.domain.com
Name Server: NS1.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS2.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS6.NAC.NET
Status: pendingDelete
Updated Date: 05-jan-2013
Creation Date: 24-oct-1995
Expiration Date: 23-oct-2012

However when we checked the domain name during the early drop, it had been redeemed – something that I didn’t think was possible when a domain is in “pending-delete” status.

Domain Name: PUBLICATION.COM
Registrar: DOMAIN.COM, LLC
Whois Server: whois.domain.com
Referral URL: http://www.domain.com
Name Server: NS1.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS2.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS6.NAC.NET
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 11-jan-2013
Creation Date: 24-oct-1995
Expiration Date: 23-oct-2013

If you check the domain name now, it has been renewed by another five years. Judging from our records, the update happened after 2pm EST, while the drop was running already:

Domain Name: PUBLICATION.COM
Registrar: DOMAIN.COM, LLC
Whois Server: whois.domain.com
Referral URL: http://www.domain.com
Name Server: NS1.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS2.NAC.NET
Name Server: NS6.NAC.NET
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Updated Date: 11-jan-2013
Creation Date: 24-oct-1995
Expiration Date: 23-oct-2018

DNN has reached out to VeriSign for comment.

05|31|2012 01:46 pm EDT

New TLDs: DirectI Forms Radix, Applies for 31 new TLDs

by Frank Michlick in Categories: new gTLDs

Tags: , , , , , ,

Despite ICANN’s “reveal day” where the list of new TLD applications received will be published being scheduled only for June 13th, many of the applicants feel it’s appropiate to reveal their applications today – a day after the TLD Application Window closed.

The DirectI group of companies applied for a total of 31 generic and industry vertical TLDs, paying close to $6 million dollars in application fees.  The company created a new subsidiary called “Radix” to submit the application for the following TLDs:

web, .shop, .bank, .law, .music, .news, .blog, .movie, .baby, .store, .doctor, .hotel, .play, .home .site, .website, .click, .online, .one, .ping, .space, .world, .press, .chat, .city, .deals, .insurance .loans, .app, .host, and .hosting

 

 

 

See the full press release after the jump.

(more…)

04|25|2012 02:35 pm EDT

ICANN Public Comment Period for .com Registry Agreement with Verisign ends Tomorrow

by Frank Michlick in Categories: ICANN / Policy

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The ICANN public comment period for the .com Registry Agreement renewal with VeriSign ends tomorrow on Thursday April 26th at 23:59 UTC.

You can submit comments via to com-renewal@icann.org. In the second “reply” phase replies to the comments can be submitted limited to those who commented in the first phase – this phase will end on May 17th 2012.

The 14 comments submitted to date can be read on the site here.

The proposed agreement suggests to keep the .COM contract with VeriSign without opening it to competitive bidding, a process that when done with the .NET registry in 2005 resulted in lower .NET registry pricing ($5.89 per Domain Name Year). The proposed extension would allow VeriSign to increase registrations fees by 7% in four of the next six years, potentially bringing up the price from the current $7.85 to $10.29 by 2016.

In case some of you feel strongly about the anti-competitive nature of the .com renewal, you may also want to consider a submission to the US Department of Justice.

[Hat tip to George Kirikos]

04|18|2012 11:54 am EDT

15 Million .DE Domain Names Registered

by Frank Michlick in Categories: ccTLDs, Up to the Minute

Tags: , , , ,

As per a press release sent out by DENIC, the German .DE registry operator, the 15th million .DE domain was registered today at 12:56pm central European time. The domain was “floristennetzwerk.de” (which translates to FloristNetwork.de).

See the full press release after the jump.

(more…)

02|23|2012 01:28 pm EDT

.DE Registry Publishes Image Video

by Frank Michlick in Categories: Registries

Tags: , , , ,

Denic e.G., the German registry operator for .DE, has published a new image video on Youtube yesterday.

The German version of the video has attracted a large number of negative comments to date – what do you think of the video?

01|25|2012 02:58 pm EDT

Sedo and .ME Registry Partner to Auction .me Domain Names

by NewsDesk Editor in Categories: Domain Sales

Tags: , , , ,

Sedo today announced an exclusive auction of premium .ME domain names. The company has successfully brokered the sale of more than 1,000 .ME domain names, totaling nearly two million U.S. dollars, including such premier names as Business.Me for €40,000, and online meeting platform Join.Me for $45,000. Global brands such as WordPress (wp.me), Facebook (FB.Me), Porsche (Porsche.Me) and Yahoo (ME.Me) have taken advantage of the .ME domain name extension.

Running in partnership with the .ME registry, Domain.Me, the auction begins on February 2, 2012 and runs until February 9, 2012. The auction will include a wide range of prices and a unique selection of premium .ME domain names such as:

The complete list of .ME domain names available for auction on Sedo.com can be found at http://www.sedo.com/ME.

Disclaimer: Managing Editor Frank Michlick of DNN also is working as a consultant for SedoMLS.

09|02|2011 09:55 am EDT

.FR Registry, AFNIC, Celebrates 25th Anniversary

by Frank Michlick in Categories: ccTLDs

Tags: , , , , , ,


The .FR registry AFNIC, is celebrating their 25th anniversary today. As a birthday present to itself, the company has updated its logo, webdesign, anniversary magazine  and is launching a contest “The French Connection” that rewards five .FR websites to “showcase the best Internet experiences in .fr domain names“.

The highlight of the program will be a special event held on 11 October on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower with the French internet community to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the .fr namespace. There will an award ceremony for the winners of the contest, at which more than 300 guests are expected.

[via Press Release]

03|03|2011 02:33 am EDT

.AU Registry Finds Reseller and Registrar in Breach for Spamming

by Frank Michlick in Categories: Up to the Minute

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

auDA, the .AU domain administrator, has recently found that a reseller for the NetRegistry Group, NetAlliance Pty Ltd trading as NetFleet, has breached the .au Domain Name Suppliers’ Code of Practice (2004-04) by mass emailing 1,200 clients of another .AU drop catching service (Dark Blue Sea owned drop.com.au). The email addresses had apparently been collected from whois.

According to the ruling, the actions of the reseller caused the accredited registrar, TPP Internet to be in breach of their accreditation agreement.

To rectify the breach, NetFleet and TPP Internet have undertaken to destroy or permanently erase all records of any information including, without limitation, any domain name or registrant contact record obtained as a result of the breach.

In addition, NetFleet personnel must undertake auDA policy training, and the company must conduct a comprehensive review of all its procedures and systems to ensure compliance with its obligations

[Ed. Granted, this may not be exactly "up to the minute", as this happened on Feb 24th, 2011]

[via auDA]