About Mark Jeftovic
I live in Toronto, Canada with my wife and daughter, I'm the founder and president of easyDNS.com - the DNS hosting provider & domain name registrar, a libertarian and former Director to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). In my copious spare time I blog here about doing business on the internet, moderate the ChessForums.org website and play guitar in The Parkdale Hookers, an indie power-pop group who releases all of our music under a creative commons license. I can be emailed at markjr@myprivacy.ca (requires verification) CategoriesQuicksearchArchivesBlog Administration |
Thursday, June 21. 2007Anti-Domain Parking "Petition" an anti-free market nightmareTrackbacks
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Perhaps "Cybersquatting" is a term now too narrowly defined as well...In this case limited to trademark infringements only....rather than all forms of "squatting"
(ie. typo, trademark, keyword, etc...) Domaineering is the web-based marketing business of acquiring and monetizing Internet domain names focusing on their use specifically as an advertising medium rather than primarily speculating on domains as intellectual property investments for resale as in domaining where generating advertising revenue is considered more of a bonus while awaiting a sale. In essence, the domain names function as virtual Internet billboards with generic domain names being highly valued for their revenue generating potential derived from attracting Internet traffic hits. Revenue is earned as potential customers view pay per click ( PPC ) ads or the Internet traffic attracted may be redirected to another website. Hence, the domain name itself is the revenue generating asset conveying information beyond just functioning as a typical web address. As the value here is intrinsically in the domain name and not in a website's products or services, these domains are developed for advertising, ( i.e, "parked" ), and not into "conventional" websites. As with traditional advertising, domaineering is part art and part science. Often to be the most effective as an advertising tool, the domain names and their corresponding landing pages must be engineered or optimized to produce maximum revenue which may require considerable skill and keen knowledge of search engine optimization ( SEO ) practices, marketing psychology and an understanding of the target market audience. Domaineering generally utilizes a firm offering domain parking services to provide the sponsored "feed" of a word or phrase searched for thus creating a mini-directory populated largely by advertisers paying to promote their products and services under a relevant generic keyword domain. Occasionally content is added to develop a functional mini-website. Domaineers contend that their product, i.e., "domain advertising", is a bona fide offering of goods or services in and of itself which provides rights to and legitimate interests in the generic domains they use. This serves as a rebuttal or defense in addressing occasional accusations of cybersquatting. Domaineers and some of those who advertise online using keywords believe domaineering provides a useful, legal and legitimate Internet marketing service while opponents of domaineering decry the practice as increasing the ubiquitous commercialization of the world wide web. Domaineering aka "domain advertising" is practiced by both large organizations which may have registered hundreds or even thousands of domains to individual entrepreneurial minded domaineers who may only own one or a few. The earliest known verifiable identification and defining of domaineering as a distinct Internet advertising practice is attributed to Canadian Professor William Lorenz.
Although you make some good points and I do agree with some of what you've said acquiring a domain for the sole purpose of trading it at an inflated price is absolutely horrible. I'm a conservative and business person and I still find that there is a large imbalance of power that exists in the domain market. People don't acquire business licenses and fictitious business name statements in hopes of reselling it? Nobody sets up an entire corporation with all of the costs involved just in hopes that someone else likes the name. But this is exactly what's happening. Not being able to acquire a certain domain name at the beginning of an entrepreneurial start-up is what decides whether or not you continue in a certain direction with a certain design and certain idea. The right to make something of yourself rests solely in your ability to turn your ideas into reality. If your idea is forced to change indefinitely due to people parking your domains trying to target you with a $2000 markup then nothing will ever get done. Corporations that already exist can use the anti-squatting act, as well as just flat out buy these severely overprice domains. But anyone wanting to start out is left with a huge disadvantage.
I know that people "own" these domains and it becomes their property but as sickening as it sounds, there should be laws put in place to prohibet domain parking. ICANN should be available to notifications that a domain is being misused and should then enact a timeframe where evidence of a legitimate cause for the domain ownership would have to be provided beyond parking it and placing it for sale at a markup. |
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