CircleID

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End of Domain Name Auction Sites

• Comment posted Dec 22, 2009 4:41 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  ICANN should do something about all these speculators John has a good point. ICANN should at least sponsor a formal discussion on speculation. Can someone tell me why it is OK for ICANN to try to limit domain tasting (not…

• Comment posted Dec 20, 2009 11:39 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  your whole idea would only apply to domains that are dropped and then auctioned off and not the majority of the secondary market. (a) Which “idea” are you referring to? Using eBay or the tax? (b) Why do you think…

• Comment posted Dec 18, 2009 5:21 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  The post notes that not all speculation is useless. Also investment and speculation (especially excessive speculation) are not the same.

• Comment posted Dec 18, 2009 5:11 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  There are strong opinions on both sides of any tax debate. Nonetheless, a lot depends on the fine print. So, I am glad you brought it up. The extra charge on early registrations was a bad instrument to curb speculation…

Unlimited VoIP Offers Starting to Appear in Africa

• Comment posted Dec 07, 2009 11:23 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Does this dampen the demand for IDNs in these countries, as it is easier to talk on the phone than send email? How about reducing potential spam using IDN emails?

Email's Not Dead, Neither is Spam

• Comment posted Nov 13, 2009 6:15 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Besides which, your Mom doesn't have a Twitter account. Your boss isn't going to relay an annual job assessment via Facebook. Your bank isn't sending you a statement to your MySpace page anytime soon, if ever. Thus, maybe we need…

Dot-Biz Saga

• Comment posted Nov 11, 2009 5:06 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Ram, you are correct about the original intended use of “.net.” The name-server information was based on VeriSign's There's more to .net than meets the eye (p. 9), which also confirms your point. Nonetheless, the error does not change anything…

Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail Compromised - But How?

• Comment posted Oct 10, 2009 4:57 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Joseph, Your post underplays the importance of education and ignores risk management. Education on the customer side involves differentiating between phishing and legitimate emails. Phishing solutions and discourse have emphasized the former. Nevertheless, eBay or your bank can legitimately send…

Risk of Portfolio Approach to Cybersquatting

• Comment posted Oct 07, 2009 8:19 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  JD, I should have been more careful. In this context, a portfolio refers to active management of domain names relevant to a brand name. Thus, it is more specific than ownership of a large number of cybersquatting domain names. Active…

DHS Asks Citizens to Practice Good "Cyber Hygiene"

• Comment posted Oct 02, 2009 10:11 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Although education is an important weapon against cyberscrime, it seems that Homeland Security’s online information (http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/gc_1158611596104.shtm#1) is behind the curve. Neither the site nor the references mention vishing, bogus live-chat support (http://www.circleid.com/posts/phishing_attack_attempts_via_bogus_live_chat_support/), or “money mules”! They also ignore other weapons…

Helping Banks Fight Phishing and Account Fraud, Whether They Like It or Not

• Comment posted Aug 24, 2009 11:38 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  OK, the attorney Jon Praed wins. So what? Phishing has become a very complex business, whereby taking-out a phising site is becoming harder and ineffective. The new breed of online criminals are using sophisticaled techniques. One technique uses “Rock Phish”…

Corporate Domain Registration Practices in Light of New gTLDs

• Comment posted Aug 22, 2009 3:17 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  if I were writing this article to sell more products or services, I would clearly be advising corporations to register more domains, in more extensions, and to especially register in all of the new gTLDs, when they become available. That’s…

Examininng Value in New ICANN TLDs on Search and Navigation, Companies, Domain Registries

• Comment posted Aug 18, 2009 4:46 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Impact on search and navigation section seems a bit negatively skewed.  Is that intentionally done? I intended it to be neutral. However, your comment got me thinking about the use of “adding .com at the end of a keyword” in…

Why Can't We Make the Internet Secure?

• Comment posted Aug 14, 2009 7:47 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Those interested in the topic might find Alan Turing’s work on cryptanalysis and machines interesting. He is considered the father of modern computers. The Titanic was thought to be unsinkable. WWII was to end all wars. The practical implication is…

A Framework for Selecting New TLDs

• Comment posted Jul 27, 2009 6:31 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Anthony, good to hear from you. Each applicant will have his or her proprietary demand/revenue prediction model. Although there is no one right model, there are lots of wrong ones such as “Because brand owners have not registered under all…

Trademark Attorneys Warn Companies About the Upcoming .CM Cybersquatting Possibilities

• Comment posted Jul 24, 2009 8:31 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Obviously there are groups that will benefit from the .cm and others that stand to lose. I don’t see any economic social benefits. Without going into calculation of social vs. private benefits, there are three instruments to fight back: 1. …

Cyber Security and the White House, Part 2 - Cyberwarfare

• Comment posted Jun 08, 2009 3:36 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  A diametrically opposite account of the Estonian-Russian cyberwarfare is presented by Myriam Dunn Cavelty in Critical information infrastructure: vulnerabilities, threats and responses. The essay is a good reading on the topic

Blame Yourself, Not ICANN

• Comment posted May 26, 2009 10:30 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Kevin, you raise interesting questions and present a different view. Thanks!

Complicating ICANN's New TLDs Decision

• Comment posted Apr 05, 2009 1:59 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  You are correct. The demand side is important too. However, the same venues can be applied to assess the demand side. Nevertheless, we have a situation of supply creating its own demand, in that a large portion of registrations will…

Resolving the ICANN-Proposed TLDs Debate

• Comment posted Feb 17, 2009 9:56 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Good comment. Let me clarify using a simple example. Case 1: Decision facing a for-profit organization Objective: Maximize shareholders' wealth Example: Option 1 - Net Profit from New TLDs to Registrants/Company ($): 125 Net Profit to Brand Owners ($): -30…

Logical Deduction on Why New TLDs Will Not Increase Costs for Trademark Holders

• Comment posted Feb 12, 2009 5:33 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  do we let the government decide where you locate your business?  market forces.  simple. Thanks for sharing your opinion on a market to “locate your business.”

Analysis of Domain Names Registered Across Multiple Existing TLDs and Implications for New gTLDs

• Comment posted Feb 12, 2009 5:21 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  The data show a relatively small number of marks are registered across new gTLDs by the same entity. Let “A” represent broadly protected TLDs. Thus, if not A, then B. Said another way, the vast majority of protection is occurring…

Logical Deduction on Why New TLDs Will Not Increase Costs for Trademark Holders

• Comment posted Feb 04, 2009 7:40 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  I am not arguing for or against new TLDs. I too love modeling and statistics. I am only commenting on your analyses. I have always been a fan of number crunching-"numbers never lie". Since Paul has already done a remarkable…

Analysis of Domain Names Registered Across Multiple Existing TLDs and Implications for New gTLDs

• Comment posted Feb 02, 2009 11:31 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  You address two important issues about TLDs. However, I am having hard time relating your hypothesis, methodology and conclusions. Hypothesis: (1) If you don’t have a model that tells you the conditions under which a company should register a TLD…

The Perpetual Peril of Open Platforms

• Comment posted Jan 19, 2009 9:30 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Very interesting and misunderstood topic. Thanks Timothy for bringing it up. Open and closed platforms can viably exist in harmony. For a simple predictive model for an optimal adoption decision see: (1) Pisano and Verganti, “Which Kind of Collaboration is…

What Could the RIAA's Switch in Strategy Mean?

• Comment posted Dec 26, 2008 5:53 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  The Wall Street Journal article referenced in the post above states that the solution relies on the “cooperation” of ISPs. So, where is the carrot for the ISPs or are they threatening them with a legal stick? Will ISPs charge…

Predicting Domain Name Trademark Infringement

• Comment posted Dec 21, 2008 11:15 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  I thought the Lanham Act was repealed with the Glass-Steagall Act. Just kidding! As you note, the Lanham Act deals with trademark “uses in commerce.” And you are correct in noting that under such situations, it would not be easy…

Voluntary Collective Licensing of Brand-Sharing Domain Names

• Comment posted Dec 04, 2008 2:14 am PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Good question. The licensing proposal is not the only line of solutions out there. Moreover, I made extreme management simplify as one of the desired features, which does not necessarily yield the “best” solution, whereby best is determined through cooperation…

ICANN Responsible for Domain Name Trademark Mess

• Comment posted Dec 01, 2008 7:16 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  If you received the word Viagra in an email, most people and email filters would say, yes. What if you received it through a message from a “friend” on MySpace? The answer is subjective. Does this mean that we should…

• Comment posted Nov 28, 2008 9:18 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  I am wondering if people sometimes, like me, judge an essay only by its title?

ICA Anti-Phishing Victory Might Be a Curse!

• Comment posted Nov 24, 2008 11:42 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Michael, My essay has no problems with ICA focusing on policy and legislation issues. To avoid confusion, it should be stated as ICA’s current mission statement. I look forward to understanding your stratgic and tactical approaches to policy and legistration…

Susan Crawford, Kevin Werbach Named Obama's FCC Review Team Leads

• Comment posted Nov 15, 2008 5:24 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Congratulations Susan and Kevin! We are in safer hands!

ICA Anti-Phishing Victory Might Be a Curse!

• Comment posted Nov 09, 2008 9:23 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Michael, To whom are you promoting the intrinsic value? Domain community, Madison Avenue, or branding managers, or...? In principal, the answer should be clear from the objectives of ICA. My suggestion is that you start with the domain name community!

• Comment posted Nov 08, 2008 6:34 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Mark, thanks!

• Comment posted Nov 08, 2008 6:23 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Our members should take a bigger role and communicate the issues that are important to them to ICA leadership. ICA is in the process now of recruiting more leaders from within this industry. If the public statements of some community…

Who Should Bear Domain Name Risk?

• Comment posted Oct 03, 2008 2:56 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Tim: I couldn’t find anything in your link related to the issues that Enrico raised, namely that some companies may not have the money to renew and some registrants are ignorant about inherent registration risk. Your article raises some interesting…

• Comment posted Oct 03, 2008 2:51 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Enrico: I agree that education is key. However, it seems that the educational system has failed. Nevertheless, there is an element of trust of the entity registering the name on behalf of the owner, which education alone will not solve.…

• Comment posted Oct 02, 2008 12:27 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Enrico: We have both written about these problems and issued numerous warnings, and so have many others.  Being ”clueless concerning their registrant status” seems to be the hardest to solve and is devastating. Nevertheless, it seems, not surpriseingly, that “their…

Domain Name Lessons from Napster

• Comment posted Sep 05, 2008 4:48 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Thanks Enrico for the other links. I have written a number of essays on domainer activism, but not published on CircleID, as the current audience’s appetite is primarily in Internet infrastructure. However, I will take this opportunity to note CircleID’s…

Gartner on New Generic Top Level Domains

• Comment posted Aug 07, 2008 7:20 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  For a simple TLD branding model, click here. For an empirical study of gTLD hierarchies (relatively old), click here.

The Patent That Justifies Microsoft's Interest in Yahoo!

• Comment posted Jul 21, 2008 6:40 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Brough, You are correct on the two counts: I cannot make any conclusions without reading the entire patent application (which I wouldn’t have understood anyway) and I should have read Usman’s full article. Here’s my two cents: Facts: 1.  Acquisition…

Gartner on New Generic Top Level Domains

• Comment posted Jul 15, 2008 4:14 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  ICANN’s decision to allow any entity to register a gTLD has already wasted the time of people and businesses all over the world and no end is in sight. Successful companies, whether established or startups, relay new messages to their…

The Patent That Justifies Microsoft's Interest in Yahoo!

• Comment posted Jul 08, 2008 7:56 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  I don’t see it! While being guilty of not reading the entire patent application, the last line of the Abstract says, “A higher bid by a network information provider will result in a higher rank value.” However, current advertising auctions…

It's Time to End Domain Name Front Running

• Comment posted Jun 21, 2008 7:08 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Your press release summary states “Network Solutions has long called for a fee-based solution to eliminate the related abuses of domain name ‘tasting’.” There is at least one attempt at Comparing Solutions to Repugnant Domain Tasting. Perhaps you have made…

Do We Need Two Internets?

• Comment posted May 31, 2008 3:49 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  It does not seem that Professor Zittrain has heard of domain name parking. Otherwise, he would have used it as an example of a tethered Internet application that is more sterile than his iPhone and TiVo examples. Nevertheless, the book…

• Comment posted May 28, 2008 5:35 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  gpmgroup.com said: Would users be better served with local registration rules and local laws? Or do you think their interests would be better served by allowing additional competition within an international marketplace albeit a marketplace possibly heavily dominated by a…

• Comment posted May 28, 2008 5:33 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Thanks for the post! [Zittrain] wants the network’s users to solve the problems, but a community on its own is far less effective than one backed by the rule of law, as eBay clearly demonstrates. It can only operate as…

Will Technology Solve Network Neutrality?

• Comment posted Apr 22, 2008 8:01 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  My understanding of the relationship between technology and network neutrality is a battle between innovation at the edge and the core (infrastructure) of the network. At the edge innovation, which is the heart of the neutrality argument, is primarily to…

Why Telcos Don't Get Networks

• Comment posted Apr 09, 2008 1:47 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Kevin, Instead of making comparisons between, say, AT&T;and Google based on their “network strategies,” it would be interesting to consider their viability of adopting of a “platform strategy.” Google seems to be a natural candidate for such a strategy, but…

The Anti-Phishing Consumer Protection Act of 2008

• Comment posted Mar 05, 2008 9:38 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  John Berryhill said: A careful read indicates that its primary effect is not to cover things that are already unlawful, but to broaden the scope of things that are unlawful. Using your read of the bill makes it even more…

ICA Posts Position Paper and Analysis of Snowe "Anti-Phishing" Legislation

• Comment posted Mar 05, 2008 9:31 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Philip, Thanks for the much-needed fight. Fighting fire with fire is very effective. Nevertheless, firefighters sometimes use all the help they can get. Lobbying for a bill is one venue to resolve disputes. Another is using a carrot-and-stick approach. I…

Typosquatting: A Solution

• Comment posted Feb 28, 2008 4:37 am PST — by Alex Tajirian
  John Berryhill said: But that state of affairs is a natural consequence of the all-purpose binary argument which boils down to: "He is linking to my products, ergo he is a cybersquatter." or "He is not linking to my products,…

• Comment posted Feb 27, 2008 8:05 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Enrico Schaefer said: Will some trademark holders eventually raise the white flag and protect their trademarks by entering into licensing arrangements with typosquatters? Will some decide to get in bed with the enemy? Your analogy is very interesting, as it…

Why Regulate Cable Internet Access

• Comment posted Feb 22, 2008 8:06 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Susan, Do you have a working paper version of the post? Regards, Alex

Typosquatting: A Solution

• Comment posted Feb 22, 2008 2:00 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  John Berryhill said: Anyway, I gather Alex understands why his idea is a non-starter. John, Thanks for the following insights and case evidence: 1.  Decisions in favor of non-brand owners. 2.  That “fair use” in a bricks-and-mortar world can be…

• Comment posted Feb 18, 2008 3:45 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Frank Michlick said: One more ;-) If we can find a better way to handle typo domains, we should also take a closer look at ISPs, DNS providers and Browser and Toolbar Manufacturers, which also today capture a growing part…

• Comment posted Feb 17, 2008 11:59 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Frank Michlick said: Thank you for your response Alex. However I don't think the carrot & stick approach is going to work very well for most typo domains, keeping in mind the following: 1) Most owners of typo domains are…

• Comment posted Feb 14, 2008 3:00 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Enrico Schaefer said: I agree that it makes little sense for trademark holders to embrace and reward typosquatters who are illegally diverting traffic from their domains. Typosquatters need to be penalized for their actions, not rewarded.  The current problem is…

• Comment posted Feb 14, 2008 2:58 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Frank Michlick said: Interesting post - I am not quite sure exactly what you are referring to by "IPonFire‘s carrot-and-stick strategy". I visited their site and couldn't really find any details about their approach. Actually, make that "your site". I…

• Comment posted Feb 14, 2008 2:56 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Brian Hall said: Interesting proposals.  I would assume the domainer community would not like IPonFire's choice of words.  Domainers vehemently reject any affiliation with typosquatters.  I am skeptical about giving typosquatters yet another incentive, besides click-through traffic, to register domain…

Best Approach for Appraising Domain Names

• Comment posted Nov 18, 2007 4:44 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  Thanks for responding, but I think you have dodged the questions. Glad that you are interested in the topic. I am not trying to dodge, but I would like to keep the discussion focused on the post and the issues…

• Comment posted Nov 16, 2007 7:25 pm PST — by Alex Tajirian
  You raise interesting issues. However, 1.  The objectives of the post are two fold: (a) To provide arguments for the viability of statistical methodology for estimating the transactional (ie, not for IRS, trademark, or antitrust considerations) value of a domain…

U.S. Broadband Stuck in the Internet Slow Lane

• Comment posted Oct 31, 2007 5:25 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  A related article is Paul Krugman's "The French Connections."

Best Approach for Appraising Domain Names

• Comment posted Oct 31, 2007 1:44 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Jaysen, Thanks for pointing out the “newness” of domain names, another erroneous argument, which I missed in my post. Below are three plausible interpretations of newness and the associated errors: 1.  Not enough data to conduct meaningful statistical tests. Not…

Are Domain Name Portfolios Actually Worth What They Are Touted to Be?

• Comment posted Oct 25, 2007 4:45 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Tulip mania or not, prudent domainers can make money either way. The important question for a domainer is not who is right, but what are the potential losses if you guess wrong. Thus, irrespective of whether you believe it’s a…

I, the Domain Name Tasting Victim

• Comment posted Oct 19, 2007 5:00 am PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Rajnesh, Glad to hear a happy ending! The registration success suggests either an anomaly in the domain tasting market or luck. The following are some plausible explanations of the former: 1.  The market is not competitive. 2.  Tasters are naïve.…

Every Domainer Is Subsidizing Tasting... Abolish Registration Grace Period

• Comment posted Oct 03, 2007 2:03 pm PDT — by Alex Tajirian
  Thanks Michael for taking the time to comment on the proposal. I am unclear regarding the following: (1) You suggest that tasting “creates problems for all of us.” It is not clear to me which “problems” you are referring to?…