American domain name embargo on ccTLD

Selecting a Corporate Registrar is a hard thing to do, service, price, ccTLD covered, accreditations, knowledge, information, security… It is even harder if your plan is to have your brand protected in Cuba, Iran or Sudan.

What about the "RIGHT" to register a specific domain name?

According to the United States department of the treasury there are regions American Registrars are not authorized to work with. So what does it mean?

According to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/), a brand cannot secure its domain names on the complete range of extensions existing if its Corporate Registrar is American. In its Sanction Programs (http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/regulations/facreg.pdf), the foreign assets control regulations for the corporate registration industry says: "As of October 2004,
OFAC administered and enforced comprehensive sanctions programs involving three countries: Cuba, Iran, and Sudan.

Unless authorized by OFAC, no U.S. individual or entity can do business with individuals or entities (including government institutions) in those countries, or individuals or entities acting for or on behalf of those countries."

OFAC was kind enough to answer my questions:
"If your registrar is a U.S. company, it is subject to the laws of the United States. U.S. sanctions regulations prohibit most financial transactions related to Cuba and Iran, including the registration of domain names. Domain names in Burma and Sudan would be subject to these restrictions as well."

Basically speaking, you cannot secure your online brand in Cuba, Iran, Sudan if your Corporate Registrar is American. Thinking about registering yourbrand.CU, yourbrand.IR or yourbrand.SD?

Well, think twice and…take your time.

.TEL is coming !

And it is a serious hit: A “very” serious HIT in the domain name industry.
For the first time companies and particulars won’t be suggested “just another domain name” they will have to pay interest in. This time .TEL is a tool dedicated to last and to be used.
.TEL is the first opportunity to be “found” online: to have a specific contact page standardized for all. We all received emails to update our information on various web sites, we all have a profile on a web site (MSN, FaceBook, Orkut, LinkedIn…) but no standard exists today to be part of a same directory. .TEL is a solution to this.
I tried the tool myself: http://guillon.vip.tel
It is simple and easy to set up. No html knowledge required or whatsoever: just forms to fill in and menus to enable or not services.
I believe particulars will start to have a high interest in .TEL. What about Corporations:

• A unique entry point to contact Corporations: no more contact page to search for on corporation web site but a simple link to the .TEL Url
• A fantastic to synchronize address books directly at the Registry!
• Géo-localization when necessary
• More audience and traffic to your web Site: one more back link
• Access to a worldwide directory and once again “standardized” for a better comprehension

.TEL is a revolution: don’t miss it ;-)

Pre-Registered Attendees | Paris 2008

Pre-Registered Attendees Paris 2008

Auction daily inventory of expired domain

More and more Registrars announce partnership to sell expired domain names. To understand how it works, the Registrant (owner) can decide not to renew his domain name. In this case, it will expire and then, it will go for auctions if his Registrar has settled a partnership. Anyone interested to buy the domain will have to bid.

It does not mean someone will buy the domain at a higher price at all: it is another solution for the Registrar to sell the domain name to someone else and make money instead of just dropping the domain.

Of course, this is more money for the (accredited) Registrar but what is not said here is: what happens when the Registrant forgets to renew his domain name?

I believe the best quality service a registrar can offer is to provide his client “the best service”. What if I am a corporate client with hundreds of domains to manage and, for organization reasons, I can’t auto-renew my domain names?

Well: it becomes here a very risky situation to trust an accredited Registrar who is going to sell my domain name if I forget to renew it, isn’t it?

What it means is: when it comes to renewing your 300 domains and you’re not there that day, most of them can probably be renewed the next day but there’s a chance you will lose one or two in the list.

Think about it

No IPv4 left in 2011

Today, 85% of these IPv4 addresses are in use.
There should be no left by 2011. It is time to move to IPv6.

Read full OECD report here (PDF)

Landrush Period ?

A "Landrush period” is not a Landrush anymore

Previously, participating in a Landrush period offered the possibility to acquire a domain name with no prior right. Landrush was a “Go Live”; the right period to claim a domain name and be the only one to acquire it following the “first come fist served” rule. It is still the case but…

The launching of .ASIA seems to have changed this simple rule. Today, there is a huge difference between a Landrush period and a “Go Live” (also called “open registration”).

These confusing terms for the Registrant with no knowledge increase the risk to just…lose a domain name. Here is a brief description of these different periods:

A “Sunrise period”: Need of a prior right to claim the domain name (registered company, brand, etc…)

A “Landrush period”: Open to anyone with no prior right but your domain goes to auctions if at least 2 persons ask for the same domain name.

“Go live”: Open registration following the “first come fist served” rule.

So: should I participate to a Landrush period?

When acting to register your domain name during a Landrush, you also inform your competitors there is an interest in a specific domain name: if one tries to register this domain name, your domain goes to auction and the richest bidder gets the domain.

When not acting during the Landrush, you take the risk to lose your domain name to anyone faster than you during “Go Live”.

My suggestion would be to participate in Sunrise if you have a prior right. If you have a budget but no prior right, register during Landrush. If you have no budget: there are 2 options:
Search for a good Registrar with few clients who will send his list of requests as soon as Go Live period starts ( a large registrar will have a longer list).

Search for several Registrars and register with more than one to increase your chances to get the domain.

You have been outbid for guillon.asia

Guillon.asia is on Pool.com for auction.

Today I received the mail below:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Domain Name: guillon.asiaCurrent Price: $20.00 USDClose Date: 15 May 2008 18:05 GMT
Don't miss out on this domain name! You have been outbid for the domain guillon.asia.

If you want to obtain this domain, please update your Max Bid by logging into your account at:
https://dotasia.pool.com/MyAccount/auctions.aspx
------------------------------------------------------------------
What a pleasant surprise to read my family name has value.

Now If price is $20, I guess I could afford to pay $30 to acquire it. Bidding and bidding again the price is now $160 ! I quit. I wonder who can afford to pay $150 for guillon.asia when I am the owner of guillon.com. Let's...wait and see.

The interesting thing about auctions is that it does increase the value of the existing .COM

Melbourne IT acquires Verisign

When the giant comes out.

I like to comment news about he domain name industry and here is an interesting one: I worked for one of Verisign and Melbourne IT's direct competitor.

Large Corporate registrars tend to open their knowledge to the brand itself (with monitoring for instance and other complementary products): isn't the domain name the first entry point to introduce your brand online? Large Coporations have understood such a need to link domain name to brand management: it is easier, it faster, it reduces the number of contacts to deal with at the service provider.

Verisign was one of the first Corporate Registrar to come with a complete offer. Today is "rare" to find serious Coporate Registrars who are able to manage domain name portfolios. With the knowledge I have of the Corporate market: Melbourne IT was a competitor at the time I worked for a Corporate registrar and so was Verisign DBMS. Today, it is a serious one.