Fraudster Who Impersonated a Lawyer to Steal Domain Names Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

A Nevada man pleaded guilty Thursday to his plotting to steal URLs from their legitimate owners by impersonating a California intellectual property lawyer and send threatening letters to domain name owners in hopes of convincing them to turn over the domains to him.

Las Vegas resident David Scali registered the email address trademarkinfringement@netzero.net in 2006 and then, pretending to be a real Califonia lawyer (whose intials are K.Y.C.), threatened domain name owners with $100,000 trademark infringement suits, unless they transferred the domains within 48 hours.

Scali pleaded guilty to a single wire fraud charge in a Los Angeles federal court in regards to one case where a victim turned over a domain name similar to citysearch.com. Scali intended to use the domains to make money, most likely by putting ads on the sites to show to visitors who got to the site by mistyping a domain name (domain squatting).

While wire fraud charges carry a maximum of 20 years in the pokey, Scali's plea bargain calls for the government to ask for a sentence of probation to six months. Scali will also face fines and will have his computer usage monitored during probation.

Moral of the story: On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog (or lolcat)-- but they might suspect you're not the IP lawyer you say you are. I mean what high powered intellectual property lawyer would use a Netzero account?

Source

Free NDA / Domain name sales agreement

Please click on the link to my shared folder for a free NDA and domain name sales agreement!

http://www.box.net/shared/chx3v0usm1


Enjoy!

The Perfect Domain Name

We all know the Internet is an endless spring of community, entertainment, commerce and information. Unlike traditional mediums (print, TV, radio, brick and mortar businesses), the web promotes interaction by enabling everyone with a computer and a connection to cautiously dip their toes or cannonball full force into the world's biggest pool party. Encouraging that do-it-yourself spirit in each of us are an endless line of designers, programmers and hosts who are anxious to assist even the most technically timid to sprout wings with their own site. However, you'll never make it out of the nest if you don't have the perfect domain name for your site. And thus, the search begins.

Before wasting time by throwing darts at names on a wall, it's best to maintain focus and recognize a few naming parameters. First off, it's paramount that the domain name doesn't confuse potential visitors. Strive for a site name that sounds exactly like it's spelled so you don't need a search engine to find it. A quick trip to Alexa's Top 100 U.S. sites shows there are few exceptions to this rule. With most basic words already spoken for, be prepared to get creative, mixing words together or coming up with an appropriate onomatopoeia.

While it's a good idea for a domain name to describe the site, it's equally important to come up with an original name that is catchy enough to be passed along at the water cooler. Look no further than domain names Yahoo or Google. While these names really don't reveal much about two of the web's most visited sites, they're easy to recall and short on syllables, making it simple for first-timers to find.

If you're after serious traffic, commit to securing a “.com” name. It only takes a quick trip to Alexa to discourage any thoughts of settling for less popular “.org,” “.net” or “.info.” Of the Top 100 traffic-ranked sites in the United States, only 10 ended with something other than “.com.” At the end of the day, why argue with 90% of the country's most-visited sites.

Now that you're armed with these factors, head over to your favorite domain name registrar. Don't get too discouraged when you discover the fabulous names you've painstakingly researched are already spoken for. This is your opportunity to recruit family and friends to get involved by emailing them your naming guidelines. Don't be surprised if someone who isn't invested in the project suggests the perfect, available name.

The company I work for recently survived the re-naming process and we still have the bruises to show for it. Originally named RadioFire.net, we're a site that allows people to discover unsigned music artists in their own communities and across the country. With a complete redesign underway to amplify a more community-oriented experience, our design firm said the “.net” name had to go. The “.com” version of our domain name wasn't available, so we followed the steps above. After much brainstorming and research, we feel we've hit a home run that will elevate our site's experience. Curious? You'll have to stay tuned for the re-launch.

In the meantime, dive into your own website with a great domain name.

Source

He sells employer's domain name (Sofa.com), takes off with stripper

SHEBOYGAN -- A 41-year-old Sheboygan man was charged today with selling his employer’s domain name for $200,000 and using corporate credit cards to finance international trips with a stripper girlfriend, according to a complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court.


Stephen M. Galstad, of 429 St. Clair Ave., is accused of selling the sofa.com domain name owned by Dinesen’s Leather Only to a London-based firm without the company’s permission, the complaint said.

He faces up to five years in prison and $25,000 in fines on a felony charge of theft in a business setting. Galstad is in custody awaiting his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

According to the complaint filed by Assistant District Attorney Bruce Landgraf:

Galstad worked out an agreement in October 2005 with London company Deliverance Pension Scheme to sell the Web address for $200,000. Records subpoenaed by investigators show the domain was transferred to the new owners in November 2005, and $200,000 was wired to Galstad’s personal account about two weeks later.

Galstad, who had worked for Dinesen’s for 16 years and managed the company’s stores, then transferred considerably more than $10,000 to two women, one from New York and one from Brazil. Neither woman was Galstad’s wife, whose divorce from him was finalized in June 2006.

The theft came to owner Lynn Dinesen’s attention when a friend told her the sofa.com address was no longer sending people to the company’s site. The address is operated by a London-based online furniture retailer, which according to its Web site launched in September 2006.

Meanwhile, investigators found Galstad has been using a corporate credit card to travel to Brazil, Canada, Las Vegas and New Jersey with a woman identified by his employer as a stripper from Las Vegas.

Landgraf said the use of corporate credit cards is being investigated, so the total amount stolen is unknown, but in one case his employer said he drained a credit card with a $15,000 limit.

Galstad was confronted by Dinesen and her lawyer in May 2006 and admitted to the thefts, saying he was like “a kid in a candy store” and that he “got greedy.” However, the incident was not reported to police until April 2007.

Landgraf said Galstad immediately repaid Dinesen $66,723 and claimed he gave some of the money to the business in spring of 2006. The claim is being investigated, though it wouldn’t change the criminal act of transferring the money to a personal account, Landgraf said.

Landgraf said the reason for the delay between Dinesen’s discovery and report to police may be related to ongoing business troubles, which have since led to the company declaring bankruptcy.

Harold Stein, an attorney representing Dinesen’s owner Lynn Dinesen, declined to comment without first conferring with Dinesen. No lawyer is listed for Galstad in online court records.

Galstad will be in Milwaukee County Circuit Court at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

Though Milwaukee Police Department detectives are investigating the credit card activity, Landgraf said additional charges are unlikely. Multiple thefts from a single victim are typically grouped into one charge, which in this case is the one already filed.

Source

World's Biggest Domain Name and Internet Traffic Conference Announces T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Sept. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- T.R.A.F.F.I.C., the domain industry's premier conference, today announced T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007, October 9-13, 2007 at the Westin Diplomat hotel in Hollywood, Florida. Presented by the World Association of Domain Name Developers, Inc. (WADND), the conferences, held at three different locations annually, bring together domain owners, search engine companies, leading registrars, pay-per-click aggregators, sponsors, Wall Street investors, the financial and advertising communities as well as analysts and experts on targeted Internet traffic for stimulating discussions of strategies, best practices, trends and networking.

Undeniably, the domain channel has become a major marketing industry. According to Fabulous Research, $400 million in advertising dollars were spent via the domain channel in 2006. Major search engines rely on domain traffic for over 10% of their traffic volume. Moreover, ten million .com marketing websites are controlled by domain portfolio owners. Nearly 800 businesspeople attended the recent, highly successful T.R.A.F.F.I.C. New York City show in June, during which over $12 million in domain names changed hands in only 3.5 hours!

In addition to informative presentations from domain channel and financial experts on Internet traffic, brand value, domain acquisition, portfolio management, revenue options, development, analytics, risk mitigation, security valuation, sales and more, the primary focus of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007 will be verticals. These key verticals, for which domain owners host substantial traffic, include, travel, real estate, gaming, financial -- any business from Main St. to Wall Street. A full list of events, topics and key speakers is available at http://www.targetedtraffic.com/miami_show.html.

"The domain industry continues to evolve rapidly," says Rick Schwartz, cofounder of T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and WADND. "The serious businesspeople who have invested hundreds of millions in the backbone of the Internet, which includes domainers, know that today's strategies and investment opportunities may not be as important in a few months. We've all learned so much about different types of website traffic, what surfers look for and what translates into sales. Anyone who owns domains, buys and sells Internet traffic, has Pay-Per- Click (PPC) or search-related companies should come to learn and share at T.R.A.F.F.I.C., including investors, major advertisers, IP attorneys and those at the store level on Main Street."

The climax of every T.R.A.F.F.I.C. conference is the largest live domain auction in the world, hosted by Moniker.com and its CEO, Monte Cahn. The auction at the recent T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East show included one domain that went for $3 million and another for $1.8 million. In all, more than half of all the domains offered were sold.

For the third straight show TrafficZ.com is our overall Diamond Sponsor. Other major sponsors include Fabulous.com, Klickers, Moniker.com, Sedo, NameMedia, Casale Media, LeaseThis.com, EuroDNS and many others.

Every year at the fall conference T.R.A.F.F.I.C. recognizes the company deemed to have best demonstrated an understanding of the use of domains and the Internet. Dubbed the "We Get It" award, the 2006 winner was News Corp. The nomination process is currently in progress and is open to any organization in any industry among the 1,800 invited to the conference. The criteria for consideration is informal, with the awards open to companies that have proven their grasp of the power of Internet by attracting visitors, increasing sales and beating competitors in terms of Internet marketing. Five finalists will be named September 24, with the winner announced at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East in Miami. Additionally, awards are presented to the Domainer of the Year, Sponsor of the Year, and Best Domain Solution. New members are elected to the Domain Hall of Fame, and the WADND Seal of Approval is bestowed upon registrars who have met certain criteria that prove their commitment to protecting the interests of domain investors.

To request an invitation to T.R.A.F.F.I.C., or to inquire about speaking or sponsorship opportunities, please send email to admin@targetedtraffic.com or fill out our form available at http://www.targetedtraffic.com/contact_us.html.

About T.R.A.F.F.I.C.

Presented by the World Association of Domain Name Developers, Inc. (WADND), T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is the domain industry's premier conference. Three times per year T.R.A.F.F.I.C. brings together domain owners, search engine companies, leading registrars, pay-per-click aggregators, sponsors, Wall Street investors, the banking, financial and advertising communities as well as analysts, developers and experts on targeted traffic. An invitation-only event, conference attendees collectively control over 10 million domain names and host tens of millions of unique visitors to their websites every day. The Internet's biggest companies support and participate in T.R.A.F.F.I.C., including Google, Yahoo!, Sedo.com, Marchex, TrafficZ, Fabulous.com, DomainSponsor.com and many others. Legendary "domain king" Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu, a prominent Intellectual Property attorney and former three-term mayor of North Miami, Florida co-founded and manage the event through their company, the World Association of Domain Name Developers, Inc. (WADND). Corporate headquarters are located at 1152 N. University Drive, Suite 201, Pembroke Pines, Florida, 33024. For more information, send email to admin@targetedtraffic.com or visit us at www.targetedtraffic.com.

Media Contact:
Kent Streeb
Kaya Communications
kent@kayacommunications.com
P: 530.908.9225

Website: http://www.targetedtraffic.com/
Website: http://www.targetedtraffic.com/miami_show.html/

Source

San Bernardino County supervisor sues over domain name

San Bernardino County Supervisor Dennis Hansberger is suing a local critic to get back his name.

Hansberger won a temporary restraining order Tuesday against William Fanning, a Muscoy resident who has registered several domain names using the supervisor's name, including www.dennishansberger.com, and has used the Web sites to rail against Hansberger.

The order restrains Fanning from profiting, promoting or selling the name, said Tim Prince, an attorney for Hansberger.

A preliminary injunction, in which Hansberger seeks to have the Web site turned over to him, is set for a Sept. 26 hearing.

Hansberger will seek a minimum $1,000 in statutory damages plus attorney fees and court costs if Fanning doesn't voluntary relinquish the Web site, Prince said.

When Hansberger's campaign committee inquired about buying the domain name, Fanning told them it wouldn't be cheap, Prince said.

Fanning did not attend Tuesday morning's hearing and said he had not received a subpoena or court order.

"Until then, I'm not stopping," he said.

On his Web site, Fanning accuses Hansberger of using his position to benefit friends and relatives. He also includes articles from other publications that are critical of the supervisor.

Fanning said he's not trying to make money off the Web site but started it three years ago to shine a light on what he believes are corrupt actions. He said Hansberger's suit would not silence him and predicted it would draw more traffic to his Web site.

"This will end up exploding and backfiring on him big time," Fanning said.

Hansberger could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Prince said Hansberger does not dispute Fanning's right to criticize.

"It's just the use of that name to divert the public from finding the official Web site and finding the Web site that Dennis Hansberger seeks to set up to communicate with the public," he said.

Jennifer Granick, the civil liberties director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit organization that champions the rights of people using the Internet, said the law regarding the fair use of domain names still is hazy.

Web sites were set up to be created on a first-come, first-serve basis, but a federal anti-cybersquatting law was passed in 1999 to offer some protection to trademark owners, she said. It's not clear whether that same protection is available to politicians, Granick said.

"This is definitely an area where there is very little if any precedent," said Granick, who until recently headed Stanford University Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic.

Fanning, who owns a market in Muscoy and is a maintenance worker for the county, estimated that he has registered a few thousand names, including those of about 80 local officials.

San Bernardino City Attorney James Penman, Supervisor Josie Gonzales and County Administrative Officer Mark Uffer are among the local officials whose names he has snapped up on the Internet.

Fanning said the costs to him are minimal -- between $1and $5.

Not all the sites have content, but he said he likes to have them for possible future use.

"I want to get rid of the really bad politicians first, and then I'll go onto the other ones," he said.

Source

Australian Business to Welcome Crack Down on 'Domain Tasting'

LAWFUEL - The Legal Newswire - Sydney, 4 September 2007: An intellectual property expert with national law firm Hunt & Hunt says the investigation by the leading global regulating body for the Internet, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), into the
practice of ‘domain tasting’ will be welcomed by Australian businesses.

Domain tasting is the controversial process by which users register domain names to test their effectiveness in collecting additional traffic and then cancel registration before fees become due.

The call for the investigation follows the discovery that less than one per cent of .org domain names end up being registered.

“For business owners, this is a much-needed initiative,” said Catherine Logan, who is a partner with Hunt & Hunt.

“People who want to use the Internet to promote their business will welcome the increase in available names. Domain tasting has been unnecessarily tying up millions of available domain names and adversely impacting the average domain name registrant,” she said.

Ms Logan said VeriSign, the company which controls the .com and .net generic top level domains, was set to increase registry fees for these domains next month, to accommodate the upgrade to registration systems required to cope with the flood of automated applications by speculators.

“Clearly the operational load on the registry systems caused by domain tasting is reason for concern,” she said, citing VeriSign’s own figures suggesting that in the last
seven years, domain name inquiries have risen from 1 billion to 30 billion per day.

Ms Logan said that while the lack of domain name choice has become increasingly frustrating for business, criminal practices such as phishing and pharming – activities commonly linked to domain tasting – have posed an even greater concern for businesses operating in an online environment.

According to Ms Logan, anonymous parties frequently register domains as replica sites in an effort to obtain confidential information from unaware customers. Through this practice, users are able to temporarily set up web pages that look similar to authentic sites, and extract private data without risk of identification as they are yet to
register the domain name.

“This loophole obviously presents an unacceptable risk to both businesses and their clients. There are also other unwanted commercial side effects of domain tasting, such as consumer confusion and increased costs to regular businesses that have to register names defensively and allocate resources to monitoring the situation,” Ms Logan said.
She said the ICANN investigation will look for ways to counteract such unnecessary
costs for businesses as a result of this process.

“This investigation is welcomed, particularly at a time when ICANN is proposing to allow the introduction of new generic top level domains,” she said.

Source

Domainers

Domainers are individuals whose profession is the accumulation and dealing of generic internet domain names. Although controversially compared to cybersquatters and ticket scalpers, Domainers claim to differentiate and legitimize themselves by avoiding trademarked names and potentially contentious domain names, and refraining from typosquatting. They consider their conduct in buying, selling, and developing domain names to be in the same spirit as real estate investing. Domainers generate revenue via domain parking, through the resale of domain names and by developing domain names into fully functioning websites. Domainers are also sometimes referred to as domain investors and commercial registrants.

As of December 2006 there are an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 individuals globally who make buying and selling domain names a part of their business. USA Today reported that many Domainers prefer to remain anonymous due to the competitive and controversial nature of their business.

A report in USA Today states that known sales of 5,851 domain names generated $29 million in 2005, compared with known sales of 3,813 names for $15 million in 2004.Like the tip of an iceberg, the number of reported sales is estimated to be 5-10% of the broader secondary domain resale market.

Source: Wikipedia

Planning for the future

Before he is even born, some parents are lining up their child’s life.

Trust fund? Check.

Enrollment in that posh pre-school? Done.

Internet domain name? Got it.

Yes, for some parents, getting their child his own domain name is as normal and expected a parental duty as sending him to college.

In fact, some parents wait to name their child until they know the matching domain name is available.

Sounds a bit backward to us, but there you go.

“One of the criteria was, if we liked the name, the domain had to be available,” said Mark Pankow, who wished to name his fifth child “Bennett.” He got his wish.

How important is having an Internet identity?

“It is the starting point for your on-line identity,” Warren Adelman, president of GoDaddy.com Inc., told the Associated Press. “We do believe the domain name is the foundation upon which all the other Internet services are based.”

Of course, Mr. Adelman is in the business of selling domain names.

Not so fast, said researcher Peter Gruenwald, whose company specializes in kids and technology. “Given the pace of change on the Internet, it strikes me as a pretty impressive leap of faith that we’re going to use exactly the same system and the same tools ... 15 to 20 years from today.”

Some parents use the addresses themselves to send out baby updates to friends and family. By the time Junior is old enough to join in, he’ll have a huge network of contacts.

Other parents just lie low, merely paying the annual fee necessary to keep the name. That may be particularly true for parents of daughters - at least if they are wise. If a name is trafficked over the Internet, predators have an easier chance of locating a child as a potential target.

And the easier a name is to remember, the more directly it links to its holder, the simpler it is for a predator to make contact. Finding a child’s picture in a yearbook and typing in her name can quickly call up her Web address.

Joanie Smith is a lot easier to locate at Joaniesmith.com than, say, at jsmith848.com.

What’s fascinating about all this is the assumption by techno-savvy parents that an online identity is so vital - a must-have accoutrement to modern life.

Privacy was once a much stronger value in America. Laconic idols such as Gary Cooper and John Wayne symbolized (among other things) the wisdom of reticence.

Now we share intimate details with Internet strangers whom we style as “friends” - and parents consider it wise to ensure that, one day, their children will be able to do the same.


Source

Bodog.com shut down after judgment

Bodog.com shut down after judgment



LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Online gambling Web site Bodog.com has been down since Monday because of a $46.6 million default judgment obtained by Las Vegas-based 1st Technology in a patent infringement case.

The judgment issued June 13 in Nevada federal court was against Bodog Entertainment Group, S.A., Bodog.net and Bodog.com.

According to court filings, software downloaded by the Web site's customers to enable some of the gaming activities infringed on patents held by 1st Technology.

1st Technology is controlled by Los Gatos, Calif.-based Scott Lewis, who has a doctorate in adaptive digital signal processing from Oxford University.

Bodog.com entertainment, headquartered in the Caribbean nation of Antigua, is running off a new Web site, newbodog.com, launched Tuesday.

Lewis and his attorneys could not be reached for comment.


Source

Latest VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief Underscores Growth of Internet Internationally

Latest VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief Underscores Growth of Internet Internationally

The number of domain names registered globally now totals more than 138 million, according to the second quarter 2007 Domain Name Industry Brief published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of digital infrastructure for the networked world.

The largest top-level domains (TLD) in terms of total base of registrations are .com, .de (Germany), .net, .uk (United Kingdom), .cn (China) and .org. A factor in the expansion of domain name registrations in the second quarter was strong growth in country code TLD (ccTLD) registrations, such as China (.cn), Russia (.ru) and South Korea (.kr). ccTLDs grew to about 51.5 million by the end of the second quarter, approximately 13 percent more than the first quarter of 2007, and 36 percent more than the same quarter of last year. Other gTLDs saw growth as well, including .com and .net, which grew to 73 million domain name registrations.

Not surprisingly, as domain name registrations increased, so have the demands on the registry infrastructures that enable users to register domain names, access Web sites, send emails or conduct commerce and communications. VeriSign's registry infrastructure continued to experience heavy demand, processing a peak of 30 billion Domain Name System (DNS) queries per day in the second quarter. The VeriSign DNS continued to maintain operational accuracy and stability for 100 percent of the time as it has for the past nine years. As part of its commitment to continually strengthen its infrastructure, VeriSign in February announced Project Titan, a major initiative to expand and diversify the capacity of its global Internet infrastructure by ten times by the year 2010.

"As the Internet grows and becomes more global, so does the challenge to ensure that businesses and Internet users throughout the world can rely upon it," said Raynor Dahlquist, vice president of Naming Services at VeriSign. "VeriSign is focused on ensuring that as the Internet develops, it remains accessible and operational around the world."

The latest VeriSign Domain Name Industry Brief also underscores the growing importance of international business for the more than 840 .com and .net domain name registrars throughout the world. These registrars and their resellers comprise the channel through which domain names are registered. A recent survey conducted by VeriSign found that 80 percent of all registrars draw business from countries outside their home country. Overall, registrars say they view expansion to other countries as an attractive way to build their businesses, with a third of those surveyed planning to expand geographically in the next 12 months.

VeriSign publishes the Domain Name Industry Brief to provide Internet users throughout the world with significant statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry and the Internet as a whole. Copies of the 2007 second quarter Domain Name Industry Brief, as well as previous reports, can be obtained at www.verisign.com/domainbrief.

About VeriSign

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) operates digital infrastructure services that enable and protect billions of interactions every day across the world's voice and data networks. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such factors as increasing competition and pricing pressure from competing services offered at prices below its prices and market acceptance of its existing services, the inability of VeriSign to successfully develop and market new services and the uncertainty of whether new services as provided by VeriSign will achieve market acceptance or result in any revenues and the risk acquired businesses will not be integrated successfully and unanticipated costs of such integration. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this presentation.

Source

Why PPC Works so Wel

Why PPC Works so Well..

by Frank Schilling

If I had a dollar for every time somebody offered to "take one of my inactive domains of my hands", I'd have a big, fat, rapper-size brick of cash.

People just don't understand that a parked domain that looks entirely inactive can quietly be making it's owner hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of dollars each month! The user experience is so passive and benign, the ad so inert, "there is just no way you're making more off ads than I'm going to offer you" .. At least that's what I'm told in in a flurry of daily unsolicited sales inquiries. It's not the case of course. Usually unsolicited sales offers have us falling out of our chair they are so laughably out of wack with the revenues (existing or potential) of generic names.

But why is it that people seem to be drawn to ads which so obviously look like ads?.. How are they able to draw clicks and convert into sales so amazingly well?

On the flight home from California today, I read this story in Businessweek. Apparently TIVO has uncovered a parallel phenomenon to domain name PPC ads on TV. Who knew that providing relevant info to the subject matter of the domain name people choose to type, could act as a catalyst to close a sale? Well okay.. it looks obvious now that I write it but in the ad business it is anything but obvious.

Quote: "IF THERE'S ONE LESSON from TiVo Stop||Watch, it's that relevancy outweighs creativity in TV commercials--by a lot. The ads on the "least-fast-forwarded" list aren't funny, they aren't touching, and they aren't clever. And they don't have big budgets."

People pay agencies billions each year to make cool and funny commercials to sell us stuff. Only those commercials don't usually work. The stuff people want, the stuff that sells is much more simple. Give us information so we can make an informed decision.. People want reality in television and reality in advertising... Apparently that's what sells.

Thank-you TIVO.


Source

Paris chosen for next ICANN public meeting

MARINA DEL REY, Calif.: Paris, France will host the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ 32nd International Public Meeting from 22-27 June 2008.

At its 14 August 2007 meeting, the ICANN Board accepted the proposal put forward by Association pour la Gouvernance de l’Internet en France, en Europe, et dans le monde (AGIFEM).

“ICANN is looking forward to working with AGIFEM and welcoming the global Internet community to Paris,” said Paul Levins, ICANN’s Executive Officer and Vice President - Corporate Affairs. “We had two highly competitive proposals to host the meeting slated for ICANN’s European region – a testament to the great local Internet communities in France and Serbia.”

Each year ICANN holds three meetings in different regions around the world. These meetings constitute an essential part of ICANN's global consensus-building and outreach efforts. The ICANN Meetings Committee sets the regions in which ICANN will hold its meetings. Proposals are then solicited from organizations interested in hosting the ICANN Meeting.

ICANN has received a number of competitive bids to host the 31st Public Meeting, slated to be held 10-15 February 2008 in the Asia-Pacific region. They are being closely evaluated and a decision will be made shortly.

About ICANN:

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

Media Contacts:

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN (USA)
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.org

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.com


Source

PSU’s old website hosts dating, porn links

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 2 : If hacked e-mail addresses of officials from DRDO, NDA and Indian missions across the world were not enough to expose the holes in India’s cyber security, there is more. The old web address of the Central Inland Waterways Transport Corporation Ltd (CIWTC) — a Kolkata-based PSU under the Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport & Highways — has been hosting a Russian site with elaborate pornographic links for over a month now.

Although the domain name expired in June last year, the CIWTC only launched its new website, www.ciwtcltd.com, recently after it found out about the pornographic links. The old site, www.ciwtc.com, is still there and still has those links.

The PSU has now filed complaints with the police and cautioned National Informatics Centre (NIC). “The website (www.ciwtc.com) was not really hacked but taken over by a Russian company as our domain name had expired. We learnt of some pornographic links displayed on the website and told National Informatics Centre, which blocked the links. So no damage has been done,” said Praful Tayal, CMD of CIWTC.

The Russian www.ciwtc.com lists several pornographic links with the catchline “What you need, when you need it”. On its home page, the site has links under the heads “Hot” and “Popular”. While “Christian Singles” and “Russian Girl” are listed as hot links, “Training in Shalimar Shipyard” and “Old Ladies” are among popular search words.

CIWTC says it has informed the international Internet protocol body — Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) — the agency responsible for the global coordination of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers. “We lodged a police complaint a week back and informed the cyber crime cell. We also recently put out advertisements, informing the public of the change in our web address,” Tayal said.

So why did the CIWTC react so late after its URL expired in June 2006? The only IT personnel there took voluntary retirement last year. After he left, no one bothered to check when and how the domain name was taken over by the Russian dating site.

Source