Features • 1) The WHOIS Way To Lose Domain Names, 2) a. New gTLDs Lose Over 2 Million Domain Name Registrations In Just 6 Weeks, b. Neustar Loses Again, c. Tucows' OpenSRS Drops Nine Uniregistry new gTLDs, d. MMX and Web.com for sale? e) #INTA17 disaster, pity the lawyers, 3) ICANN News: Renewal of .NET Registry Agreement Comments Close May 30, 4) ICYMI, 5) Investing, 6) Most Popular.
1) The WHOIS Way To Lose Your Domain Names--false or erroneous (including outdated) WHOIS info--check the WHOIS or contact your registrar(s) to make sure everything is correct and up-to-date. You may be surprised--I once discovered incorrect information on a transferred domain that I believe had been erroneously entered by staff at the prior registrar. Also note that any change in your registration info may invoke a 60-day lock by your registrar due to a poorly designed ICANN policy to prevent domain name theft (check with your registrar before making any change if you need to avoid the lock)--Contractual Compliance Update | GDD Summit Madrid | Presentation | ICANN.org:
2) Names, Domains & Trademarks
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| A decrease of more than 2 million new gTLD domain name registrations in just six weeks. |
b. Neustar Loses Again, in Court: "On April 6, 2015, Neustar, Inc. (the “Company”) filed a Petition for Review asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to “hold unlawful, vacate, enjoin, and set aside” the FCC Order issued on March 27, 2015, approving a recommendation by the North American Numbering Council for a competitor to serve as the next Local Number Portability Administrator (“LNPA”) ... The Court of Appeals issued its decision on May 26, 2017. The Court of Appeals denied the Company’s Petition for Review. The Company is reviewing the decision and continuing to consider its options."--Form 8-K, May 26, 2017. The loss of the LNPA a/k/a NPAC contracts will likely have a huge negative impact on Neustar's financials. Neustar is a technology company and domain name registry services provider (.biz, .co, .us ...). As I reported May 7, 2017:
Neustar Reports Results for First Quarter 2017 | Neustar.biz: "NPAC Services contributed $128.3 million in revenue. Net income for the first quarter of 2017 totaled $45.4 million, or $0.80 per share." • How much does Neustar's NPAC Services business contribute to Neustar's bottom line (net income)? 100%? See SeekingAlpha.com. • When does that very profitable NPAC Services business end? Probably 2018. • "Neustar ended the quarter with cash and cash equivalents of $47.0 million and outstanding debt under its credit facilities and senior notes of $751.6 million ..."c. Tucows' (NASDAQ: TCX) OpenSRS responds to Uniregistry new gTLDs' price increases:
"Uniregistry has announced a number of TLD price increases, taking effect on September 8th, 2017. Our main concern with this type of increase is that it has the potential to undermine consumer trust in the new gTLD program. Here’s everything you need to know, and what action we suggest you take ... 2. We will no longer support the TLDs with exponential price increase - The decision to discontinue support for these select TLDs was made to protect you [resellers] and your customers [domain name registrants] from unknowingly overpaying in a price range well beyond $100 per year. No longer supported as of September 8th, 2017"--
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| source: OpenSRS.com |
d) State of the Domain Name Industry:
- New gTLDs registry operator Minds + Machines Group Limited: "following a number of informal approaches from external parties, the Board has appointed US investment banking firm, Headwaters MB, to review the various strategic options open to the Company to maximise value for shareholders."
e) #INTA17 disaster, pity the lawyers:
Having paid for our finale @INTA tickets why is EVERY venue at capacity & queuing to get in? Unacceptable. Want a refund. #INTA17— Michele Fellows (@MicheleFellows) May 24, 2017
Even the trademark lawyers are tired and bored of ICANN's new gTLDs (lone tweet below):INTA pledges to investigate complaints over #INTA17 Grand Finale overcrowding and attendees being refused entry. https://t.co/qBv9ulmPoF #IP pic.twitter.com/qYty3ggj37— WorldTrademarkReview (@WTRmagazine) May 26, 2017
— INTA (@INTA) May 21, 2017
3) ICANN news:
Proposed Renewal of .NET Registry Agreement | ICANN.org: Comments close 30 May 2017 23:59 UTC. ICANN finally answered my questions (sort of). I plan on filing a comment and attaching ICANN's answers. Stay tuned!
Pre-ICANN59 Policy Update Webinar | ICANN.org: The ICANN Policy Development Support Team will host a Policy Update Webinar on Thursday, 15 June 2017 at 10:00 and 19:00 UTC, in preparation for the upcoming ICANN59 Policy Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa. RSVP by 13 June 2017. You will receive remote participation details the week of 12 June 2017. More at the link above.
ICANN Hires First Consumer Safeguards Director | ICANN.org: Bryan Schilling will be joining as the ICANN's first Consumer Safeguards Director, and will address illegal, infringing, and abusive activity impacting the DNS, reporting directly to Jamie Hedlund, SVP Contractual Compliance and Consumer Safeguards.
Special Meeting of the ICANN Board | ICANN.org18 May 2017:
- Initiating the Second Review of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC)
- Proposed Fundamental Bylaws Change to Move Board Governance Committee's Reconsideration Responsibilities to Another Board Committee
- Approval of the Global Amendment to the Base New gTLD Registry Agreement <<<
- Responding to Registry Operator Requests and GAC Advice Regarding the Release of Second-Level Country and Territory Names in New gTLDs
- Executive Session - Confidential: / Extension of Ombudsman Contract
4) ICYMI Internet Domain News
- Net Neutrality--FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking | fcc.gov: FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's proposal https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-17-60A1.pdf would eliminate the FCC's legal authority to prevent internet service providers (ISPs) from blocking or throttling web content or creating "fast lanes" that websites can buy into. The 75-page proposal, "Restoring Internet Freedom," also asks the public to comment on whether rules are needed to ban those practices. How to comment: https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-comment#comments. Easiest way to comment is via the EFF.org's https://dearfcc.org/.
But also note: Net Neutrality Ideals Are Already Dead | Bloomberg.com: "Netflix and other rich companies pay internet service providers to connect directly into the providers' broadband plumbing. These "paid peering" fees are perfectly legal even under the stricter regulations the FCC is seeking to unravel."
- NSA Surveillance: U.S. Fourth Circuit decision allows Wikimedia's lawsuit against National Security Agency’s (NSA) mass interception of Americans’ international digital communications, to proceed.--TheHill.com.
- Internet Privacy: House Republican unveils internet privacy bill | TheHill.com: "Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation on Friday that would force broadband providers and internet companies trying to collect and sell consumer’s digital data to first get their expressed consent."
5) Investing:
1. "A lot of other people are trying to be brilliant and we are just trying to stay rational. And it’s a big advantage.”– Charlie Munger
2. “People tend to act too frequently in the stock market because stocks are so liquid. There are no called strikes, so ignore people yelling at you ‘Swing you bum!’” – Warren Buffett
8. “When you go out in the world, look for the job that you would take if you didn’t need a job … You really want to think about what will make you feel good when you get older about your life, and you, at least generally, want to keep going in that direction.” – Warren Buffett
- Bitcoin Blasts Through $2200, Here's Why | ZeroHedge.com and Bitcoin and Tech Stocks: A 21st Century Tulipmania? | Barrons.com: "Investors’ enthusiasm is reminiscent of the mania that struck the Dutch in the 1600s."
- Just dropped 198 New gTLD domains and saved $45,000 | OnlineDomain.com: "I actually saved $45,000 in renewals from these drops as I consider all domains as at least a 10 year investment." (emphasis added)
-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo