Snapnames patents monitoring and catching domains

[domaingenius]

Hope no one else has posted this about Snapnames patent;
SnapNames Awarded Patent

Posted: 15 Jan 2009 11:27 AM PST

SnapNamesSnapNames was recently awarded patent #7,742,160, as brought to light at Domain Name Wire. The primary points of the patent cover the ability to capture domain names dropped for non-renewal, ‘tagging’ names and acquisition monitoring services.

Primary competitors in the dropped names capturing mechanism include NameJet and Pool, both of which could be in violation. The tagging process is quite interesting as well. Tagging names is their method of quantifying interest of a name. It would appear that you could lose your “next in line” status if they decided to send a higher-ranked domain to auction.

Of particular note is their description of domain monitoring services. Their stated claims in the invention ostensibly constrain the monitoring services to apply only to monitoring and valuing expiring domains. However, their description of the monitoring service states, among other examples, that a monitoring service could be used to “track competitor’s movements” and have “multiple subscribers per domain”. The monitoring services could be “offered independently from … the acquisition services”. Those statements may broaden the application of the patent beyond simple acquisition services and could directly affect monitoring services currently offered by many companies in the industry.

Not only does the patent give the lawyers at Oversee.net, SnapNames’ parent company, something to do, but it could affect the marketplace and healthy competition. If SnapNames pursues this patent and requires competition to license the technology, they could become the only contender in the dropped names aftermarket and monitoring services - a huge advantage for them, but it may prove unhealthy for the market. Or, it could be good… ? Healthy competition can spur innovation.

So while this may be a boon for SnapNames and Oversee, it’s an even better win for their lawyers, depending on how the patent is interpreted, as they weed through potential violators.

DG

[Meridian66]

Tagging names is their method of quantifying interest of a name.

Problem is that they capture and then personally keep unsold dropped names that they value highly for parking revenue rather than returning them to the market. Given their close ties with Moniker via OverSee.net, surely there must be an illegal conflict of interest in such actions.

[gjsys]

Problem is that they capture and then personally keep unsold dropped names that they value highly for parking revenue rather than returning them to the market. Given their close ties with Moniker via OverSee.net, surely there must be an illegal conflict of interest in such actions.

Conflicts of interest are usually implied by the depth of the checkbook/bank account. The deeper, the lesser the conflicts. Hence, the USA is in the shape we're currently in.
Any patent such as this, to be awarded to a corporation that inevitably would control the market, should be of immediate interest to all domainers and cause for a public outcry as it may disable the free trading of domains.
Personally, Snap/Oversee is equal to Google - both need to be eradicated from this planet. Both companies are nothing but a huge violation on ethics, privacy and healthy competition.

just my .2c

G.

[denny007]

Problem is that they capture and then personally keep unsold dropped names that they value highly for parking revenue rather than returning them to the market.

But before everyone had a chance to BUY them, DUH ! And if you know about those domains, why did not you buy them ? $59 per backorder, you be soon gazillionaire !

[draggar]

Problem is that they capture and then personally keep unsold dropped names that they value highly for parking revenue rather than returning them to the market. Given their close ties with Moniker via OverSee.net, surely there must be an illegal conflict of interest in such actions.

I don't think anything they're doing is illegal. Unethical? Definitely. Shady? You bet.

It's practices like this that is going to kill their business, though. Fewer domains worth parking means that there will be fewer people buying them and parking them.

More people (like myself) will rely more heavily on mini sites and development (and why not? Why let someone take a large cut of the small cut you're supposed to get from Google?). they'll tend to drop lesser earning domains (<renewal fee etc..).

[thevirtual]

Maybe halvarez should patent domain auction hijacking.

[Acro]

Maybe halvarez should patent domain auction hijacking.

Thanks for the laugh

[MonikerMan]

Moniker does not buy or catch any domains for Oversee.net nor does SnapNames. Oversee has their own registrar that they used to use for tasting and if they buy names at snapnames, they compete along with everyone else.

Be careful of your accusations and assumptions because they are not true. There is NOTHING unethical or wrong with owning your own inventory - the most successful domainers in the world do the same - Frank Schilling, Kevin Ham, Oversee, Fabulous, Parked/Directnic, etc. All own their own registrars to manage and acquire and manage their portfolios and the monetization techniques used be each benefit each of you as customers as they spread that knowledge and experience to their customers that also use their platforms.

The Glass can be half full some times ;-)

[NostraDomainus]

There is NOTHING unethical or wrong with owning your own inventory

HOW one aquires their own inventory can be a different story thou, imho.

...as I have had domains registered by Websites the next day I used to simply search them on - supposedly reputable businesses. [Ex: 3-word Xmas domain searched in the middle of summer only to be rego'd by a person employed by/connected with the business the next day (I found the name 1 day but needed to get the money to buy it the next only to have it rego'd by then). Beyond coincidental imo.]

In the end, actions speaks louder than words - no matter how loud one shouts. ;-)

I no longer do business with Moniker.

Best of Luck and Success in All Your LEGAL Edeavours!

[MonikerMan]

Sorry NostraDomainus - we do not share our search queries with anyone so the registrations were pure coincidence and I bet you they were not registered at Moniker were they?

[Meridian66]

Moniker does not buy or catch any domains for Oversee.net nor does SnapNames.

Does Moniker catch names for SnapNames though? I think the concern is not with Moniker, which has a justified reputation as being a very honorable company, but with SnapNames.

[denny007]

Does Moniker catch names for SnapNames though?

It is one registrar from maybe 1,000 who are catching drops, absolutely irrelevant

[Acquisition]

Problem is that they capture and then personally keep unsold dropped names that they value highly for parking revenue rather than returning them to the market. Given their close ties with Moniker via OverSee.net, surely there must be an illegal conflict of interest in such actions.

Tucows has been doing that for years. They have a portfolio of thousands of premium domains that they never let go to the public when their customers did not renew. Some of those names will totally blow your mind

They are making a killing with parking revenue.

as per Domain Tools-

domain_management@tucows.com is associated with about 37,633 domains

Tucows reveals key domain name portfolio assets


http://orange.advfn.com/news_Tucows-..._24850032.html

TORONTO, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tucows Inc., (AMEX:TCXAMEX:TSX:TC) a leading provider of Internet services to web Hosting companies and ISPs worldwide, today announced that as of February 14, 2008 the Company had over 150,000 Internet domain names in its private domain name portfolio, including the following:

- Over 1,000 "Gems." These domain names are considered to have the highest potential value in the portfolio. A sample of 100 of these names is included below.
- 39,000 Surnames. Tucows owns over 65 percent of North American's surnames as domain names. These surnames form the foundation of Tucows' Personal Names Service, a recently launched service that allows users to obtain their personal name, for example amy@ smith.net for email and amy.smith.net for a web address.
- 22,000 Brandable Names. A brandable domain name is intended to stick in the heads of users and conveys the nature of the website it leads to or the business it represents. These domains are sold or leased to business owners and individuals focused on building a brand.
- 88,000 Direct Navigation Names. Direct navigation names are primarily monetized through targeted pay-per-click advertising.

"In today's marketplace, domain names are essential for marketing and brand awareness," said Elliot Noss, President and CEO of Tucows. "Companies, both large and small, are willing to invest in high-quality domain names to ensure visibility of their brands and steady traffic to their websites."
"Over the past two years, Tucows has built a portfolio of domain names that we view as one of the best in the world. We have sold thousands of these names to date, and we will continue to pursue sales of domain names from our portfolio both individually and as bundles."

Bill Sweetman, General Manager of the Tucows Domain Portfolio, added, "In addition, we have put our resources toward building a proprietary set of tools that allow us to grade and segment our inventory of domain names so we can make smarter and faster decisions in domain name transactions. While we cannot quantify our portfolio in financial terms, we believe this portfolio will be of great value to Tucows, and it is an integral part of our strategy to unlock value in the company."
To best obtain value from the domain names, the Tucows portfolio team strategically sells some of its names via live and silent auction, some are bundled and sold individually to interested parties, and some are leased to businesses on a multi-year term. In addition, some names are sold as Premium Names through the Company's network of resellers.

"Tucows should be considered one of the premier providers of domain names on many levels," said Sweetman. "The Tucows team is very focused on identifying the highest quality names available, and executing on our strategy to further monetize the Tucows Domain Name Portfolio for the benefit of the Company and our shareholders."

A sampling of the some of the key Tucows domain name assets include the following list of 100 names:

Actresses.com Aerodynamic.com Alligators.com Amnesty.com Anger.com AnimalTrainers.com Artillery.com AutoRacers.com Backs.com Ballads.com BasketballPlayers.com Beagles.com BigSisters.com BikeRiders.com Biologist.com Blessing.com Breeding.com Brontosaur.com Bulldozer.com Burmese.com Canaries.com Cardiologists.com Cartoonists.com ChorusLine.com Codeine.com Congressman.com Corked.com Desperados.com DietFood.com Dietician.com Divorced.com DogBreeders.com DreamLover.com Drummers.com EndlessLove.com EnglishTeachers.com EquipmentStorage.com ExoticCat.com Geologists.com GraphicArtists.com GreatDanes.com Gynecologists.com Honourable.com Humble.com IceSkaters.com Interviewer.com JehovahsWitnesses.com Jewellers.com Labradors.com Lemons.com Leopards.com Liberals.com Listener.com LonelyHearts.com Lutheran.com MailDelivery.com Mammal.com Masseuse.com Minis.com Moonlighting.com MorningShow.com MyGarage.com Narcotics.com Naturalists.com NewsReporter.com Ouzo.com Parakeets.com Paramedics.com PawnShops.com Penicillin.com Perfumer.com Pianists.com PoliceOfficer.com Pomeranian.com ProjectManagers.com PunchLines.com Puppysitters.com Relics.com Retrievers.com Rockclimbers.com Satanic.com SiameseCat.com Skateboarders.com Sleuth.com Sobriety.com SoftwareDesigners.com Stylist.com TennisPlayers.com TheBeaches.com TheCaribbean.com TheCompany.com TheHotel.com TheOpera.com ThePostoffice.com TheUnitedStates.com Tool.com Umpires.com Veggies.com Weasels.com Wrestlers.com

In addition to historical facts or statements of current condition, this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "Safe Harbor" provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the potential portfolio value of the domain names and Tucows' continued pursuit of sales from its domain name portfolios. Forward-looking statements provide Tucows' current expectations or forecasts of future events. Actual results could differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements due to the market for such domain names and the general financial and economic conditions affecting the Internet and technology industries. Given these risks and uncertainties, any or all of these forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect. Therefore, you should not rely on any such factors or forward-looking statements. Tucows undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement.
About Tucows
Tucows provides Internet services for hosting companies and ISPs. Through our global network of over 9,000 service providers we provide millions of email boxes and manage over eight million domains. Tucows is an accredited registrar with ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). We hold a domain name portfolio of over 150,000 domain names that are available for sale, monetized through advertising and support our wholesale Personal Names Service. Our Retail division sells Tucows services to consumers and small business owners through Domain Direct and NetIdentity. Tucows.com remains one of the most popular software download sites on the Internet. For more information please visit: http://about.tucows.com/.
DATASOURCE: Tucows Inc.

[draggar]

It is one registrar from maybe 1,000 who are catching drops, absolutely irrelevant

I agree, especially considering the "back woods" registrars that some of my caught domains went to.

I would have been ecstatic to see one of them go to Moniker - some of the others have really bad security and are extremely difficult to work with.

With as secure as Moniker is and how much they have invested I would doubt they'd risk anything (too much at stake).

Also, I'm wondering what is "illegal" in all this? If I pay a drop-catch service $60 to attempt to catch a domain (only billed if I get it) they make it clear that it is an attempt.

Now, whoever gets that domain, it is their domain to do with whatever they want to. Keep it? Sell it to the highest bidder? This is the same with all of us and any domain we acquire.

[thevirtual]

Holy sh*t

Anger.com, TheUnitedStates.com, Tool.com...

Unbelievable!

[MonikerMan]

Moniker has been a snapnames registrar for years and years. we do not catch names for snapnames, we catch names for our customers that put back orders on domains expiring and snapnames is the best to catch those backorders for our customers. Now that I run both Moniker and Snapnames, the process has not changed. We still catch names that you as a customer may back order plus we now have the largest aftermarket in the world on the platform. There are more than 130,000 buyers on snapnames and there are 1000 domain sale transactions each day. There are also several hundred registrar partners that all participate in the drop and expired name market so that customers can find the domains that they want. Again, this process has been in place since 2003 so not sure what the surprise or where the question of ethics is coming from?

[Meridian66]

Moniker has been a snapnames registrar for years and years. we do not catch names for snapnames, we catch names for our customers that put back orders on domains expiring and snapnames is the best to catch those backorders for our customers.

So you are saying the claims made in the SnapNAmes patent do not apply to the relationship between Moniker and SnapNAmes?

It states in SnapNames patent 7,472,160:

"the second mechanism, partnerships or contractual agreements can be entered into with the various registrars. As part of these relationships, each registrar can give operators of the present invention a right of first refusal to register a name that becomes available for registration or transfer. For example, a registrar can notify an interested entity that a registrant will not be renewing a registration and the name will become available. As one option, the name can be renewed before it is purged and transferred to the interested entity. This ensures that no third party will be able to register a recently-available name before an operator of the present invention has an opportunity to do so."

So, SnapNames has a preferential access relationship with a registrar and receives its inventory of expired domains without having to catch them, and before they are offered up to the public. This is not drop catching, this is an exclusive agreement between two companies that locks out all other purchasers using the standard drop process.

[Leading Names]

Anyone else find this kind of disturbing that a company can patient something that other companies are already doing, and have been for years? Only in America .

- Rob

[Meridian66]

Anyone else find this kind of disturbing that a company can patient something that other companies are already doing, and have been for years? Only in America .

Its disturbing that you can patent obvious business processes and broad, vague ideas (as in the various ridiculous software patents), and don't even need to build something... just wait around for someone later to do the work and market a product, then sue them.

[Acro]

When someone patents the method of contracting one's chest muscles to intake air into the lungs and filter in oxygen, then expel carbon dioxide we will pay or die.