Domainers Take A Stand Against Cybersquatting: Rick Schwartz’s Silicon Valley TRAFFIC Show Will Focus on Eliminating Cybersquatters from the Community.

There was time when cybersquatting was pursued vigor as business model.  After trademark attorneys and their clients turned up the heat, attitudes changed somewhat.  Domainers sought to clean their portfolios of cybersquatted domains in order to avoid domain disputes under the UDRP and ACPA.  Several years ago, many top domainers really started to “talk the talk” lashing out against “black hat” cybersquatters within their midst.  Now, Rick Schwartz and Howard Neu have turned up the heat.  Realizing that cybersquatting may be more of a threat to the domainer industry itself, then to trademark holders, Rick appears to be signaling that the upcoming TRAFFIC Show in Silicon Valley (go ahead and register if you want to be a part of this event) will devote content and commentary to the issue of how cybersquatting hurts the domainer business, sours relationships with major players such as Google and Yahoo! and causes advertisers to opt-out of the domain channel.  Here’s the money quote:

“We have seen companies come and go now. Some quite large. Some left destruction in their wake. Those focusing on trademarks and other schemes and garbage traffic should be eliminated. If not, our way of earning will continue to erode as GOOGLE’s customer base for the domain channel shrinks instead of expanding as it should. Don’t take my word, listen to the words right from Google. Folks with really good traffic need to pay attention and learn how to isolate our traffic from the garbage traffic. We know the conversions on type ins. Nobody can touch it. But those numbers just get watered down when they mix in the CRAP. There are so many advertisers that opt-out of the domain channel and the ONLY reason is the CRAP they end up paying for. It hurts you, me and Google plus it destroys future business.

TRAFFIC means business and we are going to shine the spotlight on those companies that are putting all of us at risk and costing us more than you might imagine. If you want to get the most out of your legitimate traffic it is time to expose those that are eating up the commissions and at the same time leaving the advertiser little to show for their money. This results in an entire industry losing its customer base simply due to abuse. It is time to do what should have been done a long time ago. Professional domainers with pure traffic need to separate themselves from those with CRAP and Silicon Valley is the right place to do it. Let advertisers hear just how serious we take it. If we turn a blind eye, we are no better than those with traffic that does not convert to sales.

In addition we are going to have more networking opportunities than ever before. A much looser schedule. Seminars will be limited unlike previous shows and we will have just 2 auctions. We’ll have some great parties and the best food ever, but I will be the first to admit that it won’t be our focus. There is work to do and $$$ to be earned. We don’t do this for our health. We do it to move everyone forward. The more oars in the water, the quicker we move. We have an opportunity to demonstrate just how serious we are and why folks outside our channel should pay attention and take a second look at what we do. A chance to distance ourselves from the “Cybersquatter” tag that some deserve but professionals like us do not.”

Our trademark and cybersquatting attorneys have posted often about the need for the domainer community to help combat the problem of cybersquatting and typosquatting in order to gain further legitimacy within the broader business community. 

• Is Navigation Catalyst Systems a Typical Domainer? All Domainers are not Cybersquatters.
• Frank Schilling Talks Cybersquatting & Domain Monetization.
• Hobbits v. Hobbitts: Generic Mark Argument Won't Prevent Panel From Seeing Pay Per Click Parking as Bad Faith
• The Three Views of Trademark Cybersquatting.
• The Tension Between Trademark Holders and Domainers over the Definition of Cybersquatting.
• A Specific Proposal for Stronger Laws to Protect Against Mass Bad Faith Cybersquatters. 

 

Comments

[Enrico S.]

I find two things when I go to these domain conferences. Most of them show how out of touch most of the conference organizers are with their audience. The first is that most domainers hold a large number of "brandable" domains in their portfolio. Let's face it, all the dictionary words are pretty much taken and virtually no one can resist picking up a two word domain which is an interesting and often arbitrary combination of words. These brandable domains receive no direct navigation traffic. I have yet to attend a domain conference where the organizers actually talk seriously about the development and trademark potential of the brandable domain market. This is really unfortunate since most domain sales occur within the speculative market, domainer to domainer. This industry is doomed if it doesn't find a way to sell brandable domains directly to end users in the price range of $100 to $3,000.

Second, many conference attendees are tired of hearing the same old mantra about UDRP decisions and evil trademark holders. The thought that a conference might, and we don't know how serious Rick Schwartz is about highlighting the bad aspects of cybersquatting in his upcoming Silicon Valley show, really get their attention. Many domainers still dabble in trademark domains. If the domainer community really ever wants to grow up, it needs to take charge of the cybersquatting situation, out those who are the worst offenders, and rid themselves of the blatant cybersquatters, especially typosquatters, from their industry.

[wannadevelop.com]

We'll see what transpires over in the valley in less than 2 month's.

I like the plan though.. Kudos to Rick.

Mike

[concerned]

It still looks like this is happening. not good.

http://www.johnsonandjohnson.cm

is this not one of the biggest offenders?

[Johnny]

I think that is awesome.

As a domainer that owns thousands of generic domains I am sick of seeing folks register TM domains. A typo of DishNetwork sold at Godaddy recently. For Christ's sake....it's 2009 folks! Wake up.

Buyers of domains like that only hurt folks like Rick and I.

I have tried to raise some hell at DNForum and NamePros last year regarding the blatent selling of TM's on those forums.....but the mods don't want to be "domain police". That is understandable....but something HAS to be done. Things are getting out of control.

Nice to see Rick as the avant guard to this big problem. I'm elated to see someone with some balls finally.