Are All Domainers Cybersquatters?

[Focus]

Ohh yeah! lol or of course...my old dnforum username! LMAO

but yeah..I checked they have a TM on mocus too now after your post..francois better watch out! ound:

 

[Theo]

Also do a WHOIS on juice.com

 

[Focus]

I know...one of us was gonna buy that name like a month ago and they snaked it...

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

I am on the fence myself, I do not condemn anyone nor say its ok. To each his own we all make our choices.

But on the matter at hand , NO we are all not squatters. That is a tremendously ridiculous and ignorant statement, mis informed wouldnt be strong enough of a word.

 

[Seraphim]

Also do a WHOIS on juice.com

:disappointed:

Bill's a cox blocker!

 

[hugegrowth]

No, a domainer isn't by definition a cybersquatter. A squatter sets up on 'land' that doesn't belong to them and that they haven't paid for. A domainer pays an annual fee for their names and is the legal owner. Ofcourse buying TM domains is different - you are squatting on someone else's protected mark and benefiting from it. But if I buy a generic insurance domain that gets traffic and I make money from it, even if I had nothing to do with insurance before, guess what, I'm now in the insurance business. People start new businesses all the time in areas they've never before had an interest in. You can have 100 domains and therefore have an interest in 100 different areas of business at once. Maybe when the average person reads about domaining and PPC, and sees how much a big domainer can make by simply parking names, it seems so easy that there must be something illegal about it.

 

[Microsoft Legal]

An interesting thread, most definitely. While my schedule does not permit regular postings on this board, I thought this particular topic was worth a moment to comment.

As I noted at the DOMAINfest Global Conference last month, I believe that the 'trust and reputation' of the domain name industry and its members is one of the most important issues it now faces, along with security + safety and intellectual property. Domain name registrants and registrars, trademark owners, and online advertising networks and associated companies all possess a variety of different legal rights and responsibilities in the marketplace. A thorough understanding of these issues is one of the most important challenges for anyone participating in this industry.

All 'domainers' are not cybersquatters. Cybersquatters violate intellectual property law. Some domainers choose to become cybersquatters (or other wrongdoers, such as phishers) by engaging in registrations or other related misconduct that violates the law. Intelligent people may disagree on when this line has been crossed. However, cybersquatters potentially are liable for their actions and damage the very core of the domain name industry and its legitimate, ethical activities.

Microsoft and other leading brands now are taking action against domain name cybersquatters, as well as cybercriminals such as phishers, to help protect consumers from potentially dangerous and confusing Internet domain names, as well as to guard their intellectual property online. Microsoft’s Domain Defense Program has focused on exposing the true identity of cybersquatters, preventing them from hiding behind private registration protection services. We also have worked cooperatively with Dell, Wal-Mart, Time Warner, and Yahoo! to educate consumers and everyone who does business online to the importance of domain names and their brand online.

I look forward to continung to work with so many terrific people in this growing community and on the incredible opportunity that lies ahead on the Internet.

AK

 

[PRED]

An interesting thread, most definitely. While my schedule does not permit regular postings on this board, I thought this particular topic was worth a moment to comment.

How about this one?
http://www.dnforum.com/f17/microsoft-fined-1-4-billion-eu-thread-281304.html

 

[Theo]

AK,

Could you please direct me to the department at Microsoft Legal that would address my situation? I was commissioned to do web development work for Microsoft's International ISV program, through a temp project manager last summer. It was a quick and dirty job and worked 20 hours of billable time that a junior manager at Microsoft later on refused to acknowledge. Microsoft is using my design and I am not a happy man. So please PM me with a phone number - not technical support - that would assist me with this matter. Thank you.

 

[PRED]

ok, thats 2 hot potatoes, anymore? :smilewinkgrin:

 

[Seraphim]

An interesting thread, most definitely. While my schedule does not permit regular postings on this board, I thought this particular topic was worth a moment to comment.

As I noted at the DOMAINfest Global Conference last month, I believe that the 'trust and reputation' of the domain name industry and its members is one of the most important issues it now faces, along with security + safety and intellectual property. Domain name registrants and registrars, trademark owners, and online advertising networks and associated companies all possess a variety of different legal rights and responsibilities in the marketplace. A thorough understanding of these issues is one of the most important challenges for anyone participating in this industry.

All 'domainers' are not cybersquatters. Cybersquatters violate intellectual property law. Some domainers choose to become cybersquatters (or other wrongdoers, such as phishers) by engaging in registrations or other related misconduct that violates the law. Intelligent people may disagree on when this line has been crossed. However, cybersquatters potentially are liable for their actions and damage the very core of the domain name industry and its legitimate, ethical activities.

Microsoft and other leading brands now are taking action against domain name cybersquatters, as well as cybercriminals such as phishers, to help protect consumers from potentially dangerous and confusing Internet domain names, as well as to guard their intellectual property online. Microsoft’s Domain Defense Program has focused on exposing the true identity of cybersquatters, preventing them from hiding behind private registration protection services. We also have worked cooperatively with Dell, Wal-Mart, Time Warner, and Yahoo! to educate consumers and everyone who does business online to the importance of domain names and their brand online.

I look forward to continung to work with so many terrific people in this growing community and on the incredible opportunity that lies ahead on the Internet.

AK

You know what would be even funnier, if Hugh Hefner sent a priest in here to talk about celibacy.

 

[Focus]

I think it's an incredible opportunity that exists for all the typos to resolve to MS live search so those ads can get clicked. I have to say that I can't blame MS for wanting to make money by helping people find what they are looking for...hell, is'nt that what the guys with the parking pages are doing already? And all the registrars? Google? This is a really big can of worms guys..I don't know who is right or wrong here but I know that generic domains are certainly the way to go at this junction! Above and beyond all the smack talking..we all need to realize that this is a business and the guys making money from typos are not BAD people, nor are they criminals..they were guys trying to make a few bucks on the Internet..just like the search engines..just like the registrars parking pages by default, everyone is looking to improve their life and make a living. I completely agree with TM holders reclaiming names and people losing that revenue stream and having to migrate to new & more ethical ways on the Internet, but condemning people and ruining people's lives over it is a whole other story and should be frowned upon. The real scum on the net are the people stealing people's personal info and "phishing" personal data from innocent victims..I get the paypal emails all day with the fake links to "log-in" to my account..this ruins people's credit, people lose alot of money, and it causes alot of hardship & confusion across many different platforms online..be it an email account getting phished or a credit card number..these are the real low down criminals that need to be stopped first & foremost with unwavering voracity and this all has nothing to do with domain names, it has to do with how they use them. I just wish we could all find some happy medium and coexist peacefully online all while having our own little piece of the Internet pie. I know that it's getting alot harder to find good domains to buy and sell which has always been the core of my business and how I have made money, I think this is because more people are going after the "clean" names now and their value is going skyward..just a thought for my fellow domainers who own generic namespace with traffic...don't sell yourself short because I myself have sold names that I wish I held onto thinking that more could easily be obtained, but they just simply can't anymore. So all that being said, peace & good will to everyone in this thread and don't be too hard on MS Legal because I think maybe we all can learn something here and improve our business into the future by being more considerate of everyone else online, as long as the people pursuing this big "change" consider that we are ALL fellow human beings and we too have a claim on the Internet just like anyone else and a right to make money, if the ways to do that online change with the times then so be it but don't drag people through the mud in the process because they have families, wives, husbands, an fat orange cat named whiskers, and dreams and aspirations too and maybe that kid in North Dakota that registered the MS typos 3 years ago and used them for parking and made a few bucks by helping people find what they were looking for deserves a second chance to learn from his mistakes and then can move forward doing the "right thing". I'm not that kid, but I'm sure he is out there somewhere and losing his ability to make money from those said typo's by companies taking them away via wipo/udrp is surely punishment & justice served. When he goes to put gas in his car or buy groceries and that income is not there anymore he/she will surely wish they would have spent time more constructively on the Internet building something more instead of thinking short term...so again we all have something to learn and consider here, even MS Legal. :hippie:

 

[Seraphim]

I agree, if you're willing to ruin someone's life over a few Microsoft typos, then you might as well just call yourself the Taliban. The fact that Microsoft is so tactless to send a "Microsoft Legal" thug in here, shows just how out of touch they are with consumers on the ground. I suppose when you can't stand on the quality of your products and services, you have no other choice but to take the low road.

I don't own a typo of any sort, but a lawyer bullying his way around a forum is absurd. Microsoft sucks almost as bad Google.

 

[domain newbie]

Is it Stenzel? He doesn't park nor sell

hey does anyone has his number~ i want him to adopt me

 

[Focus]

His number is 1800-hes-too-old-for-you

 

[Raider]

I agree, if you're willing to ruin someone's life over a few Microsoft typos, then you might as well just call yourself the Taliban. The fact that Microsoft is so tactless to send a "Microsoft Legal" thug in here, shows just how out of touch they are with consumers on the ground. I suppose when you can't stand on the quality of your products and services, you have no other choice but to take the low road.

I don't own a typo of any sort, but a lawyer bullying his way around a forum is absurd. Microsoft sucks almost as bad Google.

What's really absurd is calling a respectable attorney from Microsoft a "Thug" and referring to Microsoft as the Taliban, I will never understand why you and others choose to attack a Man for doing his job, Attack Microsoft for protecting their trademark and lean on the side of compassion for the cybersquatter who breaks the law, Perhaps I have more respect for the law than you do.

When you violate the law, in this case the Anti Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, signed by Bill Clinton himself, their are consequences, In Microsoft's campaign against cybersquatting, the consequence is up to $100K per domain violation, Excessive? YES.. But how many of these judgments are actually recovered?, my guess is little to none, I think Microsoft is more interested in sending a message than collecting from people who can barely pay their bills.

As for the bullying, The only bullying I see on this subject comes from domainers attacking other domainers who speak out against cybersquatting.

 

[Focus]

I think maybe we all need to be a little nicer to each other here really :hug:

Remember, without each other..all of us would cease to exist.

 

[Gerry]

In the minds of most not personally involved with domaining, I would have to say YES to the original question.

Are All Domainers Cybersquatters?

I would think that most laypeople would find by definition a cybersquatter is someone who registers a domain and "sits" on it, either by parking or simply hording it, with no real intent on creating a site to conduct trade, commerce or service on the internet exclusive to the use of that domain.

 

[Seraphim]

I love DNF

 

[katherine]

I would rather have microsoft-legal on our side. Too bad he doesn't post more. I don't see how his presence is intimidating. Actually we need more reps from the big TM corporations, they would understand that all domainers should not be tarnished with the same brush.

At least MS buys domains at a fair price unlike some who resort to reverse hijacking tactics to steal from domain owners.

Unfortunately we are not calling the shots so if you have high value domains use them, TM them and be prepared to strike hard at the slightest sign of infringement from anyone. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Have no mercy. Just play the game.