Will you boycott Go Daddy because of their support of SOPA ?

[eq78]

With Go Daddy supporting SOPA many registrars have been going after their customers with transfer special deals.

Will you boycott Go Daddy because of their support of SOPA ?

 

[katherine]

TBH there have always been other reasons not to use godaddy

I still remember when Kentucky was going after gambling domains, godaddy wasn't exactly willing to go the extra mile for its customers.

 

[domaingenius]

Yes agreed ,GoDaddy is not worthy of support by anyone let alone anyone on this Forum. I received this today http://www.thedomains.com/2011/12/2...rom-godaddy-day-based-off-of-support-of-sopa/

DG

 

[Stian]

I will definitely move all domains away from GoDaddy if they keep supporting SOPA. BTW, SOPA will never be realized.

 

[Gerry]

The heat is on as non-traditional domain news sources have picked up the story of a boycott:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/12/godaddy-sopa/

“This debate is about preserving, protecting, and creating American jobs, and protecting American consumers from the dangers that they face on-line,” the statement reads. “US businesses are getting robbed and US consumers are getting duped.”

The company dismissed free speech concerns. “Not only is there no First Amendment concern, but the notion that we should turn a blind eye to criminal conduct because other countries may take oppressive steps in response is an affront to the very fabric of this nation.”

GoDaddy appears to be doubling down on this position. Today, it reposted its Politico op-ed to the GoDaddy support forums. Comments were disabled.

Here's what really pisses me off - for almost a decade, I have been saying that the domain industry needs to police itself before someone steps in and does it for them. It is not only a matter of GoDaddy, but every single registrar that has turned a blind eye to registrations of trademarked property and copyrighted property. The same goes for all the auction companies, drop catchers, and so on that facilitates the sale of such names. Fact is, there is too damned much money to be made buying, selling, and flipping names. It IS the largest unregulated trade exchange on the planet. Additionally, ICANN is an absolute joke and when faced with lawsuits over allow Reg Fly to continue to operate and steal money, ICANN promptly moved it's world headquarters to Switzerland to avoid US prosecution and what was certainly (and minimally) going to be a Class Action Lawsuit.

Meanwhile, all these registrars, auction entities, drop catchers were saying it was impossible to peruse names for potential infringements. When proven it was not impossible, they changed their tune to Its too expensive. When proven that it was not too expensive, they claimed it was not their responsibility. Fact to the matter was, it was their responsibility as well as the responsibility of the registrant. Every single registrar has their own TOS that state do not do this and that, most notably TM and protected namesakes. Yet, when there is money to be made (too damn much money), registrars were not even enforcing their own TOS. The disclaimer seemed to satisfy the courts in previous cases that alleviated the registrar from any culpability.

Here we are today, on the cusp of everyone taking ownership for such violations of protected namesakes. And here we are with GD seemingly playing the good servant here by their approval of the SOPA legislation. Why and why now? Because GD would be on the hook for every name registered in bad faith and that blatantly violates the law.

I realize that my previous statements and caution over the lack of regulation was not going to be heard. But the swelling crowds coming out against domains used for illicit purposes (even if it was simply regging the name) and against the domainers. We caught first glimpse of this with the pending SNOWE Bill a few years back.

Am I the only one that finds it humorous that there is an effort to boycott GoDaddy at this late date in the game?

Or is the humor in GoDaddy essentially boycotting the domainer?

 

[katherine]

What is worrying is that governments (not just the US govt) come up with initiatives almost every month to effectively kill the free Internet.

If they don't have their way this time, they will try again later - as long as they win once every ten rounds it's bad enough.
Just being on top of things is a full time occupation.

Governments want to control the Internet, and they are winning.

 

[Gerry]

Governments want to control the Internet, and they are winning.

They are winning because the internet has not taken care of its own. Sites with known bogus TM violations, sites selling known fakes/forgeries/knockoffs, sites selling or giving for free illegally pirated goods (movies/music). All of these problems and issues are the root cause of these recurrent legislative efforts. And the registrars facilitate the blossoming business of illegal business by knowingly allowing the registration of such crap. And, the web hosts gladly put the sites on the internet.

Face it, the internet is money driven and is the new number one, primary media of choice.

I am not for further restrictions. But I am also not for all the idiots out there (and in here) that act as if they are the innocent victims here...Whaa???? Who, me????

Look at the bullshit being peddled on this forum with active sites. Look at the bullshit being peddled on Flippa. Look at the front pages of the featured auctions on Namejet, Pool, TDNAM, Sedo, and so on. Everyone turning a blind eye to the business of hacks, typos, TM names, and anything else that brings in a buck. Never have I seen any of these places make a concerted effort at stopping the bullshit because there has never been an incentive to stopping the bullshit. There have been legal proceedings against registrars allowing the reg of such names but not one (yet) has been fined or found guilty.

The failure to clean up their own acts has forced the hand of the lawmakers. Why should a company or entity have to defensively reg their own name and countless variations thereof to purely protect their brand. Already there are over 260 domain extensions. And rather than disallowing the registration of such names, the general sentiment out there is telling the companies they had better get their name before someone else does.

Yes, some TM's are owned by multiple global entities. But we (and everyone else) knows there is only one Google, one Microsoft, one Proctor and Gamble, and so on. And if the registrars and the web hosts can not (or will not) shut these down, then there is a problem with the internet. And that problem is duping people into thinking they are on the legitimate company owned site buying authorized and authentic products. Instead, these sites are stealing billions of dollars on an annual basis from the consumer and from the manufacturer.

Whaa? Who, me?

 

[katherine]

The lawmakers are not all young, in fact most are Internet dummies. They have a warped understanding of the Internet, like it's a den of pedophiles and cybercriminals, and decisive action, 'shock and awe' mode, is needed fast. But in a way the Internet is little more than an extension of the offline world.
IMO certain corporate interests are at work and have forced the hand of the lawmakers.

Why do we need another bill ? ICE have already been seizing domains like crazy, catching some innocents in the process. And that is just a taste of the things to come. It's not like there are no tools and remedies presently available. That's what it actually... an ineffective bill of law to reinforce existing laws. The true motives go beyond the stated purpose. As always.

 

[Gerry]

Here is a perfect example of what I am referring to:

View attachment gd xxx.jpg

This is an example of the Fox Guarding the Henhouse.

Here is a GD ad, on DNF (and I am sure appearing elsewhere) essentially telling companies to Protect Your Brand...because we aren't.

Companies should NOT have to protect their brand. And with the money companies are throwing at Congress, Lawmakers, Lobbyists...yeah, they are going to get their way. Because it is those same powerful and rich companies that are telling (and asking) the members of Congress to protect their brands by further restricting the internet.

This is an absolute prime example of the double faced hypocrisy of GD pretending to be the champion of cleaning up the internet and domain industry all the while telling the asses they are attempting to kiss to be sure to protect their brands...

...by registering your domain name before someone beats you to it.

 

[Gerry]

I also resent the automatic inclusion of a link added by the forum to the full word for what G D stands for.

I am in no way endorsing or promoting their business simply because I mention their name in a post or thread.

 

[DN BROKER]

What other options do we have if we boycott godaddy?

 

[Theo]

What other options do we have if we boycott godaddy?

We can ban Bob Parsons from visiting Canada.

 

[Mark Talbot]

It's just another plan to shoot the rogue domainers to feed the starving villagers.

 

[Vincent]

I would boycott godaddy except it's giving me good deal, so I'm thinking.
This such a topic. I'm going to start my site sopa.com soon.

I happen to own the sopa.com. Each day I receive at least one offer inquiry on the name, some days two or three offers on the same day. This says that SOPA is hot topic. If you're bothered by it, so are many others.

If you're interested or just disturbed by SOPA, don't forget to visit sopa.com to participate and debate on the issue.

xnx, if you like to boycott Godaddy, you can soon visit sopa.com and voice your call there.

Say NO so SOPA!

 

[silentg]

GoDaddy dropped their support for SOPA. It's going to be an interesting year next year.

I just got a call from #GoDaddy. The rep said he noticed that I’d transferred my 60+ domains away (I’ve still got a few there that I’m working on transferring, but am being conservative with, since I can’t afford any downtime at all with them), and wanted to know if I’d tell them why. I got to tell them that it was because of their #SOPA support, and that I couldn’t in good conscience give my money to a tech company that would support legislation like that. I told him I was aware that they had reversed their position, but that their explicit support of it in the first place had cost them my confidence in them, as it is at the best viciously ignorant, and at worst, malicious.
The rep was quite sincere in his apology to me, asked if there was anything they could do to win me back. He had a “We support IP protections, and now realize that support of SOPA is too broad” song-and-dance routine that probably came in from a PR memo today. I told him “no thanks”, and that was that. I’m impressed by the customer service hustle, but it shows that this little incident really spooked them. http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/...daddy-calling-customers-begging-them-to-stay/

​

 

[Gerry]

Earlier in the day, I was reading an article that listed the businesses that supported the boycott.

The author of the piece pointed out that GoDaddy was not only the sole domain registrar on the list, it was also the only solely based internet company on the list.

 

[Mark Talbot]

GoDaddy dropped their support for SOPA. It's going to be an interesting year next year.

To reply with quote, but the quote doesnt copy your quote,...


This sounds so much like a cable company reply to your moving and not wanting them back.

 

[silentg]

Edit: Looks like they took it down. Found it:

60 Plus Association
ABC
Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP)
American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA)
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Americans for Tax Reform
Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States
Association of American Publishers (AAP)
Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies
Association of Talent Agents (ATA)
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Beachbody, LLC
BMI
BMG Chrysalis
Building and Construction Trades Department
Capitol Records Nashville
CBS
Cengage Learning
Christian Music Trade Association
Church Music Publishers’ Association
Coalition Against Online Video Piracy (CAOVP)
Comcast/NBCUniversal
Concerned Women for America (CWA)
Congressional Fire Services Institute
Copyhype
Copyright Alliance
Coty, Inc.
Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB)
Council of State Governments
Country Music Association
Country Music Television
Covington & Burling LLP
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP
Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman, P.C.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Deluxe
Directors Guild of America (DGA)

Disney Publishing Worldwide, Inc.
Elsevier
EMI Christian Music Group
EMI Music Publishing
ESPN
Estée Lauder Companies
Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
Go Daddy
Gospel Music Association
Graphic Artists Guild
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, Inc.
Hyperion
Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA)
International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE)
International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (IACC)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
International Trademark Association (INTA)
International Union of Police Associations
Irell & Manella LLP
Jenner & Block LLP
Kelley Drye & Warren LLP
Kendall Brill & Klieger LLP
Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert LLP
L’Oreal
Lathrop & Gage LLP
Loeb & Loeb LLP
Lost Highway Records
Macmillan
Major County Sheriffs
Major League Baseball
Majority City Chiefs
Marvel Entertainment, LLC
MCA Records
McGraw-Hill Education
Mercury Nashville
Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC)
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
Moving Picture Technicians
MPA – The Association of Magazine Media
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators
National Association of State Chief Information Officers
National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Crime Justice Association
National District Attorneys Association
National Domestic Preparedness Coalition
National Football League
National Governors Association, Economic Development and Commerce Committee
National League of Cities
National Narcotics Offers’ Associations’ Coalition
National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA)
National Songwriters Association
National Troopers Coalition
News Corporation
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP
Pearson Education
Penguin Group (USA), Inc.
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Phillips Nizer, LLP
Pfizer, Inc.
Proskauer Rose LLP
Provident Music Group
Random House
Raulet Property Partners
Republic Nashville
Revlon
Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP
Scholastic, Inc.
Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
Shearman & Sterling LLP
Showdog Universal Music
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Nashville
State International Development Organization (SIDO)
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
The Perseus Books Groups
The United States Conference of Mayors
Tiffany & Co.
Time Warner
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
UMG Publishing Group Nashville

United States Chamber of Commerce
United States Tennis Association
Universal Music
Universal Music Publishing Group
Viacom
W.W. Norton & Company
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Nashville
White & Case LLP
Wolters Kluewer Health
Word Entertainment

---------- Post added at 01:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ----------

Companies who oppose SOPA: http://www.net-coalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Opposition_Dec16.pdf

 

[Jeroen]

Edit: Looks like they took it down. Found it:



---------- Post added at 01:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ----------

Companies who oppose SOPA: http://www.net-coalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Opposition_Dec16.pdf

There's a few in that list that might shoot themselves in the foot by supporting sopa.
Glad to see Go Daddy dropped their support.

 

[Gerry]

Here is the excerpt I had eluded to earlier. I re-found the source:

The House Judiciary Committee has released a list of 142 companies that support SOPA. GoDaddy appears to be the only domain registrar, or Internet company for that matter, on the list. Indeed, even traditionally strong copyright supporters like the Business Software Alliance have been having second thoughts about the legislation. [Source]


In another piece I read an interesting analogy. Who did not sign the petition? The people who actually use the internet.

---------- Post added at 12:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:40 PM ----------

Glad to see Go Daddy dropped their support.

I think the damage is done.