Jay Westerdal  has set up a new website at niholdings.com to post developments as they happen in the ongoing high profile lawsuit filed by Thought Convergence against Westerdal 

and other shareholders in his former company, Name Intelligence, Inc. The site includes a timeline of events since Thought Convergence agreed to buy Name Intelligence (parent company of DomainTools.com and the Domain Roundtable conference, among other enterprises) in May of 2008 for $16 million. The relationship eventually went sour with Thought Convergence firing Westerdal and filing the lawsuit in a California federal court. Westerdal's site also has links to various news reports covering the dispute.  

Westerdal said "This website serves to answer questions and will be updated frequently. Sort of a no spin zone because we will only quote public domain documents." A notice on the site says "We  

Jay Westerdal

have been flooded by emails and questions about what is going on with our company. So we thought we would set the record straight and post links to all articles related to the the case and let people make up their own mind. We would like to share with the world what is going on and help people understand the matter from Name Intelligence, Inc. point of view. We will not be allowed to share information unless it is public. Likewise, false allegation or pure lies will be responded to legally first. We are deeply sorry we can't just respond to false statements but this has to be done legally. Once the documents are in the public domain with our answers we will post them or quote them. All information found on this website is already in the public domain."

The Internet Commerce Association has announced that Thought Convergence, the organizers of the Domain Roundtable conference coming up June 14-17 in Washington, D.C. has generously offered to provide time during the show's live domain auction to sell domains donated to support the ICA. The auction will run from 4-7pm U.S. Eastern time on June 16th. 

The non-profit ICA is asking the domain community to donate domain names for this auction event. Applicants can submit their domains to the ICA by email to [email protected]. All of the proceeds from the domains sold in the

auction will go directly to supporting upcoming ICA initiatives, including lobbying for domain owner rights in Washington and with ICANN. The domain donors who participate will receive a personal “thank you” on the ICA website and will receive an email from the ICA , confirming the amount received from the sale of their donated domain for tax purposes.

I just got back from Tallahassee late today  but may as well not bother unpacking the bags as it's off to Amsterdam Saturday for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference in the Netherlands. Before I head back out I'll be putting together a new weekly domain sales report that will be out Thursday night. 

Sedo is likely to rack up some more sizeable sales today (Thursday, May 28) when their latest GreatDomains.com premium auction ends at 1pm U.S.  Eastern time. Domains going on the block will include 80.com, BabyClothing.com and CD.net. You can see the complete auction inventory here. 

While I was on the road yesterday, NameMedia announced another expansion of their AfternicDLS domain sales platform that includes BuyDomains.com. A strategic partnership with TradeMark Express will allow the AfternicDLS and BuyDomains to offer their catalog of more than 2 million domains for purchase through TradeMark Express’s full-service trademarking process.

I hope all of our U.S. readers enjoyed the three-day Memorial Day holiday weekend. For most Americans it is a time to relax, do some outdoor grilling and perhaps hit the beach if they have one nearby. As I mentioned we would be doing in my last post Friday, Diana and I spent the extended weekend in Tallahassee, Florida helping our daughter find an apartment near the Florida State University College of Medicine where she reported for orientation this morning. 

On Monday we found a suitable apartment near campus but won't get the keys until this evening so we are still in Tallahassee waiting to do the actual move-in later today. 

Brittany Jackson at the FSU 
College of Medicine on Memorial Day

Special guests at the Jackson household this afternoon (left to right): Jessica Castello 
(who made fast friends with our dog Savannah), Michael Castello, Sheri Castello and 
son Jonathan Castello (a budding author who is currently writing his first book!)

Michael and his brother David became instant friends when Diana and I first met them at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Hollywood, Florida in October 2006. Hearing their remarkable life story while chatting with them at that event led me to write what became one of our most popular Cover Stories ever, Band of Brothers: How Michael and David Castello Morphed from Struggling Musicians to Domain Millionaires in December 2006. 

The Castellos (who own PalmSprings.com, Nashville.com, Acapulco.com, Daycare.com and Whisky.com, to name just a few) now frequently speak at domain conferences and one thing that has always impressed me about them is their willingness to help industry newcomers get ahead. As I noted in this column yesterday, they will be speaking at the Domain Roundtable conference in Washington D.C. on June 15. 

So while you are enjoying your holiday break Sunday and Monday, think of your old pal Ron who will be schlepping around moving boxes and furniture when he could have been sitting on the beach sipping a pina colada. I'll be back here with the next Lowdown post Tuesday (assuming I am not too sore to get out of bed that day!). 

Sedo is going to be on an auction binge over the next month.  Their latest monthly GreatDomains premium auction starts tomorrow (May 21) at 12 Noon (U.S. Eastern time) and ends seven days later. The names going on the block include Compound.com, Substance.com and CD.net. 

Sedo will follow the GreatDomains event with two special auctions in June. The first, devoted to career and job related domains, will start at Noon on Wednesday, June 3 and close on June 10. Some nice ccTLDs will be up for grabs in that event, including Job.es, Manager.co.uk and Interviews.fr. Sedo is also still accepting names for that auction. Email Sedo's Domain Broker Matt Rosebrook, [email protected], if you have career related names you would like to enter.

On Thursday June 25, from approximately 12 Noon to 4pm (U.S. Eastern time) Sedo will be running a special private auction for the killer generic domain - Wealth.com. Interested buyers must certify to bid by Monday, June 15 with  senior broker and acquisition consultant Tessa Holcomb. Her email is Tessa at Sedo.com.

Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt  spoke to the 253rd graduating class at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia today. In addition to being the commencement speaker, Schmidt was given an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Penn (the Princeton graduate was already a doctor, having earned a Ph.d in computer science from Berkeley). I was in the audience because my daughter Brittany was a member of the class of 2009 at Penn, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in biochemistry (she is going on to medical school at Florida State).

Scene from today's commencement at the University of Pennsylvana. Penn was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740 and is one of the "Ancient 8" schools that make up the Ivy League. Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt can be seen speaking on the side Jumbotrons.

Schmidt began his talk by pointing out that the world's first electronic computer, ENIAC, was invented in a basement at Penn in 1946. He noted that every computer related device that we take for granted today stems from that breakthrough at Penn which he said makes the school "the center of my world." He added that 250 of Google's current employees are Penn alumni and said "this is the most desirable place in the world for us to hire interns." That had to be music to the ears of graduates who are facing one of the worst job markets since the Great Depression. 

Google Chairman and CEO Eric Schmidt delivering his outdoor commencement address 
at the Unversity of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field today in Philadelphia.

Schmidt drew many laughs by comparing today's technology and student attitudes to the way things were when he was in college. The crowd particularly appreciated Schmidt's observation that "We didn't tell people about our most embarassing moments in college. Today you record them and post them on Facebook!" Schmidt encouraged the graduates to continuing cultivating an inquiring mind and to search for new and better ways to do things. He noted, "A mind set in its ways, is a life wasted - don't do it!"

Grammy winner John Legend speaking to  UPenn College of Arts & Sciences  graduates Sunday night in Philadelphia.	While degrees were conferred to students from all of Penn's colleges today (including Penn's world famous Wharton School of Business), the indvidual colleges held their own graduation ceremonies (during which the individual students were recognized) on Sunday. At Brittany's College of Arts & Sciences ceremony last night we were privileged to hear an inspiring speech from six-time Grammy winner John Legend who graduated from Penn in 1999 (he was known as John Stephens before taking up his current stage name).  Legend is also becoming known as much for his humanitarian efforts as for his musicianship. He recently launched The Show Me Campaign through which his fans are encouraged to donate funds toward improving the living situations and prospects of victims of extreme poverty in Mbola, Tanzania. Legend, in early 2008, also began touring with
Professor Jeff Sachs of Columbia University's Earth Institute to promote sustainable development as an achievable goal.

Brittany loved her four years at Penn and Diana and I have really enjoyed our frequent trips to the great city of Philadelphia while she was there (Philly also happens to be home base for some of the domain industry's top pros, including attorneys John Berryhill and Ari Goldberger (Ari is also a Penn alumnus). Our family sends a big "thank you" to the University of Pennsylvania and "The City of Brotherly Love" for what has been a very special time in our lives.

Brittany Jackson

NameMedia's AfternicDLS just significantly expanded the reach of their aftermarket sales platform by signing a strategic partnership agreement with one of the world's top registrars, 

Directnic.com. Those who visit directNIC to search for a new domain to register will now also be offered a broad selection of existing domains, including those that the current owners have listed for sale through the AfternicDLS.

Jim Macallum, Technical Officer of directNIC, Ltd. said, “through this new partnership, directNIC will now have more than two million business oriented domain names available for purchase.”

Pete Lamson, Senior Vice-President and General Manager of NameMedia’s domain marketplace, added “We are pleased that the AfternicDLS membership will have the opportunity to list domains for sale with one the world’s leading registrars. DirectNIC’s customers will benefit from having access to the world’s largest domain portfolio, providing them with new options to create and drive traffic to their businesses.”

Sams, who will be based in Los Angeles, said "I see the Internet as being where TV was in its early years. Dr. Ham has acquired thousands of premium dot-com domain names over the past decade that collectively garner millions and millions of monthly viewers. In my opinion, these domain names are no different than TV stations or networks. Each domain serves a specific niche—just like today’s leading cable networks. Each Internet domain has access into the home—via the same coaxial cable as TV is delivered. Now that many television set manufactures are beginning to make Internet-ready TV sets, I see, for example, the day when kids passively watch the Disney Channel and the interactive DisneyChannel.com on the same tube."

(Posted May 13, 2009) To refer others to the post above only you can use this URL:
http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/05-13-09.htm

The acquisition will allow Strata to give its clients new CPA revenue alternatives, automated implementation of CPA templates in high margin verticals optimized in real time, the ability to generate revenue from both CPA and PPC sources from the same domain, free full site development for high volume generic domains and, according to Strata, a significant increase in domain revenue and domain resale value.

PPX clients will continue to utilize their existing administrative interface. No changes will be required by current PPX clients.

Ron Sheridan, the long time business development director at DomainSponsor,  who was featured in our February Cover Story, has joined a new Los Angeles based technology-driven

marketing company called OCTANE360 as their Strategic Advisor. Sheridan will help build key relationships within the domain monetization industry for OCTANE360.

Sheridan said, "The time is right for the next generation of premium domain monetization to occur and I believe OCTANE360 is the company that has finally created a solution to achieve it. Not only do the founders of OCTANE360 have the right blend of advertising, technology and domain experience, but their platform has applications that go far beyond site development. It brings the Internet advertising industry, domain community, and small business owner together under one umbrella. I believe OCTANE360 brings much needed innovation to not only the domain space, but to online advertising as a whole.”  

Adam Rioux, the CEO and co-founder of OCTANE360, said “Having Ron join the OCTANE360 team is extremely exciting. Ron’s phenomenal track record, which has created 

Ron Sheridan
Strategic Advisor, Octane360

the tremendous amount of respect he holds within the domain industry, makes him a key addition to our team. In addition, his desire to join our team is a testament to the platform we have built at OCTANE360.”  

Sheridan and the OCTANE360 Co-Founders were at the recently concluded T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference to start getting out the word on their public launch. We are currently wrapping up work on our comprehensive T.R.A.F.F.I.C. review article that will be published tomorrow (Tuesday, May 12). Our review of the GeoDomain Expo that concluded in San Diego right before T.R.A.F.F.I.C. got underway was published over the weekend. You can read that report here. 

The domain aftermarket staged a strong rebound  in the opening quarter of 2009 compared to the previous quarter (4Q-2008). We just sent all of the details to opt in subscribers to our 

free monthly newsletter. In a nutshell, total sales reported to us in 1Q-2009 came in at $28.3 million, a 32% jump from the $21.5 million reported in the closing quarter of 2008. The 1Q-2009 total was also better than the quarterly average for all of 2008 (which was $27.3 million). 

However, the 1Q-2009 total was 25% less than the same quarter a year ago when we logged an all time quarterly record of $38 

million in sales. There is more to that story though. The largest all cash sale ever publicly reported, Fund.com at just under $10 million, was made in 1Q-2009. Had it not been for that 
single landmark sale, the 1Q-2008 total would have been $28 million, a bit less than 1Q-2009 even though the most recent quarter came at a time when the global economy continued to be mired in the worst downturn since the Great Depression. 

There are more sales data details, including a year over year median sale price comparison, in our new newsletter which is also now available online. You can read it here. 

By the way, the extended online auction associated with Moniker's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley sale concluded yesterday with over $460,000 in sales. The top sellers were Diego.com ($58,830), DVDShrink.com ($43,180) and Casco.com ($23,530). Added to the $2.1 million they rang up during their live auction April 29, Moniker wound up booking close to $2.6 million in sales this time out. 

Congratulations to Rick Latona  for landing Dr. Kevin Ham as the keynote speaker for the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference coming up June 1-4 in Amsterdam (Latona's company will stage the show under a licensing agreement with T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Co-Founders Rick Schwartz

Dr. Kevin Ham
will be keynote speaker at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. 
ccTLDs in Amsterdam next month

and Howard Neu). Dr. Ham has to be the world's best-known domainer after being featured in a Business 2.0 Magazine Cover Story by Paul Sloan (titled "The Man Who Owns the Internet" in 2007.

The congratulations are in order, not because of Dr. Ham's fame, but because of the value of the message he will bring to the conference and its attendees as a speaker. Dr. Ham delivered an impromptu speech during a panel session at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. West in Las Vegas last year and the few who heard it live will never forget it. I happened to have been sitting on the panel that morning and soon after the talk ended I wrote the paragraph below for this column:

"For me and many others, the highlight of today's schedule has been an unexpected delight delivered by Kevin Ham of Reinvent Technology. During the day's first panel discussion, Dr. Ham, probably the most 

financially successful domain investor of all time, delivered a spontaneous from the heart talk about what constitutes real success in life that, with its focus on family and loved ones, left some in the room near tears. It was one of the most eloquent and moving speeches I have ever heard and Ham was given a well deserved standing ovation when he finished. Since it was early in the morning and most registrants slept in after being out late last night, only a few were lucky enough to be in the room when Ham started talking. I'm sure glad I was one of them." 

The European domain community is in for a real treat in Amsterdam next month.