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If you run a legitimate business being labeled a reverse domain name hijacker - or a hijacker of any kind considering the dictionary definition for one is "a person who steals goods" - does not reflect well on the way you do business or your enterprise. Unfortunately, there is no criminal or financial penalty for reverse domain name hijacking (trying to steal a domain from it's rightful owner) even though the attempted theft involves assets that can be worth a million or more dollars!

Such was the case when a flower seller in Denmark that operates from Queen.dk attempted to steal the Queen .com domain name from veteran domain investor/develolper Rick Schwartz, who has owned the name for two decades, through an ill advised UDRP filing. They resorted to that misuse of the dispute resolution process after Schwartz refused to sell them the exceptionally valuable domain for the price they wanted to pay.

Schwartz goes on to make the most of his highly visible soap box and the thousands of readers it attracts by laying out a permanent record of what Queen Flowers tried to do, a record that - due to his blog's authority and high ranking in Google - will result in searches for Queen Flowers, as well as those on the names of the company CEO and legal representatives, bringing this event up over and over again (references that will continue to grow in visibility as more people link to Schwartz's blog post and other online postings). Schwartz has also shared the story extensively on his Twitter account where his posts get similar love from Google.  In fact in a Google search I just made for Queen Flowers CEO "Frands Jepsen" Schwartz's Twitter post on the UDRP decision is already on page 1. 

So in the end, by taking the low road, Queen Flowers ends up with nothing but a damaged reputation, wasted attorney fees and any hope that Schwartz will ever sell them the domain at any price now. It is a lesson that others who would misuse the UDRP process as a vehicle for attempted theft should take to heart.

Last week the .CLUB domain registry announced they had passed the 1 million mark in total registrations - only the 5th new gTLD to reach that level to date (along with .xyz, .top, .loan and .win according to NTLDStats.com). .CLUB managed the feat without engaging in the drastic price cutting some others new TLDs did to build market share. That is not meant as criticism of any registry's strategy, but it does make .CLUB's achievement especially impressive.  So,  congratulations are in order to .CLUB Founder Colin Campbell (who was profiled in a 2016 DNJournal Cover Story) and the entire .CLUB team.

India's 4th annual DomainX conference is coming up August 5-6, 2017 at Shangri-La's Eros Hotel in the nation's capital - New Delhi. Uniregistry has signed on to sponsor this year's two day event, organized by Manmeet Pal-Singh and Gaurav Kohli (President of the Domain Name Owners Association of India).

DomainX 2017 will begin with a full day of business sessions on Saturday (August 5) followed by evening networking at Lodi - the Garden Restaurant that will include a cocktail hour and dinner. It will conclude with a unique outing Sunday (August 6) - a cricket match pitting a team of domainers against one representing bloggers!

Donuts Inc., the biggest domain name registry operator for new domain extensions, and Rightside Group, Ltd. (NASDAQ:NAME)  today announced that the two companies have entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger under which Donuts will acquire Rightside for $10.60 per share in an all-cash tender offer, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $213 million. The purchase price represents a premium of approximately 12% over Rightside’s average closing price for the 30-day trading period ended June 13, 2017 and a premium of approximately 22% over Rightside’s average enterprise value (excluding cash) for that period. 

Closing of the deal is contingent upon tender of more than 50% of outstanding Rightside common shares, the receipt of certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The transaction is currently expected to close during the third quarter of 2017. Following the transaction, Rightside will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Donuts, a privately-held company, and Rightside’s common shares will no longer be listed on any public market.

The new Merge! conference I told you about in April continues to flesh out the agenda for the inaugural event at the Marriott World Center in Orlando, Florida October 14-18, 2017. The show is the result of a new partnership between domain industry conference production veterans Jothan Frakes (NamesCon and Domain Roundtable) and Ray Dillman Neu (T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and The Domain Conference). 

Last month they named their first keynote speaker - entrepreneur, author, digital leader and global IP strategist Jen Wolfe - and today they added another - the Honorable Neil Brown, a distinguished panelist at WIPO and the National Arbitration Forum. Mr. Brown, who is based in Melbourne, Australia, is a Queens Counsel, Arbitrator and Mediator in private practice with a long and distinguished career in government and the law. 

Mr. Brown was a Minister in the Federal Government in Australia in charge of portfolios in Attorney-General’s, Communications and Employment and Youth Affairs. In the law, he has appeared in every jurisdiction in Australia and has had experience in commercial, intellectual property, town planning and taxation matters. He is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Murdoch University in Western Australia. Mr. Brown is a qualified arbitrator and mediator practicing in international and domestic matters in the commercial, communication, intellectual property and governmental fields, as well as a leading arbitrator and adviser on internet domain name disputes. 

Neil Brown
Merge! Keynote Speaker

World Hosting Days (WHD) has picked the location for their 3rd annual conference in the United States. WHD.USA 2017 will be held in Las Vegas September 11-12 and, given WHD's acquisition of the domain industry's largest conference, NamesCon, last year, you won't be surprised to hear that the hosting event will be held at the Tropicana Hotel. The Tropicana has hosted every previous NamesCon event (and will do again when the 5th annual show is staged there January 28-31, 2018).

WHD describes the USA show (one of several regional shows they operate around the world in addition to their massive annual WHD Global event that is held each March in Germany) as "the main industry event in North America. It is 

a two day celebration of the technology and incredible potential of the internet featuring inspiring keynotes from industry leaders, sessions on the latest business practices and trends, an exhibition hall featuring cutting edge technologies and services, fun networking events and an exciting hackathon that will bring great code to life. Our goal is to provide content and experiences that are fun and valuable to the entire industry."

I covered the inaugural WHD.USA event held in Pennsylvania in 2015 (that was followed by last year's show in Phoenix) and I can attest to the conference meeting its promise to provide a high value, entertaining event for attendees. I can also tell you that you will see many well-known figures in the domain industry there taking advantage of the cross pollination opportunities with the closely related hosting world. That makes it even more remarkable that the cost to attend is $0 - absolutely free admission - if you register no later than June 30 - and that includes lunch, snacks and coffee breaks!

A scene from the first WHD.USA conference in 2015

In addition to their business sessions and keynote speeches, WHD.USA, like NamesCon puts a heavy emphasis on networking opportunities like the ConneXion Party (featuring the Lords of Uptime on stage). This and other events are designed to provide attendees with a relaxed atmosphere to connect, share experiences, and make new friends. 

Domain sales and monetization giant Sedo announced a key change in the company's management team today. Sedo and industry veteran Matthias Meyer-Schönherr has moved into the role of Chief Sales Officer (CSO) Global, replacing Dima Beitzke who stepped down to pursue a new opportunity outside of the domain industry. 

Meyer-Schönherr has been with Sedo for ten years, most recently as Vice President of Global Business Development where he led critical business development efforts including the establishment and successful expansion of the SedoMLS network. The Sedo announcement noted, "Matthias has been integral in the relationship development and management of Sedo’s vast Registry and Registrar partnerships as well as the promotion of the Sedo brand globally. He has represented Sedo at countless international conferences and trade shows. At many of these events, Matthias has served on panels and given talks on the value and commercial benefits of a quality domain name."

While Meyer-Schönherr is moving into a new position, the management of both Sedo's North American and International sales teams will continue from Sedo’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany under Meyer-Schönherr’s leadership.

Dima Beitzke joined Sedo in 2013 bringing with him a wide breadth of management experience in sales and online marketing that helped Sedo further grow its sales distribution network into Asia and other emerging markets. In early 2016, he was promoted to CSO Global taking on the responsibility of overseeing Sedo’s North American based sales team and the corresponding markets in addition to global efforts. Sedo's announcement noted, "Very much a people person, Dima’s natural upbeat morale lifted the already lively spirit and friendly culture of Sedo while simultaneously encouraging an even more intense focus on sales performance."

Matthias Meyer-Schönherr
Sedo Chief Sales Officer Global

Dima Beitzke
Former Sedo Chief Sales Officer Global

Today's announcement concluded, "Sedo CEO Tobias Flaitz and all of Sedo very much enjoyed working alongside Dima and Tobias is very optimistic and positive towards the latest adjustments to his management team." Flaitz added, "Naturally there is sadness when someone leaves but at the same time change provides opportunity for both the employer and employee like the pursuit of different avenues and advancement in career growth. We have extremely good retention rates within our skilled group of employees and are very fortunate to be able to fill this position with a successful, proven and well-liked leader from our own team."

If you missed the 2017 Domaining Europe conference in Berlin three weeks ago that doesn't mean you have to wait another year for an industry get together on the Continent. In fact the 3rd annual NDDCamp is coming up later this month at the Paris School of Business in France. The Monday, June 26, 2017 event is being sponsored by Sedo and AFNIC (the administrator of France's .fr country code domain) with the Paris School of Business assisting in organizing the event.

NDDCamp was founded by two French domain name investors, David Chelly and Philippe Franck. The have succeeded in establishing an event that attracts registrars, lawyers, domain names investors, SEO consultants and other professionals who deal with domain names. 

While NDDCamp is a conference and networking event designed to help participants make new contacts and improve their knowledge of the sector, the founders say it also have some key differences from other industry events. A primary one is that the event is free to attend, though registration is reserved for industry professionals. They also skip other standard conference fare like a sponsor exhibit hall and live domain auction. The focus is entirely on face to face relationship building and learning. 

BrandIT GmbH (BrandIT) a European-based leader in Corporate Domain Name Management specializing in Strategic Domain Consulting, Domain Portfolio Services, Online Brand Protection and Enforcement and Legal in Digital and Igloo.com (Igloo) a Global Domain and Website Brokerage, announced today they have reached an agreement under which BrandIT will acquire Igloo for an undisclosed sum. BrandIT has clients worldwide with offices in Switzerland, the UK, Denmark and Brazil.

Igloo, founded by Dr. Gregg McNair & Tessa Holcomb as Domain Advisors in 2010 before rebranding to Igloo.com in 2013, has been a leading broker of premium domain names and websites known for its discretion, white-glove

service, and proven results. The company’s main focus has been working with clients on their overall brand strategy, educating end-users on the importance of owning the right domains and intellectual property assets, and both divesting of and acquiring high value domains for companies and investors alike. With over $140 million in brokerage transactions, Igloo has made a significant impact in the domain industry by capitalizing on personal relationships, hard work and the dedication of its extraordinary team.  

As part of its expansion plans, BrandIT intends to include Igloo’s online marketplace and the recent roll out of their exclusive Premium Broker Network, both of which the company credits for  increased engagement and financial results.