Tag: Google Domains

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Disputes National Arbitration Forum News

Google wins dispute over YouTube typo domains, names ordered transferred

YouTube Scam Survey site

In a no-brainer, a single-member Panel with the National Arbitration Forum has ordered several YouTube typo domain names be transferred to Google.

The domain names disputed in the case were: youtbe.com, youtub.com, youtue.com, youube.com, and yutube.com.

The respondent, who filed no response in the proceeding, had been using the names to send unsuspecting users to a survey scam that asked a series of questions and attempted to gather personal information by promising free gifts like Best Buy gift cards.

Google filed the complaint (Case No. 1416796) at the end of November.

Judge Harold Kalina (Ret.), Panelist, found that all three elements required under the ICANN Policy to transfer the domains were satisfied.

1)  the domain name registered by Respondent is identical or confusingly similar to a trademark or service mark in which Complainant has rights; and
(2)  Respondent has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name; and
(3)  the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith

Full details of the ruling, which was issued on January 5, have been posted online.

Discussion: The Next Web, Marketing Land, Index, The Verge, Afterdawn.com and mediabistro

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Google apparently registers Googan domains, slang for lowlife webmaster

Googleplex

If you’re not familiar with the term Googan, according to Urban Dictionary, “Googan” can be used to describe a lowlife webmaster who “posts ads and web pages typically with no meaningful content, no regard for adwords copywriting, or consideration for other people, especially those who click on promising-looking links.”

Now it appears Google has plans to market Googan “the lowlife webmaster” in the very near future, according to several new domain registrations that include names like Googan.net (WHOIS), BewareofGoogan.com, DonthireGoogan.com, and GooganInterviews.com.

All of the Googan names were privately registered through MarkMonitor, a company Google uses to help manage its domain portfolio. 

As is the case with domains privately registered using DNStination Inc, MarkMonitor’s privacy service, it’s safe to say the company behind the names is Google, since MarkMonitor is in the business of internet brand protection for over half the Fortune 100 companies.

Google registered the Googan names, as well as others, on December 29.

None of the domains resolve to a web site at the time of this story going online, and Google has offered no details on Googan as of yet.  But if I had to guess, I’d say Googan will be used in an online marketing campaign, similar to the company’s use of the domain EmailIntervention.com. 

Here’s a look at all the domains apparently registered by Google on December 29.  Also in the list are lighting domains like Googlightingstranger.com, which may have something to do with its Android-controlled light bulb, that goes on sale in early 2012.

bewareofgoogan.com
bewareofgoogan.net
donthiregoogan.com
donthiregoogan.net
gapsingoogle.com
gapsingoogle.net
glightingstranger.com
glightingstranger.net
googan.net
googanapperson.com
googanapperson.net
googanapprehension.com
googanapprehension.net
googaninterviews.com
googaninterviews.net
googanlighting.com
googanlighting.net
googlelighting.net
googlightingstranger.com
googlightingstranger.net
thegooganinterviews.com
thegooganinterviews.net
whatsinitforgoogle.com
whatsinitforgoogle.net

Discussion: Marketing Land

(Image of Googleplex welcoming sign via Ardo191)

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Google registers ‘Value of the Web’

Value of the Web

It looks like Google is getting ready to market another one of its products or services.

On December 14, the search engine giant registered the domain name valueoftheweb.com through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.  Google also picked up the dot-net and dot-org.

As with many of its thousands of names, they may end up being nothing more than part of the company’s defensive domain strategy.

Recently though, new registrations have hinted at something more.

In late November Google registered a number of Google Gives Back domains, then launched its Google Gives Back 2011 website this week. It also purchased the domain Schemer.com in early November, which launched online earlier this month and is currently in invite-only beta period.

Last week, the search company accidentally revealed the acquisition of RightsFlow through domain registrations.  As first reported here, news of the registrations appeared online hours before an official announcement was made.

On the same day Google registered valueofthweb.com, it also registered betternet.org and its typo beternet.org.

Discussion: Search Engine Land

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Is Google planning to be more than just a client of RightsFlow? [UPDATED]

Google Rights Flow

Updated at 2:38pm EST:  Just as I speculated early this morning, RightsFlow has been acquired by Google.  The news was announced only news minutes ago.

***

Original post 4:11am EST: Google has made some interesting domain name registrations this week, revolving around the phrase “Rights Flow”. 

The search engine giant which officially launched its music streaming service Google Music last month, registered eight different names like GoogleRightsFlow.com, GoogleRights.com and GoogleFlow.net (GoogleFlow.com is owned by someone other than Google). 

It’s fun to speculate about Google domain registrations, although often they turn out to be nothing more than part of the company’s overall intellectual property strategy to protects its brands, not a product or service that is ever launched.

If you’re not familiar with the company, RightsFlow, which counts Google among its clients, provides intellectual property and copyright management services. 

According to the company’s website, RightsFlow is a leading technology-enabled provider of a mechanical licensing and royalty payment technology platform for online music services, record companies, distributors and artists.

Could Google end up being more than just a client of RightsFlow, to help it with its music service?  RightsFlow also has a product called Limelight, that allows anyone to clear cover songs quickly and easily, for one low price.

Guess we’ll have to wait to see what the domains end up as, or, to see if Google makes an announcement in coming days. 

Today, none of the domains resolve to a web page.

Here’s a look at the domains acquired on December 8, 2011, through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

Googleflow.net
Googleflow.org
Googlerights.com
Googlerights.net
Googlerights.org
Googlerightsflow.com
Googlerightsflow.net
Googlerightsflow.org

Categories
Disputes National Arbitration Forum News

Google going after YouTube typo domains that lead to survey scams

YouTube Scam Survey site

Google is going after several popular typos of the web address YouTube.com, all owned by the same person. 

Each typo domain leads unsuspecting users to a site that looks confusingly similar to the official YouTube site (as shown in the picture above of YouTub.com – minus the ‘e’).  Instead of landing on Google’s YouTube, users are taken to a survey scam that asks a series of questions and attempts to gather personal information by promising free gifts like Best Buy gift cards.

Google filed the complaint (Case No. 1416796) with the National Arbitration Forum this past week over the domain names: youtbe.com, youtub.com, youtue.com, youube.com, and yutube.com. 

The names are all registered to the same person as seen in WHOIS records, allowing Google to file one complaint that relates to more than one domain name, under UDRP rules.

According to rough traffic estimates provided by Compete.com, visitors number in the thousands to each site every month.  In October for example, YouTub.com reported over 6,000 unique visitors.

As with all domain disputes, each panel examines three elements before reaching a decision:

(1) is the domain name identical or confusingly similar to a trademark in which the complainant has rights
(2) the owner has no rights or legitimate interests in respect of the domain name and;
(3) the domain name has been registered and is being used in bad faith. 

If all three elements are satisfied, then the domain names will be ordered transferred to Google.

This will likely be an open-and-shut case for Google.  Earlier this month, Twitter Inc. won a similar dispute over the highly trafficked domain Twiter.com after filing a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

I’ve reached out to the owner of the disputed domain names for comment, and will update this story if I hear back.

Google had its own share of problems with the YouTube web address early on, but it found itself on the other side of a dispute.

Just weeks after acquiring the video site, Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment filed a lawsuit in 2006 after its site (utube.com) continuously crashed because of millions of people looking for YouTube.  Universal Tube ended up using utubeonline.com for its business web address, and kept ownership of utube.com – a site that today averages a million visitors per month according to Compete.

Discussion:TechCrunch, Silicon Republic, The Verge, Softpedia, Techmeme, iG Tecnologia and Punto Informatico