RE: [gnso-dnt-com]

["Rosette, Kristina" <krosette@xxxxxxx>]

Thanks for circulating this, Robin.  I am as well.  Given the 3-month
freeze on the registry monthly reports, though, I don't expect we'll see
any numbers until early June.  
 
Has anyone seen the original announcement?  I ask because some articles
state that Google will apply its prohibition to all tasted domain names
and others state that Google will apply it only to kited domains.  It's
my general understanding that the number of kited domains is smaller
than the number of tasted domains that aren't kited. 
 
K 


________________________________

        From: owner-gnso-dnt-com@xxxxxxxxx
[mailto:owner-gnso-dnt-com@xxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Robin Gross
        Sent: Saturday, January 26, 2008 12:27 PM
        To: gnso-dnt-com@xxxxxxxxx
        Subject: [gnso-dnt-com]
        
        

        Below is an interesting story on how Google will no longer allow
advertising revenue from domain name tasting in its AdSense program.
I'm curious to see how that will effect the practice.

        
        

         Robin

        
        

        ------------------------

        
        

        Google combats domain name loophole

        By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer

        Fri Jan 25, 5:24 PM ET

        
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080125/ap_on_hi_te/web_address_sampling&pri
nter=1;_ylt=AoPeJEV3YP._rzmmcB3VYXFk24cA

        
        


        The online advertising leader Google Inc. said Friday it would
help make it less lucrative to tie up millions of Internet addresses
using a loophole and keep those domain names from legitimate individuals
and businesses.

        Over the next few weeks, Google will start looking for names
that are repeatedly registered and dropped within a five-day grace
period for full refunds.

        Google's AdSense program would exclude those names so no one can
generate advertising revenue from claiming them temporarily, a practice
known as domain name tasting - the online equivalent of buying expensive
clothes on a charge card only to return them for a full refund after
wearing them to a party.

        "We believe that this policy will have a positive impact for
users and domain purchasers across the Web," Google spokesman Brandon
McCormick said.

        The company said it notified participants via e-mail Thursday.

        Name tasting exploits a grace period originally designed to
rectify legitimate mistakes, such as registrants mistyping the domain
name they are about to buy. But with automation and a burgeoning online
advertising market, entrepreneurs have generated big bucks exploiting
the policy to test hoards of names, keeping just the ones that turn out
to generate the most revenue.

        The practice ties up millions of domain names at any given time,
making it more difficult for legitimate individuals and businesses to
get a desirable name.

        Jay Westerdal, who earlier wrote about Google's change on his
DomainTools blog, said in an interview that the ban should make domain
name tasting far less lucrative. He noted that Google's chief rival,
Yahoo Inc., already tries to ban tasted addresses that infringe on
trademarks and account for much of the problem.

        "If Google and Yahoo are not monetizing these types of sites, I
think domain tasting as we know it will come to a screeching halt,"
Westerdal said. "The alternative advertising is just not as effective."

        In October, Yahoo sued several domain name registration
companies over tasting, accusing them of targeting trademarks owned by
Yahoo and other leading brands. The lawsuit is pending in U.S. District
Court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Dell Inc. and BMW have filed similar
federal lawsuits in Florida.

        The Internet's key oversight agency, the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers, already is looking into name tasting and
will soon ask a committee to review the issue and craft recommendations.
A public comment period on draft procedures closes Monday.

        The operators of the ".org" suffix already won approval to
charge companies that make too many returns. The number of deletions
dropped to 152,700 in June, compared with 2.4 million in May, after the
new fee took effect.