OpenDomain.org says it provides free use of domains, but the devil is in the details.

I saw a press release today for an organization called OpenDomain.org. The press release talks about how it provides free use of domain names to organizations. While most organizations are those that provide open source software, the OpenDomain site says you can use the domains for multiple purposes AND keep any profit. The idea of profiting from use of these “open” domains seems a bit odd to me.

Although the press release for OpenDomain talks about how it “gives away”, it is only giving away the use of these domains. The company still owns them and can take them away from you at any time. If you look at OpenDomain’s terms you’ll notice some other catches that make this offer less than appealing:

“The domain must be actively marketed and significantly used…[including] Regular submission to search engines”

“We would like a link on all pages
The link must be predominate and visible
The link must be part of the original HTML document and not generated by client side script (JavaScript)
All outbound links must be marked with the nofollow attribute. For example, all anchor tags should have rel=”nofollow” in their markup. This does NOT include the link to OpenDomain.Org”

So you must add a “nofollow” attribute to all of your links exceptthe OpenDomain.org link, and all pages must link to OpenDomain.org. You must promote the domain and web site. And then, one day, OpenDomain can send you a message saying you no longer can use the domain…which then means all of the promotion you’ve done for the domain will be to the benefit of OpenDomain.org.

I don’t want to assume that OpenDomain isn’t doing this out of the goodness of its heart, but I would be wary of taking the group up on this offer. (Given the selection of domains, few groups would have any use for these names anyway…they may as well pick up better domains elsewhere.)

I also take issue with OpenDomain for using the term “cybersquatter” in its press release to refer to anyone who buy domains with resale intentions.

Ocean Tomo, one of the world’s premier intellectual property (IP) firms, will feature domain names in its upcoming live IP auction.

Ocean Tomo is famous for its live IP auctions, and this fall’s event in October will include several domain names and associated trademarks. The auction will take place in NYC on October 25-26. Here are some of the auction items:

Lot 51: InternetCoach.com and Internet Coach trademark
Lot 52: PaperlessApp.com, being sold by IBM
Lot 58: Alerts.com, being sold by IBM, expected value $50,000

Alerts.com should attract plenty of attention. It’s not clear what the opening bid will be, but $50,000 seems like a fair price for this great domain.

Read more about the auction here.

Domain registrar GoDaddy now has a full-time presence in Washington, D.C.

GoDaddy showed up in the news last week when it testified in congress about ICANN in general and the VeriSign agreement. GoDaddy also recently testified to The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations about protecting children online. Buried in a press release about the latest appearance of GoDaddy was news that GoDaddy now has a “full-time presence” in Washington. I assume this means that they have at least one person, most likely GoDaddy General Counsel Christine Jones, who is registering as a lobbyist.

Say what you will about GoDaddy and its outspoken founder Bob Parsons (and I say plenty), but this is a positive step for the domain name industry. I hate government interference and politics, but you can’t just sit on the sidelines and fume about what goes on in Washington. By getting involved in Washington GoDaddy can advocate what’s best for its business. Most of the time this is also what’s best for the domain industry. GoDaddy has been outspoken about the VeriSign agreement that will let it increase .com prices and other domain issues. Sure, the only reason GoDaddy cares is because it’s good for its business—but it’s usually good for the rest of us, too.

Sedo introduces buyer certification to cut down on deadbeat buyers.

Sedo recently created a buyer certification program to make sure bidders follow through with their purchase offers. I received the following email today:

Dear Andrew:

In the continued effort to maintain a successful and secure marketplace, Sedo recently initiated a Buyer Certification program. Your account has automatically been updated to certified buyer status since you have engaged in successful transactions in the past.

New customers must now certify their accounts before submitting offers There are three methods for new customers to become certified buyers including: credit card verification, completing a signed Buyer Certification Statement, Completing a W9 form (available to members in the US and Canada) or through an SMS certification code.

You will see an additional tab in the “My Sedo” navigation menu for the Buyer Certification page. Again, no action is required from you as you are already a certified buyer. We hope that you are pleased with this improvement. It was designed to maintain a secure marketplace where transactions are carried out smoothly and efficiently. We appreciate your business and as always if you have any questions please feel free to contact us at info@sedo.com.

This is a welcome improvement. I don’t think it will eliminate deadbeats. Afterall, Afternic performs credit card verification but still has deadbeats. But it will hopefully cut down on broken agreements.

The new .mobi domain extension will add value to the web.

.mobi was officially opened to the public for registration today.

Not everyone thinks this new TLD adds value to the web. Vmunet has an article titled “‘Pointless’ .mobi landrush launched”. The article quotes Rachel Lashford, senior analyst and research manager at Canalys saying “Having another top level domain is a completely pointless exercise.”

Most of the time new TLDs are a pointless exercise. This isn’t just my opinion. In the 2006 Domain Name Wire Survey, 45% of respondents said they didn’t want to see any new TLDs introduced. New TLDs are usually just a way for registries, registrars, and speculators to make money.

But .mobi is different. It clarifies the mobile web, making browsing easier. Right now there are a number of different protocols for accessing the web through a mobile device. For example:

wap.domain.com
domain.com/wap
mobile.domain.com
domain.com/mobile

Some web sites automatically recognize visits from mobile devices, others don’t. If you’ve ever used your mobile device to visit a web site then you certainly understand the frustration.

.mobi will clarify all of this. Soon, you’ll be able to go to google.mobi, espn.mobi, and yahoo.mobi. Your mobile device will automatically use this extension, so you’ll just be able to type in “espn” or “google” and automatically land at the correct site.

Rachel, I have to disagree with you on this one. .mobi has a point.