SnapNames Awarded Patent for “Demand based domain name auctionability”
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Domain auction site awarded another patent.
Domain name auction platform Snapnames has been awarded U.S. patent 7,627,628 (pdf) for “Demand based domain name auctionability.” The patent’s abstract describes a system that triggers a domain as auction worthy if there is a certain level of demand for it:
A method for identifying a registered domain name as auctionable is provided. The registered domain names may be pulled from a database of desired domain names, such as a collection of domain names that one or more interested entities have requested to register using a domain name registration system. Requesting a domain name may be probative of demand for the domain name. Accordingly a domain name receiving a threshold level of interest may be tagged as auctionable. For example a domain name may be tagged as auctionable when a total number of interested entities is at least equal to a minimum threshold of interested entities. Tagged domain names may be acquired by an escrow agent when a current registration expires and auctioned among interested entities. In addition, the owner of a tagged domain name may be notified to see whether the domain name can be auctioned before expiration.
This type of system is used by expired domain drop catchers to determine if a domain should be auctioned.
The patent is a divisional patent and is similar to another patent SnapNames was awarded earlier this year that covers many aspects of domain backordering.
Related posts:
SnapNames Awarded Patent for ?Demand based domain name auctionability? – http://tinyurl.com/ycslvhe
Sounds dirty to me. This should not be patentable.
More of the same I suppose from SnapNames.
SnapNames Awarded Patent for “Demand based domain name auctionability” http://ff.im/-chER0
they should be awarded as best bot bidders
…with Halvarez or his other (probable) Snapnames aliases drumming up the interest I suppose?
so…its mob rule then, the more people in the mob with torches and pitchforks demanding the domain? the more actionable the process? is that it?
Just because there is a patent doesnt make it ethical, I am with belmassio on this one…dirty.