The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent number 9,075,886 (pdf) to Verisign for “Systems and methods for detecting the stockpiling of domain names.”
We’ll call it domaindar for short.
The patent explains ways that a registry can determine what a domain name registrar is doing with domain names after they expire. Are they deleting them or keeping them for themselves (i.e., stockpiling.)?
To discover what registrars are doing with the domains, Verisign proposes checking site information before and after the expiration. For example, it might look for nameserver changes.
Why would a registry care about this? The patent explains:
Entities that sell domain names need to understand how a domain name is used, thereby providing an indication of how a user of a domain name may value the domain name. Accordingly, there is a need to know the status of domain names to determine if a domain name is active or expired, and, if a domain name is expired, if the expired domain name is parked and stockpiled by a registrar. To address these needs, systems and methods are needed to detect the stockpiling of domain names.
Versign has plans to monetize its patent portfolio, but has been quiet on its strategy in recent quarters.
Joseph Peterson says
Patent write-ups are frustratingly opaque.
Since this patent describes something I do each week – collecting domain data before and after the time of expiration and assessing it algorithmically to evaluate ownership status – I was curious how their procedure works.
So I skimmed the document. Most of the description is along these lines:
“I/O device(s) may comprise one or more input/output devices that allow data to be transmitted and/or received by the registry. For example input/output device may include one or more input devices, such as a network connection, keyboard, touch screen, mouse, microphone, disk reader, and the like, that enable the data to be input or received from the user. Further I/O device may include one or more output devices, such as a network connection, display screen, printer, speaker devices, and the like, that enable data to be output or presented to a user.”
Apparently patents describe everything BUT the thing patented! Innovative or not, what’s the actual process? I’m told:
“While certain embodiments and features of the invention have been described, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein.”
Surely there’s information buried in all this obfuscatory legalese. However, since isn’t “apparent”, then I must not be “skilled in the art”.
Ivan Rasskazov says
Makes me wonder because Alice and following cases were supposed to effectively end generic software patents from being enforceable. This may hint that an eventual exception may be in cases where you have something that would not have existed in a physical world. However, it is still extremely early.
Most small companies cannot bear the cost of filing a patent that will later be ruled unenforceable by a court.
IR
ty says
Great idea, I think registrars are taking advantage of their positions and are keeping domains deemed valuable for themselves which I think is unfair.alsi backirder companies I.e snapnames, dropcatch and namejet
Jond Hard says
Godaddy honestly cannot make the domains much cheaper. You can get 99 Cent .COM domain name using the promo code. Sign up now to register .COM domain only on 99 cent to save maximum. You just simply enter the GoDaddy promo code at checkout page of GoDaddy.com.