Andrew Allemann

Shoe company steps into reverse domain name hijacking ruling Company argues man who registered surname as domain has no legitimate rights to it. A shoe and sandal company in Abu Dhabi has been found (pdf) guilty of reverse domain name hijacking. Speroni General Trading LLC filed a dispute against the domain name speroni.com. The domain's owner? One Joseph Speroni, who registered the domain well before the Complainant existed. Attorney John Berryhill summed up the case nicely with this line in the response:

Shoe company steps into reverse domain name hijacking ruling

Company argues man who registered surname as domain has no legitimate rights to it. A shoe and sandal company in Abu Dhabi has been found (pdf) guilty of reverse domain name hijacking. Speroni General Trading LLC filed a dispute against…

February’s top domain name stories From a record-breaking domain sale to the Super Bowl, here's what made news last month. 1. AI.com domain name sold for record-breaking $70 million - Talk about smashing a record! The buyer also ran a Super Bowl commercial. The domain sold for about 1/7th that price a few years earlier, as we discussed in this podcast. 2. New GoDaddy Terms of Service: we no longer serve "consumers"

February’s top domain name stories

From a record-breaking domain sale to the Super Bowl, here's what made news last month. 1. AI.com domain name sold for record-breaking $70 million - Talk about smashing a record! The buyer also ran a Super Bowl commercial. The domain sold for about 1/7th that…

.Com winners and losers: Hostinger jumps into top 10 See the fastest-growing and fastest-shrinking domain registrars. Every month, I post the top domain name registrars for new .com registrations and total .com domains under management. This month, DNW is changing the format to make it more helpful. Feedback is welcome. Additionally, I've done a better job of capturing the many registrars that make up each corporate family. For this reason, you'll note that Newfold Digital's numbers increased substantially despite removing MarkMonitor following its acquisition.

.Com winners and losers: Hostinger jumps into top 10

See the fastest-growing and fastest-shrinking domain registrars. Every month, I post the top domain name registrars for new .com registrations and total .com domains under management. This month, DNW is changing the format to make it more…

Escrow.com released Domain Investment Indexes for Q3 and Q4 Domain transaction value increased in each of the last two quarters of 2025. Escrow.com's parent company Freelancer (OTCMKTS: FLNCF) reported earnings last week. Today, Escrow.com published its Q3 and Q4 Domain Investment Indexes, providing more color on how domain name sales are performing. .Ai domains remain a standout, hitting USD $10.3 million in transactions in Q4. That made up more than 10% of of Escrow.com's $102.5 million total for the quarter.

Escrow.com released Domain Investment Indexes for Q3 and Q4

Domain transaction value increased in each of the last two quarters of 2025. Escrow.com's parent company Freelancer (OTCMKTS: FLNCF) reported earnings last week. Today, Escrow.com published its Q3 and Q4 Domain Investment Indexes,…

D3 plans next Dominion conference for Las Vegas in April Conference promises hands-on support for buying and selling fractionalized domain names. D3, a company connecting real-world domain names to web3 technology, will hold its next Dominion conference in Las Vegas on April 29-30. The conference will be at Resorts World. The most recent Dominion was held in January 2025. At that time, D3 was still building products to connect domains to blockchain technology.

D3 plans next Dominion conference for Las Vegas in April

Conference promises hands-on support for buying and selling fractionalized domain names. D3, a company connecting real-world domain names to web3 technology, will hold its next Dominion conference in Las Vegas on April 29-30. The conference…

ICANN cleans up more deadbeat domain name registrars Five registrars receive breach notices for failure to pay accreditation fees. ICANN sent breach notices to five domain name registrars yesterday. The primary breach listed on each notice is for failure to pay accredited fees. It appears many of the registrars are years behind on payments and have been unresponsive to prior ICANN communications. For example, ICANN has been trying to chase down Xiamen Yuwang Technology Co․, Ltd and Shandong Huaimi Network Technology Co․, Ltd since 2022 with no response.

ICANN cleans up more deadbeat domain name registrars

Five registrars receive breach notices for failure to pay accreditation fees. ICANN sent breach notices to five domain name registrars yesterday. The primary breach listed on each notice is for failure to pay accredited fees. It appears many of…

Just in: Sedo’s latest end user domain name sales A Houston fertility clinic, an industrial supplies company, and a personal trainer business bought domain names. Sedo's public sales this week were led by sot.com for $46,000. At this price, it's not clear if the buyer is an end user or a domain investor. Here's a list of end user domain name sales that completed at Sedo this past week. You can view previous lists like this…

Just in: Sedo’s latest end user domain name sales

A Houston fertility clinic, an industrial supplies company, and a personal trainer business bought domain names. Sedo's public sales this week were led by sot.com for $46,000. At this price, it's not clear if the buyer is an end user or a domain…

$500k of new expired domain name sales NameJet and SnapNames combined for 103 sales over $2,000 in February. Newfold Digital's expired domain marketplaces, NameJet and SnapNames, combined to sell 103 domains for $2,000 or more last month. The 103 sales totaled just under $500k. Here are some notable sales: pay-equity .org - Here's a sale where the entire value comes from prior use of the domain. It was used by an organization called National Committee on Pay Equity.

$500k of new expired domain name sales

NameJet and SnapNames combined for 103 sales over $2,000 in February. Newfold Digital's expired domain marketplaces, NameJet and SnapNames, combined to sell 103 domains for $2,000 or more last month. The 103 sales totaled just under $500k. Here are some…

Insurance SaaS business tries reverse domain name hijacking Company found guilty of RDNH even though the domain owner didn't respond to the dispute. A company that provides technology for insurance salespeople has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking. RacingSnail, Inc. filed a cybersquatting dispute against the domain name racingsnail.com The domain name owner didn't respond, but since the domain was registered three years before RacingSnail existed, the case was dead on arrival.

Insurance SaaS business tries reverse domain name hijacking

Company found guilty of RDNH even though the domain owner didn't respond to the dispute. A company that provides technology for insurance salespeople has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking. RacingSnail, Inc. filed a…

GoDaddy offering 3% store credit boost on domain sales It's one of several promotions the company is offering to domain investors. GoDaddy is offering a 3% sweetener to Afternic sellers who are willing to accept sales payouts in store credit. The promotion runs from March 1st until April 30th, 2026, for sellers who choose GoDaddy's Good as Gold payout option. The 3% bonus, applied to net payouts, will be added to account balances in May.

GoDaddy offering 3% store credit boost on domain sales

It's one of several promotions the company is offering to domain investors. GoDaddy is offering a 3% sweetener to Afternic sellers who are willing to accept sales payouts in store credit. The promotion runs from March 1st until April 30th,…

Nova Registry ramps up – DNW Podcast #576 Company provides an update on its ambitious plans. A year ago, Nova Registry, the company behind .link, announced that it planned to apply for 200 top level domain names in the round that opens this year. Today, Vaughn Liley, general manager of Nova Registry, comes on the show to give an update about the company's plans. We have a wide-ranging conversation about running top level domains, how the 2026 round will be different from last time, the policies behind web3 integrations, and much more.

Nova Registry ramps up – DNW Podcast #576

Company provides an update on its ambitious plans. A year ago, Nova Registry, the company behind .link, announced that it planned to apply for 200 top level domain names in the round that opens this year. Today, Vaughn Liley, general manager of Nova…

Domain Incite launches Stringtel to analyze new gTLD strings New tool can help prevent costly mistakes. Domain Incite has launched Stringtel, a tool to help new top level domain name applicants analyze potential strings. Stringtel uses the rules of the applicant guidebook and external domain registration data to identify both risks and opportunities for different TLDs. For example, it identifies cases where a string will be rejected outright (e.g., as a blocked geographic name), is likely to be in contention based on proposed applications, or is at high risk of string collision.

Domain Incite launches Stringtel to analyze new gTLD strings

New tool can help prevent costly mistakes. Domain Incite has launched Stringtel, a tool to help new top level domain name applicants analyze potential strings. Stringtel uses the rules of the applicant guidebook and external domain…

Middle East conflict upends ICANN85 travel Airspace restrictions make getting to Mumbai harder. ICANN85 takes place in Mumbai starting March 7, and the conflict in the Middle East is throwing travel plans into disarray. While the war does not impact India, airspace over much of the Middle East is shut down. This includes many travel hubs, such as Dubai and Doha. It's not clear how long airspace restrictions will remain in place, which is predicated on when the United States, Israel, and Iran stop attacking each other.

Middle East conflict upends ICANN85 travel

Airspace restrictions make getting to Mumbai harder. ICANN85 takes place in Mumbai starting March 7, and the conflict in the Middle East is throwing travel plans into disarray. While the war does not impact India, airspace over much of the Middle East is…

Panel puts frozen produce company’s domain claim on ice Domain was obviously registered and used in good faith, but this company filed a cybersquatting complaint anyway. A frozen agricultural products company has been found guilty of attempting to reverse hijack the domain name sunleaf.com. This case was dead on arrival. A quick visit to sunleaf.com shows a message from the domain registrant, who operated a business and used the domain for many years:

Panel puts frozen produce company’s domain claim on ice

Domain was obviously registered and used in good faith, but this company filed a cybersquatting complaint anyway. A frozen agricultural products company has been found guilty of attempting to reverse hijack the domain name sunleaf.com. This…

Radix’s premium domain sales soar, doubling year over year .Tech, .fun, and .space lead the way. Top level domain name company Radix released its 2025 H2 Premiums Report (pdf) today, providing insight into the market for premium-priced top level domain registrations. The company had a record half-year for premium domain name sales, nearly doubling the result of the second half of 2024. There were 131 registrations at the $5,000 mark, 55 at the $10,000 mark, and 2 at the $25,000 mark.

Radix’s premium domain sales soar, doubling year over year

.Tech, .fun, and .space lead the way. Top level domain name company Radix released its 2025 H2 Premiums Report (pdf) today, providing insight into the market for premium-priced top level domain registrations. The company had a record…

Pizza restaurant’s cybersquatting claim gets tossed Panel finds pizza chain filed cybersquatting complaint in bad faith. A small pizza chain in Los Angeles has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking (pdf). El Centro Foods, Inc., which operates four pizza restaurants under the Pizza Man name, filed the dispute against PizzaMan.com. The company uses the domain PizzaManPizzeria.com. The pizza chain had trademarks that predated the 1998 registration of the domain name by domain investment firm SyncPoint, Inc.

Pizza restaurant’s cybersquatting claim gets tossed

Panel finds pizza chain filed cybersquatting complaint in bad faith. A small pizza chain in Los Angeles has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking (pdf). El Centro Foods, Inc., which operates four pizza restaurants under the Pizza Man…

AI disruption questions hang over GoDaddy’s future Shares are off over 60% in the past 12 months as investors worry about AI's impact. It's been a rough day for GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY). It's also been a rough 12 months. The stock is down about 12% today as I write this. Shares are down by more than 60% since peaking in February 2026. Some people enjoy watching incumbents struggle.

AI disruption questions hang over GoDaddy’s future

Shares are off over 60% in the past 12 months as investors worry about AI's impact. It's been a rough day for GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY). It's also been a rough 12 months. The stock is down about 12% today as I write this. Shares are down by more than…

Escrow.com reports record revenue but payments fall Revenue up 18.8% year over year at escrow service popular in domain name industry. Escrow.com's parent company, Freelancer Limited (OTCMKTS: FLNCF), reported 2025 earnings today. The Escrow division reported record revenue of A$12.3 million, up 18.8% year over year. That was a record for the Escrow business, and comes despite transaction payments decreasing 8.6%. The profit increase can be attributed to higher fees.

Escrow.com reports record revenue but payments fall

Revenue up 18.8% year over year at escrow service popular in domain name industry. Escrow.com's parent company, Freelancer Limited (OTCMKTS: FLNCF), reported 2025 earnings today. The Escrow division reported record revenue of A$12.3 million, up…

GoDaddy earnings: AI, .com promo impact. Stock down after hours GoDaddy's Q4 results and guidance lead to after-hours decline. GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) shares are trading lower in after-hours trading following today's Q4 earnings report. The company reported Q4 revenue of $1.3 billion, up 7% year over year. Bookings were also $1.3 billion, but up only 5% year over year. Since bookings precede revenue, this lower bookings growth is a concern.

GoDaddy earnings: AI, .com promo impact. Stock down after hours

GoDaddy's Q4 results and guidance lead to after-hours decline. GoDaddy (NYSE: GDDY) shares are trading lower in after-hours trading following today's Q4 earnings report. The company reported Q4 revenue of $1.3 billion, up 7% year over…

A dozen end user domain name sales from this week Several AI-related businesses bought domain names this week. Sedo's top public sale this week was bot.ai, which sold for $1.2 million. While the price might surprise some people, they might be more surprised that it was purchased at the buy now price! They didn't bother to negotiate! This suggests it was a buyer with very deep pockets. AI is a recurring theme throughout this week's list, with many companies offering services that use AI technology.

A dozen end user domain name sales from this week

Several AI-related businesses bought domain names this week. Sedo's top public sale this week was bot.ai, which sold for $1.2 million. While the price might surprise some people, they might be more surprised that it was purchased at the buy now…

What I learned after buying 33 domains on Atom’s Wholesale marketplace Why this overlooked marketplace is worth reviewing. Like most domain investors, I acquire most of my domain names through expired domain auctions. But over the past few days, I've acquired 30 domains from a different source: Atom's Wholesale marketplace. The Wholesale marketplace includes domain names already listed on Atom, but at a fraction of the end prices displayed on the site.

What I learned after buying 33 domains on Atom’s Wholesale marketplace

Why this overlooked marketplace is worth reviewing. Like most domain investors, I acquire most of my domain names through expired domain auctions. But over the past few days, I've acquired 30 domains from a different source:…

AI.com before the $70 million sale – DNW Podcast #575 Learn about the last time AI.com sold. By now, you've surely heard about the record-shattering $70 million sale of ai.com. After the sale was announced, there were many erroneous news reports claiming that the seller had purchased the domain decades ago for $100. This isn't true, and anyone who pays attention to the domain business knows this. About five years ago, …

AI.com before the $70 million sale – DNW Podcast #575

Learn about the last time AI.com sold. By now, you've surely heard about the record-shattering $70 million sale of ai.com. After the sale was announced, there were many erroneous news reports claiming that the seller had purchased the domain…

This company just won its SEVENTH reverse domain name hijacking case Attorney Zak Muscovitch helps eWeb Development win its seventh reverse domain name hijacking decision. On Monday, I wrote about eWeb Development Inc. winning its sixth reverse domain name hijacking decision. It's Friday, and now I'm writing about its seventh RDNH win. As with the decision earlier this week, the case was dead on arrival. Commercial real estate company Zember LLC filed the dispute despite admitting that the domain wasn't registered in bad faith.

This company just won its SEVENTH reverse domain name hijacking case

Attorney Zak Muscovitch helps eWeb Development win its seventh reverse domain name hijacking decision. On Monday, I wrote about eWeb Development Inc. winning its sixth reverse domain name hijacking decision. It's Friday, and now…

Misleading evidence leads to reverse domain name hijacking decision Business makes multiple mistakes in cybersquatting dispute. A company that helps enterprises convert and extract data from documents bungled a UDRP case, resulting in a decision of reverse domain name hijacking. Anyformat sl uses the domain name anyformat.ai. It filed the dispute (pdf) against anyformat.com. It appears that Anyformat sl filed its dispute despite thinking that the domain had been registered well before it existed.

Misleading evidence leads to reverse domain name hijacking decision

Business makes multiple mistakes in cybersquatting dispute. A company that helps enterprises convert and extract data from documents bungled a UDRP case, resulting in a decision of reverse domain name hijacking. Anyformat sl uses…

12 recent end user domain name sales A computer company, a UK plumbing business, and a North Carolina air conditioning company bought domain names. Sedo's top public sale this week was sandborn.com, which sold for $68,000. It's not yet clear who bought the domain name. Here's a list of end user domain name sales that were recently completed at Sedo. You can view previous lists like this…

12 recent end user domain name sales

A computer company, a UK plumbing business, and a North Carolina air conditioning company bought domain names. Sedo's top public sale this week was sandborn.com, which sold for $68,000. It's not yet clear who bought the domain name. Here's a list of end user…

New GoDaddy Terms of Service: we no longer serve “consumers” GoDaddy's updated terms state that all customers are business customers. GoDaddy published an updated Terms of Service this month, with a key modification. The TOS states that GoDaddy's services can only be used by businesses, not consumers. It broadly defines "business customer" to include: (i) any person or entity acting in a business or professional capacity; (ii) any commercial entity, partnership, company, organization, sole proprietor, self-employed individual, or independent contractor; (iii) any individual using Services for professional purposes (including, for example, personal branding, online presence, reputation management, career advancement, or professional networking); and (iv) any individual acquiring Services to protect, secure, or manage their personal name, identity, brand, or online reputation for a business or professional purpose (including, for example, freelancers, consultants, influencers, content creators, job seekers, and defensive domain registrations).

New GoDaddy Terms of Service: we no longer serve “consumers”

GoDaddy's updated terms state that all customers are business customers. GoDaddy published an updated Terms of Service this month, with a key modification. The TOS states that GoDaddy's services can only be used by businesses, not…

Five percent domain commissions aren’t sustainable Namecheap's Spaceship raised its fees. It won't be the last company to do so. Last week, Spaceship changed its commission for domain sales from 5% to 10%. The change came after a very brief test of charging the buyer a 5% commission on top of the seller's commission. Many domain investors are understandably frustrated about how Spaceship did this with no notice.

Five percent domain commissions aren’t sustainable

Namecheap's Spaceship raised its fees. It won't be the last company to do so. Last week, Spaceship changed its commission for domain sales from 5% to 10%. The change came after a very brief test of charging the buyer a 5% commission on top of the…

Top domain keywords: focus on ‘solutions’ Solutions is a perennial seller in the domain aftermarket. Afternic recently published a list of the top keywords in domains sold on its platform in December. Here's the list, with the previous month's rank in parentheses: ai (1) my (2) it (11) group (5) home (3) us (19) life (2) shop (15) global capital auto (6) solutions (9) health (4)

Top domain keywords: focus on ‘solutions’

Solutions is a perennial seller in the domain aftermarket. Afternic recently published a list of the top keywords in domains sold on its platform in December. Here's the list, with the previous month's rank in parentheses: ai (1) my (2) it (11) group (5)…

UDRP cybersquatting decisions fall in 2025 GigaLaw's latest report shows a slight decline in UDRP decisions in 2025. The total number of decisions under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) in 2025 fell slightly from the year before. GigaLaw's Domain Name Dispute Digest tallied the numbers across all five UDRP providers and found that decisions dropped 0.9% to 8,476 last year. The report tracks decisions, not filings, which has two important caveats: dates are based on decisions rather than when the cases are filed, and it excludes cases that are settled or terminated prior to a decision.

UDRP cybersquatting decisions fall in 2025

GigaLaw's latest report shows a slight decline in UDRP decisions in 2025. The total number of decisions under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) in 2025 fell slightly from the year before. GigaLaw's Domain Name Dispute Digest tallied…

Tucows plans strategy post-Ting Once Ting is sold, Tucows plans to use cash to build and buy platform businesses. Tucows (NASDAQ: TCX) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings last week and set out its strategy going forward. It was the first earnings report under new CEO David Woroch. As for earnings, the company reported a 7% year-over-year revenue increase in Q4 and an 8% increase for the full year.

Tucows plans strategy post-Ting

Once Ting is sold, Tucows plans to use cash to build and buy platform businesses. Tucows (NASDAQ: TCX) reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings last week and set out its strategy going forward. It was the first earnings report under new CEO David Woroch.…