Minds + Machines Wins Auction for .Yoga and .Garden Domain Names

Minds + Machines Group Limited announced today that it had won the right to the top-level domain names .yoga and .garden, folloeing the private auction held last week .

 

The company managed to secure the rights for .Yoga and .Garden,but failed to secure the rights for .Deals and .Property.

The company paid for securing the two domain names around $5.97 million ( £3.6 million).Minds + Machines’ current portfolio is of 28 uncontested applications.

“.garden and .yoga are major asset wins for the group as both represent activities that people are passionate about – we believe this will become an important factor in the adoption of new domains,” said Fred Krueger, Chairman of Minds + Machines.

 

Sedo Reports $1,1 Million in Domain Name Sales! FlashCards.com Topped Sedo’s Weekly Sales List at $250,000

FlashCards.com topped Sedo’s weekly sales chart at $250,000. Highlights also include Tel.fr, leading the ccTLD category at 22,000 EUR and EJM.net, leading the “Other” category at $9,800.

 

Other notable domain name sales include :

.COM

bestsub.com17,888USD

artjobs.com17,500USD

oncast.com15,000USD

nope.com15,000USD

ecompay.com10,100USD

islandsbanki.com10,000USD

louder.com10,000USD

autismrocks.com9,500USD

focusenergy.com8,000USD

tobila.com8,000USD

cinyi.com8,000USD

6280.com6,300USD

zschool.com6,250USD

luebbe.com6,000USD

supportninja.com6,000USD

happyclinic.com5,900USD

eargo.com5,400USD

treasuryforum.com5,000USD

weekup.com5,000USD

kourosh.com4,995USD

macromind.com4,900USD

informr.com4,800USD

goodxchange.com4,000USD

movineo.com4,000USD

artikle.com4,000USD

tairan.com3,600USD

portavita.com3,580USD

nwhl.com3,500USD

skillsx.com3,499USD

minitrade.com3,000USD

parfumoriginal.com3,000USD

ccTLD

bussgeldkatalog.de12,000EUR

lanzarote-web.de11,640EUR

novelas.tv10,400USD

artjobs.co.uk9,500USD

printsolutions.de8,000EUR

istanbul.ch8,000EUR

acesse.in5,000USD

livetv.fr3,000EUR

fdg.com.cn2,799USD

technica.ch2,799EUR

superfood.co2,500USD

strategic.co2,500USD

printing.de2,298EUR

asos.com.ar2,200EUR

heftig.de1,850EUR

istream.to1,790USD

kinox2.to1,790USD

gamecode.nl1,500EUR

unverblümt.de1,500EUR

wvs.eu1,500EUR

c-a-m.it1,500EUR

Other

 

focus.asia4,500EUR

regime.net4,500EUR

zschool.net3,900USD

009.net3,000USD

goodgame.biz2,000USD

bellagia.net1,000USD

paulcezanne.org1,000USD

aansprakelijkheidsverzekering.net1,000EUR

innovative.biz990USD

1889.net990USD

internationalfranchise.org750USD

e-ticaret.org700USD

 

Check out Sedo.com for more information 

 

 

 

 

London Police Suspend 2,500 Websites Over Counterfeit Goods

The City of London’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) marked World IP Day (26 April) by announcing it has suspended more than 2,500 websites selling counterfeit goods since the unit launched in September 2013.

These sites were disrupted as part of the City of London Police unit’s Operation Ashiko, working in collaboration with a number of well-known brands, brand protection organisations and domain name registries across the globe including .uk’s Nominet.

The suspended websites purported to sell well known designer goods including UGG boots, GHD hair straighteners, Abercrombie, Hollister and Jack Wills clothing, Gucci products and Thomas Sabo jewellery. However, online shoppers have been left short changed as the items they received were in fact poor quality and sometimes dangerous counterfeit goods or in some cases the items were never even delivered.

These websites are estimated to be generating tens of millions of pounds for organised criminal gangs.

Head of PIPCU, DCI Andy Fyfe, said “The fact PIPCU can announce on World IP Day that in the eight months since launching we have suspended more than 2,500 infringing websites is further evidence of the expertise of our officers and the level of their commitment to clamp down on IP crime.

“Behind many of these websites lies an organised crime gang funnelling off the money spent by unsuspecting customers on what they think are quality products.

“Consumers also need to be aware that by accessing websites like this they are running the risk of their personal details being compromised and being used for other fraudulent scams, as well as the exposing their computer to malicious malware.”

Daniela Süss, Brand Protection Manager at Thomas Sabo said, “We are excited about the work PIPCU is doing in the UK market resulting in significant reductions of the number of fake shop domains selling counterfeit Thomas Sabo products. This initiative sets a massive strike against fraudulent sellers and ensures consumer protection as well as protection of the UK economy itself.”

As part of their announcement, PIPCU provided the following case study:

Clare Harvell, 42, from Buckinghamshire, was a victim of counterfeit fraud from one of the websites the unit has now suspended. She said, “I wanted to buy my daughter some UGG boots for Christmas and so went on to Google and searched for the particular style and clicked on one of the websites listed at the top.

“I read all the details on the website; it said it had a distribution centre in the UK and that all the boots were made and shipped from Australia. The site went into great length to describe how the boots were produced and even went into specific detail about the high quality of the lining. The site had high quality images of models wearing the boots – it just looked and sounded legitimate. So, I ordered the boots and got confirmation straight away.

“After a couple weeks the boots hadn’t arrived and then I received a phone call from DHL saying they had a package for me from abroad which I had to pay excess on and that’s when the alarm bells started ringing.

“When the boots they arrived they looked really cheap, in fact the seller had valued them on packaging as only being worth £17, when in fact I had paid over £70.00 for them. They were wrapped in cardboard and weren’t even in a box.”

Fortunately for Clare, Ugg were able to provide her with a letter in order for her to claim a refund from her credit card company. However, she adds:

“The issue is actually ongoing as the website owner still has my credit card details and has even tried to use them again.”

PIPCU recommends online shoppers to follow the tips below to help keep fraudsters at bay:

• Trust your instincts – if an offer looks too good to believe then there is usually a catch. Legitimate popular technology and designer items are rarely discounted.
• Check the URL in the web browser. Don’t be fooled by spoof websites where the fraudsters slightly change the address.
• Ensure the website address begins ‘https’ at the payment stage – this indicates a secure payment.
• Don’t access links in unsolicited emails, always type in the website address or use a search engine to find a site.
• Only deal with reputable sellers – only use sites you know or ones that have been recommended to you.
• Avoid paying by money transfers – they aren’t secure. Use an online payment option such as PayPal, which helps to protect you.
• Watch out for pop-ups appearing asking you to confirm your card details before you are on the payment stage. Never enter your PIN number online.
• If your bid for an online auction item is unsuccessful, don’t be tempted to trade off-site if another seller approaches you with a similar item. This is likely to be a scam and you won’t be covered.
• Keep security software and firewalls up-to-date. Regularly update your internet browser when a new patch-security update is released.
• Keep receipts and check these against your statement – if you spot a transaction you did not authorise speak to your card company immediately. If you are the innocent victim of any type of card fraud you will not suffer any financial loss.

PIPCU has been set up to protect UK industries that produce legitimate, high quality, physical goods and online and digital content.

The operationally independent unit launched in September 2013 and is initially being funded by the Intellectual Property Office, which is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Afternic Reports $1,7 Million in Domain Name Sales, Led by Modernize.com at $25,000

Afternic/ GoDaddy have sent in their sales list or the previous week. The top sale for the week was Modernize.com at $25,000.

 

Other notable domain name sales include :

.COM

b2bcloud.com$20,000

knz.com$15,000

acmeequipment.com$10,000

solarown.com$10,000

lifemastery.com$10,000

securewebsitehost.com$9,900

chesslessons.com$9,090

NewYorkCityREIT.com$7,597

juicecart.com$6,300

strategymanagement.com$6,221

logicit.com$6,088

agropalma.com$6,000

shocase.com$6,000

verifiedhealth.com$6,000

kkrr.com$5,900

iamyou.com$5,450

sitealerts.com$5,300

ANDL.com$5,168

repulse.com$5,000

accesshongkong.com$4,999

bancobic.com$4,999

peopletimes.com$4,995

sandiegodermatology.com$4,995

nzzf.com$4,900

chinapacific.com$4,888

PIRCH.COM$4,750

marketopia.com$4,625

southerngrown.com$4,550

CorporateWellnessPrograms.com$4,500

toerific.com$4,500

bostoncalendar.com$4,440

smilemaker.com$4,400

reviewcopy.com$4,400

responsively.com$4,250

franklamark.com$4,200

ambot.com$4,050

4257.com$4,002

SelectWine.com$4,000

mikemcgowan.com$4,000

tacom.com$4,000

nutriplex.com$4,000

newyorktutors.com$3,990

independenttrust.com$3,888

istanbul.co.com$3,750

iclife.com$3,588

vonhaas.com$3,500

exchangeideas.com$3,088

cornerofmyheart.com$3,000

customizegoogle.com$3,000

lcash.com$3,000

phase2solutions.com$3,000

 

Non .COM Sales

 

prostate.info$15,000

xk.net$14,003

bridge.net$13,500

draft.me$7,500

prostate-cancer.net$5,995

Latins.net$4,550

spdc.net$3,488

jetparts.net$3,200

433.net$3,050

acss.org$3,000

mariolopez.net$2,999

carsforcharity.org$2,988

datebook.net$2,750

ideallife.org$2,588

4freedom.org$2,500

mike.co$2,500

nek.net$2,500

emergencylight.net$2,388

amro.net$2,200

buffalo.org$2,100

playfoundation.org$2,000

playout.org$1,888

longtermcareplanning.net$1,800

morgellons.org$1,675

veinsurgeon.net$1,637

webwisekids.org$1,575

axiom.me$1,550

tom365.cc$1,539

LookFor.org$1,495

uovo.net$1,288

ruthchris.ca$1,100

Pledges.org$1,000

mappable.net$1,000

technotherapy.org$1,000

 

New Top-Level Domain Extensions May Help .travel Domains Increase Credibility, Reports SouthAmerica.travel

According to SouthAmerica.travel, new TLDs may help non-traditional domain names increase credibility with web users and visibility in the search engines.

 

You can read the press  release after the jump :

“Since late 2013, new top-level domain extensions, also known as TLDs, have become available. As new TLDs become more common, these new domain extensions will help domain owners increase credibility. As more and more website owners embrace new top-level domains, more and more end users will be exposed to these new URL formats. No longer will .com be taken for granted as the most popular and most trustworthy of domains – neither by search engines, or by end users.    

The purpose of these new domain extensions is that the URL reveals more specifically what the website is about. New TLDs such as regional identifiers will show at-a-glance to what regional audience the website is relevant. For example, .nyc or .london would be more specific than .com, helping users to choose which links are more relevant to their searches.

Regional and industry-based TLDs will allow search engines to categorize and weigh websites more specifically, as well. Some search marketers anticipate that the coveted .com domain will become less of a factor in the future of SEO.

The .com domain extension has traditionally been the most well-known gTLD, even though over 20 other gTLDs have been available for many years, including the .travel domain extension. The .travel domain began in 2005, sponsored by the Tralliance Registry Management Company.

But even today, web users are unfamiliar with the .travel domain. “Some people who call our company struggle to understand that our company’s website address doesn’t end with a .com,” explained Kaitlin McMichael, the marketing manager at SouthAmerica.travel. “We’re looking forward to seeing more TLDs come into common usage, which should help people become more familiar with our own unique TLD.”

The tour company SouthAmerica.travel won the highly-coveted domain name “southamerica.travel,” awarded by Tralliance in 2007. Tralliance, the sponsor for the .travel TLD, found that the company best represented the domain name.”