Will Any .CO stand up to UDRP or WIPO and Will it be Worth Defending?

Morning Folks!!


I don't know about you but I am not sure I have seen a single UDRP or WIPO win with a .CO name involved. Each decision I personally have seen has gone against the .CO domain owner. Even with generic names. This could be a problem and a precedent is being set whether we like it or not. It may be hard to defend even a generic .CO as we have seen with the PokerStrategy.co decision.


I have only received 1 C&D on a .CO. But when I think about this I try and see how a jury of my peers would see it. With a dot com most folks on the street think you did nothing wrong when it came to registering a bunch of domain names and doing well. They almost always say, 'Why didn't I think of that?' But I think the reaction would and will be different with any .co that a .com BUSINESS already exists. I think the average Joe would think you are taking advantage. A cybersquatter. And so far that is exactly what we have seen and that gives others a clear path to take your domain away.


If this becomes the common thinking, you may see .co have more challenges than any other domain extension out there. And percentage wise could be a mind blower. Cost of doing business can end up a lot more than $25.


Now I do have 2350 .CO domains. Many are the .co versions of my .com. Many are not. 80 of them are NNN.co. Many are geo type domains followed by a keyword. I focused on sectors in which my .com portfolio was either weak or non existent. I know I mined veins that I realized friends of mine own the .com. I feel a bit guilty. I did not have a lot of geo real estate domains but I am heavily focused on real estate in my .com's. I came to realize that one of those keywords were ones Rob Grant owns the .com version of. I knew when I got Rumcakes.co that Franky has the .com version. I just figured he would rather see my name on it than somebody he does not know. I have no idea how many others fall into this category. But when I got Rumcake.co, somebody else has the .com.


At the same time I do not have the .CO version of my highest profile keyword .COM domains. I hope they are in friendly hands.;-)


So I am very interested in how all this plays out and like I said, I have yet to see a .CO challenge that has failed. Have you? It's hard to defend on one hand but it is the nature of what we do on the other. I am torn sometimes and so I decided to come out and share these thoughts.


What we learn in the next weeks will have a huge implication on all other extensions whether they/we like it or not. It does not matter if you are pro .CO or against .CO, there will be much to learn and watch for and those that don't think so are missing a HUGE opportunity to gather new data, new information and watch human nature. Has nothing to do with .CO has everything to do with reactions and other things that are not even visible yet. The one thing that may be different is that I don't see the trademark conflict as that big a problem on the other extensions.....but who knows. ICANN has one agenda and reality may just throw them and everyone else a curve ball.


Have a GREAT Day!

Rick Schwartz




88 thoughts on “Will Any .CO stand up to UDRP or WIPO and Will it be Worth Defending?

  1. Tony

    I only own 3 .co domains. Those 3 would be worth $100k-1M+ if they were .com’s. I think that’s the best way to play the .co game.

    Reply
  2. Chadi

    Morning Rick,
    2350 .co = more than 60k in renewal fees. Even if you (as Rick) have enough money not to make this figure an issue, still the fact that you’re willing to spend or invest this much in domains you might not be able to sell in the immediate future, reveals that deep inside somewhere you truly believe in the value and potential of .co TLD.
    Can you say you’ve invested equally in .mobi or .me when it was launched?!!
    I mean, is this a patterns repeated with each TLD–a pattern you as Rick can afford? Or, is it a unique one relative to .CO only?
    I get the sense its the latter, even if you’ve done so to as a protection measure for .com TLDs.

    Reply
  3. rem

    Hi Rick,
    You rock. 2350 .co domains? You DO put your money where your mouth is. And 80 NNN.co ta boot..
    Ya know, reading through many udrp transpripts leaves something to be desired. I don’t find that there is an aweful lot of thought going into those decisions, and this is in every extension. There seems to be a lot of BLAH and missing content and logic somewhere, if you know what I mean. I hope the restructuring comes sooner than later.

    Reply
  4. rob sequin

    You said
    “I did not have a lot of geo real estate domains but I am heavily focused on real estate in my .com’s.”
    Did you mean to say that you are heavily focused on real estate in my .co’s?
    See… .com is the typo for .co
    That will NEVER change.
    Think about that!

    Reply
  5. em

    @Rob,
    Any habit is changeable. Why not practice typing in .co in capitals. That will help with the typo problem, if there is actually a problem.

    Reply
  6. Rich

    Hi Rick,
    Don’t feel to bad,i got”ediamond.co” among 1500 other.COs.Iknow that you have the .com version.The other day some a .com fan called me stupid,no logic in spending 50k in .co,but i did see the best apportunity in .co vs other newer tld.The way i see it even if we have to give half back and .co will rock,i still made it.I will even make a movie.I do have a story to tell.

    Reply
  7. Landon White

    Why the Hype?
    (A) Godaddy and sorts earn a big $9per .Co Registration, profit.
    (B) .Co registry split the Super Bowl AD 50% with Godaddy.
    (C) End of Story!

    Reply
  8. Gazzip

    “If this becomes the common thinking, you may see .co have more challenges than any other domain extension out there. And percentage wise could be a mind blower. Cost of doing business can end up a lot more than $25.”
    .co are bound to see more challenges than other domain extension (until all these new gtlds come out), why would’nt it?
    “and Will it be Worth Defending?”
    I don’t think the majority of .co’s will be defended due to the costs involved for the average domainer that paid reg fee for them.
    I would’nt bother defending my 1 .co TBH, I could think of far better things to do with a few k
    The downside for someone like you that owns millions of dollars in primo .coms is that if you don’t defend your .co’s it”may” go against you later on if you have to defend a very valuable .com
    The .co WIPO/UDRP case may be used against you.
    It’s definitely something to consider IMHO

    Reply
  9. Gazzip

    (A) Godaddy and sorts earn a big $9per .Co Registration, profit.
    (B) .Co registry split the Super Bowl AD 50% with Godaddy.
    @ Landon
    (C) Godaddy finally makes a decent profit and files for IPO ;)

    Reply
  10. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    Thanks for the relevant and educational post designed to help DOMAINERS make wise investment choices. There are many reasons to not tell the truth in business dealings, and a lot of things broadcast through media coverage are smoke and mirrors designed for self serving interests. There has to be someone looking out for DOMAINERS, and you are to be commended, and listened to. I have been a domainer since 95 and have seen lots of trends as you most certainly have. I have had to recreate reevalute and create to stay up with marketing trends.
    One bit of advice for everyone including old hands like me. I have witnessed Ricks calls and Logic and genius for longer than you probably know. One thing I have gleaned and prospered from is the road maps you have set about future trends and positioning yourself. Long story short the people who listened to you early on have prospered the most. Everyone including myself, who follows you know this,if they could just put aside their ego long enough.
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  11. Piotr

    I think domain investors, domainers etc. should write,sign and send letter to the .CO. This is really not fair what udrp is doing.
    .Co is successful largely thanks to domain investors.
    I know many people who have more than 400 .co`s.

    Reply
  12. Computerssoftwares

    ‘The world is going to run out of internet addresses within weeks’
    When will the Domain Addresses will be exhausted? May be that day any extension including .co will of high demand.

    Reply
  13. AlanR

    I also hate seeing all these UDRP’s and WIPO”s because it does send a bad precedent because it will show how easy it is against other extensions too. But on the other hand, I can see why it is happening because of the typo-squatter image that people who own dotcom’s might have of dotco’s. Even though .co is a legitimate cctld of Columbia, anything outside of Columbia could be looked at as a typo of the dotcom site so I see lots of potential problems down the road if things are this bad already.
    I personally don’t see owning the dotco of a dotcom much of a problem if you are the dotcom owner because I doubt that the dotco will get much typo traffic from the dotcom but do see more benefits for the dotcom guy because if the dotco guy advertises, most likely the dotcom guy will get a lot of the dotco’s traffic. And eventually, the guy who owns the dotco might get sick of losing all that traffic and money spent and make a fair offer if you ever want to sell your dotcom. Anyway, I’m sure a year from now, we can all look back at all these posts and see who was right in regards to if dotco succeeds or not.

    Reply
  14. Gazzip

    And say what ?
    This is off their website
    “It is your responsibility to determine whether a domain name registration infringes on or violates someone else’s legal rights. This will likely be the case, for example, if the domain name is registered for the purpose of confusing, misleading or tricking the public; trading on the goodwill of someone else’s brand; and/or for any other bad faith reason.
    In each of these cases, the domain name will likely be lost during a UDRP proceeding and returned to the rightful owner, resulting in the loss of your .CO domain investment.
    If you’re not sure whether a proposed domain name registration would infringe on or violate someone else’s rights, please consult with a qualified attorney.”
    cointernet.co/domain/policies-procedures/dispute-resolution-co-domains

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  15. AlanR

    Wow, that pretty much says it all right there which to me, spells doom for that extension outside of Columbia. Anyone with a dotcom could scream infringement if they wanted! I wonder how many have seen the fine print before they registered?

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  16. Gazzip

    Not just .com, confusingly similar”may” be applied or tried by owners of .co.uk, .co.kr etc
    Who knows??? time will reveal all ;)
    If I owned millions of dollars worth of domains I’d be pretty darn careful dabbling with .co’s

    Reply
  17. Gazzip

    ps) I’m not saying it spells Doom for .co but in laymens terms it does spell:
    “Don’t call us, call your lawyer” ;)

    Reply
  18. Dean

    There has been a big push to market the .Co extension in the U.S. and
    as far as I can tell, the .Co extension is not even recognized as a (potential) top ranking extension outside Columbia and the U.S.
    .Com is universally recognized and I am not sure what percentage of .Com’s already registered are to individuals outside the U.S.? How will .Co stand up to a UDRP or WIPO dispute when the .Com equivalent is registered outside the U.S.? This should be factored in as well.

    Reply
  19. Oren

    Doesn’t it cost $1300+ to file UDRP? I’ll cut my losses avoid the UDRP and just take $1200 and you can HAVE my hand registered $20 .co.

    Reply
  20. DotCoISAScam

    I would rather have a Dead Rat in my mouoth than get involved with .Co. The whole premise is a scam, and the people at the registry are essentially glorified message board pumpers and fraudsters.
    It is as dishonest an extension as there has ever been, and any and all who traffic in it in any way deserve to be shunned, ridiculed, and ultimately sued.
    It is wrong in every way, and all of domaining suffers as a result. So, you better WAKE THE FUCK UP and stop embarrasing yourselves.

    Reply
  21. UDRPtalk

    I agree 100% that the .CO launch is wrong in every way.
    People will always look down upon any .CO owner because there will always be a never ending suspicion that it was registered to take advantage of the .COM version. And that means .CO owners will have to justify themselves til eternity.
    .COM also means Company/Corporation, so how will .CO ever respectably distinguish itself to put an end to the never ending suspicions? Maybe if it was .INC that could have worked in terms of respect, but not in terms of registration volume which would still make it a challenge for its survival.

    Reply
  22. whoonga

    rumcake.co and rumcakes.co eh Rick? + 2350 other .co’s !!!???
    blimey that is some weapons grade pigeon shit you got there mate!
    btw ‘foolsgold.co’ is free to reg

    Reply
  23. whoonga

    i didn’t realise most .co are regged for 1 year
    normally with new extensions in landrush etc they try to tie people into 2 years
    people, you will only have to wait until july/august/september this year to start seeing MASS DROPS
    i hope the irony is not lost on anyone that Rick owns pigeonshit.co !
    http://whois.domaintools.com/pigeonshit.co

    Reply
  24. David L.G

    I think there will be some problem in the future with infragnment trademark. How could you developp a .co domain if the .com is already developped by another company. Two extensions can not have the same meaning.

    Reply
  25. Rich

    David L.G@
    YES IT COULD
    Do some reading before you write.
    diamonds.com
    diamonds.net
    diamonds.org

    Reply
  26. Joe

    The only reason why a .com owner could win the equivalent .CO is because this TLD isn’t yet strong enough to rival against .com. Would you ever imagine an argument between a little kid and a grown man? Who would eventually win regardless of who is actually right? If .CO gains enough popularity and strength, things will surely change, trust me. But obviously this isn’t a process that can take a month or two, it will requires a few years.

    Reply
  27. Oren

    Well, i guess i’m not sure, but i’d definitely offer – I’d think it would make sense to them to avoid the waiting process and save on the cost of acquisition

    Reply
  28. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    If oversee.net only knew how much their BRAND is being watered down they would have the .COM Channel working for them. We see Industry leaders not walking the walk and making terrible decisions about Marketing Strategies. I personally understand their mistaken motives in keeping the .net but I also understand the huge risks they face by not having the .COM !
    To Be Continued!
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  29. Harold

    This extension should have never been allowed to get off the ground. What a farce. And to see some respected domain leaders defending it just reminds me that when it comes to money, everyone is of the same religion.
    If ever there was an extension that should not get started, then .co is it. How is it so hard to see? It is wrong just like the name Pizza Huts or Googles is wrong.
    The Overstock involvement is about as suspicious as it gets, and anyone who knows anything about the Overstock CEO would understand. If you don’t know, you can go to his site at DeepCapture.com, where he seems to spend 90 percent of his waking hours talking about conspiracy theories.
    Go-Daddy’s involvement relegates them to the trash heap of respect for the rest of their existence. The joke is on all of you, and many people who used to be heavily involved in domains no longer can stomach it, even if they had made a good living doing it.
    You had a good thing and you ruined it. You will have to suffer for your mistakes. Domaining should be frowned until its leaders (and followers) start standing up to things that are so absurdly wrong and bad for the industry.

    Reply
  30. Aggro

    @ Schneider,
    You’re nothing but a a brown noser, johnny-cum-lately
    Signing your posts doesn’t make you appear more intelligent

    Reply
  31. ScottM

    UDRP and WIPO decisions are obviously a concern. But where the real rubber meets the road is if any of these domains are taken away from a domainer at a U.S. registrar and if the law firms involved are able to win and get the usual $100,000 per domain name anti-cybersquatting damage award. The flip side is once one of these law firms loses in Federal Court, and a domainer gets to keep his .co (as has happened a significant number of times with .com, not usually but not hardly never either) then there is a precedent for future UDRP defendants to cite a Federal Court decision favoring a domainer/defendant. Just a matter of time. Best advice always is stay away from anything trademarked or close to a trademark, and if you do make sure it is not monetized or has commercial content related to the trademark owners classifications.

    Reply
  32. Gazzip

    Here’s a list of recent .co UDRP/WIPO Decisions although at a glance most look like company names rather than pure generics. It doesn’t look too bad so far.
    .wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisionsx/list.jsp?prefix=DCO&year=2010&seq_min=1&seq_max=199
    ..No I didn’t read all the individual cases, that would be incredibly boring ;)

    Reply
  33. Emma

    Folks, don’t mind Rick too much. He talks shit many times. .CO is a domain extension for the country called Colombia. In Colombia or anywhere else people have the right to use any dictionary word dot co domain names. Why would WIPO or UDRP allow dot co domain owners to lose their domain tpo dot com owners??????

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  34. EmmaDumbDumb

    Emma Dummy, do you think you should be allowed to infringe on other people’s trademarks? Get back to the kitchen where you belong.

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  35. UDRPtalk

    Depending on the circumstances, you could end up in court for offering to sell it and be on the hook for $100K+ for violating the ACPA.

    Reply
  36. Emma

    dictionary names are not supposed to be trademarks. You can’t the word house, computer, electricity, envelops, medicine as trademarks. That’s stupid. I don’t know why people mind Rick so much, after all this is the guy who bought flowers.mobi for $200000.00 but end up selling for $1500 or so. The fact that Rick was lucky when he in the 90s bought some good dot com domains does not make him wiser than other domainers or a lecturer in domain business. He was just lucky. Will he be lucky again in domain business? I don’t think so. And let me tell you this folks. You need business idea more than you need a generic domain name. If you have a good business idea you can use any domain name, even the ones that are available today. What is so special about the domain names facebook.com, godaddy.com, yahoo.com, google.com, comcast.com, craigslist.com, zappos.com, plentyoffish.com, autotrader.com and many others that are doing so well?? so my advice is don’t listen to Rick too much. He is just like anybody in domain business. He is not even a billionaire with all those good domains he has, because he does not have any good business idea. Give me 3 years, I will prove Rick and his followers what I am talking about. I have 3 business ideas that I am developing and for which I don’t have the domain names yet. I will register them the same day I will launch these business ideas. This would prove what I am talking about

    Reply
  37. Rick Schwartz

    Emma,
    First, does anyone actually know”Emma”? I didn’t think so!
    She/HE is a Corporate Cubicle WHORE with an agenda. Nothing more, nothing less. You are a perfect illustration of what is going on in this industry and you help illustrate WHORES with an agenda and Domainers that speculate for a living.

    Reply
  38. Rick Schwartz

    There have been some very serious issues brought out over the last 3 posts from everyone’s comments. We will have to watch closely on the next decisions. I can say I am uncomfortable because this could go south very quickly if decisions keep going this way.

    Reply
  39. pigeonshit.co

    Rick, you actually own the domin ‘pigeonshit.co’
    along with 2,350 .co domains
    will you be making .co pigeon droppings in july/august, or flushing more cash down the toilet?
    $50k worth?

    Reply
  40. Rick Schwartz

    And some bomb throwing folks don’t have the BALLS to associate their own name with THEIR words. They are called SPINELESS COWARDS.
    I’d rather goof up than walk thru life being a spineless, nameless, COWARD and have no character or conviction of their words. They are always smarter than everybody or so they think. Most don’t have a single success under their belt. Their greatest success is putting folks that actually accomplish things down because they are such losers.
    iIn LIFE they can’t even use their real names because they soiled that name so bad nobody will give the the time of day. Must suck living like that. Must have a sucky life.
    Some folks are just assholes, and when they come to spew shit, it comes with an agenda. Ghosts, corporate cubicle whores and alike.

    Reply
  41. Joe

    All it takes .CO to unleash its full potential is general public awareness (first) and adoption (later). Do you remember what was like being in a chatroom for a young boy/girl 10+ years ago? They were called ‘nerds’ and the general public thought of them as people with large glasses, closed in a smelly room and with no SOCIAL life. Think about the same situation now: people chatting, posting all about their lives in online communities are now ABSOLUTELY trendy. And guess what? Those ugly online places are now called”SOCIAL networks” and if you’re not there or don’t want to be there, you’re called ‘old fashioned’. And that’s why Facebook can claim (and obtain) all TM-infringing domains it wants, simply because the general public automatically associates to the popular website a domain containing ‘face’ or ‘book’.
    Remember, nothing lasts forever, especially in today’s super fast moving world.

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  42. Emma

    Rick! if you play lottery and hit $300 million you will become a famous man, would this be a success or luck? People know you because you tried your luck in the 90s by buying dot com domain names, and at that time Mark Zuckerberg and his colleagues at Harvard University were todlers, when almost nobody knew about internet or had a computer. You had these things maybe because they were your hobby and lead you to making money later without planning it. Zuckerberg and his colleagues are the guys I can take advice from, not Rick, because Zuckerberg and his colleagues had an business idea, not luck. You can make money domain only if you bought generic domain in the 90s, like Rick, that’s why he uses this to lecturer other. Rick should prove others that they can make money domaining even today and even if they don’t have hundred of thousands of Dollars.

    Reply
  43. em

    @Gazzip
    re: the .co Wipo cases.
    Yep. These are mostly blatant company infringements where the the .co was registered to undermine the original company. ex. Air-France.com. Pretty blatant, IMO. Who doesn’t know about Air France, for heaven sakes? Really haven’t seen any real generics that were problematic except PokerStrategy.co. An exception rather than the rule.

    Reply
  44. em

    @whoon whatever
    I don’t see the irony in Rick owning PigeonS**t.co. He basically coined the term within the domaining sphere. That just makes sense that he would register it. He could do a whole site on what NOT to register and that name would make sense. If you are asserting that .co is pigeon s**t, well, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

    Reply
  45. AlanR

    Yeah, Rick was lucky when he got into the domain game when he did but like with most luck, you have to create it. Taking action starts the luck process but doesn’t always guarantee it. Your luck increases if you keep trying if at first you fail. If you give up, your luck ran it’s course. If you want to have a chance to win the lotto, you can’t expect to get lucky unless you buy a ticket first. Then the process of getting lucky starts.
    Rick saw domains being popular long before most people who were on the internet back in the early 90’s did. I would bet that most people reading his blog now would not have bought domains back then if they didn’t know what they know now. That was a time when most were content just using IP numbers for their websites. I remember him telling the story about how he got laughed off a message board by his peers because he told them that someday, domains will be a better option than IP’s. Domains would be easier to remember than a string of numbers! What? He must be an idiot for thinking that! They just couldn’t comprehend such a thing. They thought Rick was nuts that domains could ever replace IP addresses. Guess what, those same assholes swear by domains now but never told Rick he was right.
    So Rick put a plan together to start buying up domains before most people would eventually figure it out that domains are better than IP numbers. Rick created his luck by seeing this before others did. I don’t really call that luck. I call that being smart!
    When it comes to .co, I think Rick is nuts and I also thought so when he was buying .mobi’s too. Just like with most speculators, you never get it right all the time. Rick has never said that .co will succeed. Since this is his blog, he is merely talking about his investment. Others have chimed in that they are sure .co will be a success so now we have turned this into a debate. It would be nice if it were to stay civil! Disagree without being disagreeable!
    It’s been obvious to me since day one that Rick’s on the fence with the .co extension. It could go either way so it seems to me that he wanted to be prepared if it does succeed. He can afford it and it’s that simple. He could get lucky but I don’t think so on this call. I don’t see how it can!
    In away, Rick is a lot like Babe Ruth. The Babe was legendary for his home runs but he also had lots of misses! And off course, you always get the losers in life who would rather focus on the misses of a legend than their wins because that helps take the focus off their miserable loser lives! And of course, by the way they act, it’s not hard to figure out who the losers here are!

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  46. ScottM

    Exactly. Dictionary names aren’t trademarks? She’s clueless. Tell me if”Apple” is not in the dictionary, and then tell me Apple is not a registered trademark.
    Apple ® – computers, computer software, computer peripherals, etc.
    On which fucking planet do you come from Emma?

    Reply
  47. Dr.Altaf

    @Emma:said,”Rick! if you play lottery and hit $300 million you will become a famous man, would this be a success or luck?…….”
    @Emma:
    Please be positive while talking about personality like Rick who made the history. When he understood the Domains , openly & candidly spoke about it in his BOARD or some other forums, news media etc. many could not even perceive what domains meant. When .com bubble came, it was Rick who still had the vision & courage to buy domains as he knew its intrinsic value in future time. That is called future forecaster or future teller. There is nothing wrong to be a pioneer. We (even Rick recently appreciated or highlighted MZ) for his talents. No doubt!
    But may be it was Rick, whose inspiring hand behind it played a role. Who knows? We never knew deeply about domains until we got to know from his BOARD or blogs. Many experts here will agree with me of the contribution made by Rick. So what is the problem to be forerunner? You may be one of those. But show us your strength contribution towards the domains or something else-innovative new issues that changed the life of people. We will applause you with no doubt.
    Hope you got the message.Just attacking a personality like Rick. won’t help. As previously a few more folks made such ugly commnets here, now understood their faults-now are giving good & valuable comments.
    So please Don’t provide negative feedback for the cause of being recognized, rather come up with positive thoughts. The world will remember you.

    Reply
  48. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    I hope you are having FUN We are!
    .co is a CLASSIC = Pump and Dump !
    Domainers invest elsewhere !
    This is my last comment on the Subject !
    We can only help those who help themselves.
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  49. Landon White

    @ AllanR
    SAID: It took years for dotcom to finally prove itself to be worthy
    ==================
    #1 Idiot of the Year Award:
    The Internet was founded on .Com, Idiot
    when you were still in the womb, punk!
    “Who’s corporate Cubicle do you Whore for”
    (another all round faker with rambling on and on post’s)

    Reply
  50. AlanR

    Looks like we have another classic piece of shit who doesn’t know what he/she is talking about! The proof is in the posts! Also, using other names to hide behind. How many other names are you using you loser?

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  51. Landon White

    @ AllanR … R stands for Runt
    SAID: It took years for dotcom to finally prove itself to be worthy
    ==================
    #1 Idiot of the Year Award:
    .Com the first Extension,
    and you not Born yet even around,
    or were you in Cubicle Box,
    kissing da bosses ASS
    lmho

    Reply
  52. Landon White

    @ AllanR … R stands for Runt
    It would be nice if it were to stay civil! Disagree without being
    disagreeable!
    ===============
    You would like that
    Runt,
    then you could go around and around with your”double talk”
    PREACHING and extra long posts pushing Pigionshit ext .CO
    (along with your office nobody’s DomainSushi,Enema and U AlanRunt.
    I noticed your last post was right at:
    January 31, 2011 at … 05:03 PM (see above)
    when you CLOCKED OUT!
    9 to 5pm end of your Ass kissing Corporate day,
    we wont hear from your 4 sale ass
    till tomorrow …
    when you CLOCK BACK IN,
    will we Corporate WHORE!

    Reply
  53. Rick Schwartz

    It’s really a SHAME that we can’t have a single debate on any single issue (equation) and focus without getting personal. Very frustrating when otherwise intelligent folks act like asses.
    I am not sure why it has to happen, but seems it always has to and what a foolish waste of time and life.
    That prevents others from chiming in. Stifles debate and then sidetracks the issue.
    Some jackass will now jump up and point the finger. Save your post. Replace anger with wanting to achieve something.
    There is no room for noise and BS and while I have never censored posts, I am thinking hard about it.

    Reply
  54. cm

    “Will Any .CO stand up to UDRP or WIPO and Will it be Worth Defending”
    Is there a different set of rules (for UDRP or WIPO) for .co compared to any other extension? IF not, would seem you just have to take the necessary precautions as you would with any other extension.

    Reply
  55. em

    @Rick,
    That’s spot on with the”personal comments”. IMO, it’s very hard to read (actually, who wants to read them)insults because they go no where and I know that I’m wasting my time reading someone’s ugly rant. It escalates because everyone wants to be right and gets huffy when their opinions are challenged. A lot of it has to do with jealousy and that is also hard to read.
    I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to leave out questionable posts. It may make the learning experience a bit more pleasant for the rest of us.

    Reply
  56. Emma

    Rick just prove others that they can make money domaining even today and even if they don’t have hundreds of thousands of Dollars. Stop using you luck of 20 years ago to be your influence on those ignorant domainers, who happen to be the majority. You can’t even tell the future of dot co domains, and you couldn’t tell the future of dot mobi either. It proves that you were just lucky, you got it right only once. But see this: Mark Zuckerberg and the 2 guys who sold Diapers.com to Amazon, they realized they could not make money domaining because either they discovered this business too late or they were too young to discover this business, but because they had business idea, they made millions and billions in 5 to 6 years, and Rick owns many dot com domain names, that he registered in the 90s but he never made a single billion dollars, because no business idea. It was luck that you had, don’t confuse people. You Rick can only make money by selling your dot com domains that you registered in the 90s, how else you can make money?? BUSINESS IDEA IS WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL, DOMAIN NAMES THAT YOU CAN USE ARE PLENTY OUT THERE, you create them and register them. How many times am I going to tell you that???? be smart folks.

    Reply
  57. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    You and I know that censorship stands in the way of creation. Creation can be a zesty endeavor ,but often is messy. To censor is not the answer it is the end. We all make mistakes when we let our egos engage our mouths, I have done it you have done it.
    It can be a bumpy ride, but a nation that encourages an open platform wins in the end. History proves it!
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  58. Altaf

    Dick Tracy said…
    “Didn’t Anunt get caught commenting as”Emma” a few months back….”
    Hi Rick, Could you kindly check from the”post-log” who, in fact, is this”EMMA” to open him without censoring the posts.As once you said, …. those are just exposing their personality with bad comments.
    Why is he hiding spineless? What fear? if criticism/feedback given nicely, acceptable to all folks.Better Let’s mind our business.Gratefully,

    Reply
  59. AlanR

    @Landon White and all his other aliases he is using here.
    You said to me,”PREACHING and extra long posts pushing Pigionshit ext .CO”
    LOL, what a dumb ass punk little kid you are! If you had any brains, you would have read that not once have I pushed .CO. Not once have I ever endorsed it and I NEVER will! It is a worthless extension and YOU are a WORTHLESS waste of time for all the posters and readers here. There isn’t anyone here who takes you serious so quit wasting our time!

    Reply
  60. AlanR

    Rick, I appreciate the fact that you are transparent enough to let people post their views, even though they don’t agree with you! That’s what makes a healthy debate. That’s as transparent and as fair as anyone can be but you can’t be so transparent that people take advantage of you by trashing your character/reputation or other members. Yes, being totally open is fair to the idiots but it’s not fair for the civil minded! A blog is a dictatorship, not a democracy!
    As you know from experience with your other message boards, you establish a core group of good members. When you take all their posts, they establish a pattern where you can spot the people who can play well with others and the social misfits (the losers) who can only attack others for no other reason than to simply be mean spirited.
    And as you well know, along with the mean spirited people, there are always those who are a few cards short of a full deck so unfortunately, you need to filter those people out too because they disrupt the harmony of your board or blog. I’m sure you remember”haha Joe” who was a total basket case and disrupted the board so bad that you needed to start up a private board.
    There is no way you can keep people like the Landon Whites, Emmas and the haha Joes of the world off a public board so I’m afraid that if you want to keep good quality people here contributing, then you need to censor/filter posts or look into getting a private board or blog setup. As it is already, you have enough of a core group of good people who would follow you wherever you decide to go. Otherwise, the assholes here will run a muck and your blog will either die or you will have to cut off comments.

    Reply
  61. Donny

    Some should stand up or it will be a big mess.
    Say you own computers.co, laptops.co and homes.co Could someone come along and challenge you for these names. Anyone care to disagree?
    or have a comment about names like this.
    If your generic is not on upsto then you can show that you did not intend to register it in bad faith. That is all you have to prove.
    Does not matter if is sounds similar all 3 items must be proven.

    Reply
  62. Alex

    Many thanks Rick for doing your blog. Not being a domainer, but in the water treatment business, I’m still very much interested in generic domains regarding speciality water treatment (still quiet small niche markets on the Internet for the moment).
    In the context of this .com/.co discussion I’d like to add my two cents, as maybe it can be some practical and positive input to the discussion going on here caused by your questions raised, which I do appreciate very much.
    Until recently some pretty self explanatory generic .com domains for special technology water treatment were still available, like: MINERALIZEDW***R.COM, REMINERALIZEDW***R.COM, W***RMINERALIZATION.COM, W***RREMINERALIZATION.COM, W***ROXYGENIZER.COM, TAPW***RMINERALIZER.COM, TAPW***RDEMINERALIZER.COM, TAPW***ROXYGENIZER.COM, as well as some others related to specialty water treatment.
    This is just to show that some eventually pretty good generic .com’s are still available, as you said.
    The extent of availability may depend on the kind of industry: Maybe the water industry is still less developed as others. I think that some domainers may lack some knowledge of special industry related trends, while others may specialize on (some) industries they know very well.
    The .co’s of the above generics may still be available, as the .com is better known today and much more used.
    We’ll see if the .co will be adopted by users, just like the .com. I see not much of a reason why .com and .co could not live happily together. I’d appreciate that, running Tap-W***r.com, but actually preferring TapW***r.co, simply because it’s easier to type out of my view.
    Many thanks again, Rick. Keep up your good work.

    Reply
  63. Landon White

    @ Rick
    PRAISE THE .COM THE HYPE THE .CO
    (LAME TRICK … THEY ARE ALL USING)
    Rick, the Corporate Cubicle Whores with there Secret Agenda
    have again attempted to get your ire, as they attempt to sneak
    there marketing presence about there products into causal
    conversation as if they are a REAL Domainer who OWNS Domains,
    never talking about buying and selling domains.
    The purpose of presence is to control your Blog in a way that does not seem obvious, why in fact one blogger rants and PREACHES to you Rick, suggesting in all subject posts how YOU and WE should think about industry matters under the disguise of caring banter,and even does imply WHY YOU have made DOMAIN decisions in the past about this and that,one moment praising you and next saying you suck, this goes beyond being a brown noser, it is a down right Physiological manipulative trick to set the tone for there secret agenda to distract from your leadership ability with Domainers and give them control.
    I DO HOPE we all continue to call these creeps out
    when we spot there creeping dirty deeds.

    Reply
  64. Landon White

    NOW! BACK TO THE ISSUE AT HAND:
    Will Any .CO stand up to UDRP or WIPO and Will it be Worth Defending?
    Gazzup, in a post
    said it best last week …
    Bad Faith is Bad Faith,
    You cant escape the FACT that you
    “Piggy Backed” the .Com
    Bad Faith is Bad Faith,
    (that would be enough)
    YOU SURE WOULD”LOOK” GUILTY!

    Reply
  65. David L.G

    Anyway, all go to far.
    It’s clear we need new extensions. This why registrars push the .co.
    How could they survive if there is nothing available to sell ?
    Anyone know there is not much availability in .com and it’s become difficult to have a nice address. It will be impossible even for new generation to do Internet business except to have three or four keyword in his or her .com.
    It’s clear they will be some change in the future.and .co have a chance like other extension to participate to it.

    Reply
  66. Gazzip

    Landon, that was only my personal opinion and my opinion does’nt matter. We all have our own opinions.
    What matters are the opinions of a UDRP/WIPO panel regarding .co and if GENERIC domain owners lose their domains after paying big bucks for them in domainer targeted auctions.
    Its too early to tell but looking at the decisions so far it doesn’t look that bad.
    wipo.int/amc/en/domains/decisionsx/list.jsp?prefix=DCO&year=2010&seq_min=1&seq_max=199
    Disclaimer ;) I only bought one generic .co so I have no”agenda” or big stake in any of this.

    Reply
  67. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    Welcome back from Domainfest! We are looking forward to your next post for some major Ah HAS and other observations of yours.
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  68. Jeff Schneider

    Hello Rick,
    @alanr, You speak of censorship and segregation as if it is somehow acceptable. Rick is bigger that someone elses opinion and he knows this!
    Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)

    Reply
  69. Landon White

    @ Gazzip
    Very Humble to take that stance but …
    “Bad Faith IS Bad Faith”
    no matter how it is buttered and a purchase …
    of a .Co does show, blatant
    “Piggy Backing” (to confuse and mislead a .Com’s traffic)
    Very clear evidence to present to WIPO/UDRP Panelists,
    this indeed will be part of routine petitions that will
    have to be overcome at the outset, if at all.

    Reply
  70. UFO

    Anyone not using a .co to communicate with Columbian people is effectively acting in bad faith. (I think .co is Columbian)
    The extension was not granted as a typo for .com, it was not granted to confuse customers from .com.
    So, if you are not using the cctld for its intended purpose then prima facie you are acting in bad faith.

    Reply
  71. Rick Schwartz

    The .co deal is going to have a LOT of unintended consequences. Today will be the first time folks even hear about it. 99.9% of folks on the planet don’t know it exists. They will know tonight. THEIR reaction, lack of one or even anger will decide many things.
    One thing for sure, the lawyers are going to be very busy and the crossfire will be like nothing we have ever experienced. No press release can cover what everyone knows is about to happen.
    If you ask”Was this foreseen?” Then I say yes. Will it matter? I guess that is the gamble everyone is taking.

    Reply
  72. Gazzip

    Yep, Its crunch time alright ;) -“if” it goes tits up it’ll probably affect most of us in in one way or another.

    Reply
  73. Rick

    I note there is an interesting one coming up involving the insurance company Unum. It appears they have a long history of human rights abuses (particularly in the US) which someone has posted on http://unum.com (within their human rights to do so). Looks like this could be a winner – appears to have been registered in good faith. Bearing in mind that the UN has a responsibility to maintain the welfare of UN Citizens – particularly the disabled – I think Unum could be on a sticky wicket here.

    Reply

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