How MySpace.co.uk could have won the battle

by Patrick Altoft on January 30, 2008

The owners of MySpace.co.uk have lost the domain after Myspace launched a challenge via Nominet.

Interestingly the domain was registered 6 years before MySpace was invented so how on earth did Nominet rule in favour of MySpace you are probably asking?

The case heard that the domain was an abusive registration which I’ve had experience of trying to resolve in the past. This case (and the case I worked on) both hinged on the fact that the domain was parked and full of PPC ads related to the legitimate domain.

Had the owners of MySpace.co.uk set up a service on the site then it is highly probable that they would have been able to keep the domain for ever, in 5 years time that domain and the site it was on could have been sold for a lot more than whatever they earned in domain parking revenue.

Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Leeds based digital & SEO agency Branded3. Patrick also runs Blogstorm.

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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

Luke Daly 30 Jan 2008 at 9:25 pm

I am glad they lost the domain name.

To many domains are pointing to stupid holding pages and offer no service to ANYONE, then they charge thousands of dollars for anyone hoping to develop a site with a half decent domain name.

I once spoke to a guy who had a massive domain portfolio, one being http://www.boxing.com. That domain is wasted and should be developed as a resource for boxing fans. Simple as!

Maybe some of you people will disagree but I think that the internet was initially developed as a communication resource and I think dictionary domains should be used to offer useful resources.

This really annoys me :)

JayJayJay 30 Jan 2008 at 9:47 pm

Luke,

So using your reasoning, if I buy a piece of undeveloped land in a great downtown area in hopes of re-selling it in the future, I should lose it because downtown is suppose to be a developed area?

Doesn’t seem you thought this comment through before posting it.

Stuart Brandwood 01 Feb 2008 at 12:19 am

To be honest I agree with Luke’s analogy. “Land-banking” and derelict, speculator-owned city centre eyesores are big problems…Whether it’s in the real world or the internet I say “Use it or lose it”!

{ 1 trackback }

MySpace Loses myspace.co.uk in DRS Appeal | Weycrest Knowledgebase
04.30.08 at 2:16 pm

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