Dark Blue Sea has recently accepted the revised Photon Group offer of 35 cent per share.So,in the absence of a higher offer,Dark Blue Sea and Photon will close the deal on Monday 14 December 2009.
Tim Hughes,Photon’s Executive Chairman said : “We believe that this revised recommended offer provides certainly to DBS shareholders,staff and customers.We urge DBS shareholders to accept the offer as soon as possible.”
Dark Blue Sea Chairman Vernon Wills also stated “We are pleased with the increased offer. It is in the best interests of DBS that this transaction is concluded as promptly and efficiently as possible.Our recommendation is directed at bringing the transaction to a successful conclusion with minimum disruption to the company’s operations.”

Official press release: Click here

On Friday, 24 July 2009, Lead Networks Domains Pvt. Ltd. (”Lead Networks”) began the process of commencing an arbitration proceeding with the American Arbitration Association (”AAA”) challenging ICANN’s decision to allow the RAA to expire without renewal because of Lead Networks’ failure to comply with the requirements of its RAA http://www.icann.org/correspondence/burnette-to-malik-14jul09-en.pdf [PDF, 74K].In its filing to initiate arbitration, Lead Networks requested that ICANN and the arbitration panel stay the non-renewal until an arbitration decision is rendered. Although Lead Networks allowed the RAA to expire before seeking to arbitrate, ICANN has determined that a temporary stay is warranted in this case to protect affected registrants and users. Lead Networks will be reinstated as a registrar effective Tuesday, 04 August 2009.

Guidance is provided below for registrants who may be affected by this arbitration action.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How are registrants affected by Lead Networks’ arbitration filing?

A. Your domain names will remain with Lead Networks until the arbitration panel renders its decision or until you choose to transfer your domain name. In other words, during the arbitration, Lead Networks will operate as an ICANN-accredited registrar pursuant to the RAA and shall be required to comply with all contract provisions, the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy ( “UDRP”), and the transfer policy.

Q. What happens if I have a pending UDRP administrative proceeding involving a domain name sponsored by Lead Networks?

A. Continue with the proceedings, as you do not need to do anything additional right now. Lead Networks will continue to be obligated to perform under the RAA and, thus, will be required to enforce the decision once panel provides its ruling.

Q. What happens if I won a UDRP administrative proceeding involving a domain name sponsored by Lead Networks?

A. In accordance with the RAA, Lead Networks is required to enforce the arbitration panel’s decision unless the registrant provides evidence of a lawsuit against the complainant in a court of mutual jurisdiction within 10 business days of the issuance of the UDRP decision. If Lead Networks has not enforced the decision, please immediately submit a report pursuant to the UDRP Intake Report System at http://www.internic.net/UDRPIntakeReportSystem.html. Please be sure to complete all fields and follow all prompts.

Q. What action is ICANN planning to take?

A. During the arbitration process, ICANN intends to aggressively defend its decision not to renew the RAA with Lead Networks.

Q. How long will it take to complete the arbitration?

A. Arbitration is unpredictable. ICANN hopes and will request that the arbitration panel conclude the arbitration as quickly as possible, but it could be several months before an arbitration decision is rendered.

Q. What affect does the arbitration filing have on ICANN’s previously announced bulk transfer process?

A. ICANN will continue to complete the process pursuant to the De-Accredited Registrar Transition Procedure (posted at http://www.icann.org/en/processes/registrars/de-accredited-registrar-transition-procedure-01oct08.pdf [PDF, 119K]) in order to be prepared to authorize a bulk transfer of the names upon conclusion of the arbitration, if necessary and such a transfer would promote the community interest.

Q. I have read everything above, but still have some questions about my domain name. Whom should I contact?

A. You should contact Lead Networks first with any issues. If you are still not able to get answers to your questions, please contact ICANN’s contractual compliance team at compliance@icann.org.

DOMAINfest Global is on the move, well to a new venue anyway, and in 2010 will be held in Santa Monica, California, at the luxurious Fairmont Miramar Hotel from January 26 to28.

To enhance the intimacy and networking at DOMAINfest Global, the entire hotel has been reserved exclusively for this conference.
Online registration will open August 15 with an Early Bird discounted registration rate of $895 available through September 30. The registration rate increases to $1,095 on October 1.

The 2010 conference will focus on the importance of domain names in online marketing, with additional focus on how to use domain names to get the most out of the pending economic recovery. The conference theme and specific agenda session topics will be announced in the coming weeks.

The event also will feature two live Moniker ® domain name auctions, powered by SnapNames Live™ technology.

Building on the trend initiated with DOMAINfest Global 2008, guests will include a growing number of professionals from outside of the domain industry. Guests will include brand executives, advertising and affiliate network suppliers, senior commercial bankers, private equity representatives, venture capitalists, trademark and legal counsellors, website developers, advertising experts, SEO/SEM specialists, and others. The top domain industry publishers, parking companies, registrars, aftermarket resellers, hosting companies, and others will also be in attendance.

“Our industry is ready for new growth as the global recession begins to subside,” said Oversee.net President Jeff Kupietzky. “As an asset class, domain names are clearly growing in value, and their position in the online marketing function deserves the attention and discussion we’ll give them in Santa Monica.  If you make it to only one domain name industry event in 2010, this one should be it.”

Sponsorship opportunities are available for anyone who is interested. With more than 600 professionals from 26 countries attending DOMAINfest Global in 2008, it is a good way to promote your company. Information about sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities for the show are available at www.domainfest.com, along with more information on the conference, or by email at sales@domainfest.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sedo has launched Sedo.com/Adult, a new portal to showcase the best adult domain names available through the website. The portal aims to tap into the global adult industry which they estimate to be worth $13 billion annually.So to search for .com or .net adult domain names available for sale or auction on Sedo, or to submit your own adult domain name for sale or auction, go to www.Sedo.com/Adult.

Amsterdam/Prague May 6th – After the successful launch of the .CO.NL extension, the CO.NL Operator is proud to announce that the Czech Arbitration Court (CAC) now provides Dispute Resolution for CO.NL Domains through its Online Dispute Resolution Platform.

“.CO.NL always intended to provide a credible alternative while ensuring third-party rights are respected in the name space”, comments Sander Scholten, General Manager, “Our Grandfather and Sunrise periods were designed to allow .nl domain name holders and trademark holders to secure their names on a priority basis and we believe CAC’s support is another major step in ensuring potential disputes are now dealt with in the most effective way”.

The Czech Arbitration Court was chosen in 2005 by the European Commission to act as sole Alternative Dispute Resolution Provider for .EU Domain Names and was recently appointed as a Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy provider (UDRP) by ICANN. Under the mutual understanding between CAC and the .CO.NL Operator, disputes involving domain names bearing the “.co.nl” ending will be dealt with using CAC’s modern online platform, and rulings will be based on UDRP rules similar to those of the .EU Domains.

“CAC is proud to welcome CO.NL domain names on its new UDRP platform” comments Zbynek Loebl, manager of UDRP project of the Czech Arbitration Court “the proven UDRP process is perfect to deal with any potential dispute under CO.NL and our professional panellists are excited to deal with this new challenge”.

The Go Live phase has opened on the 15th April and allows the general public to register any .CO.NL without restrictions or priority rights. The applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis and a local presence in the Netherlands is not required.

To have more information about the UDRP process, go to: http://www.adr.eu/

For more information on the .CO.NL Operator, please contact us at info@domain.co.nl This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to http://www.domain.co.nl/

About the operator:

The CO.NL Operator was established in 2007 to manage the registration of domains with the .co.nl ending. The organization operates under the national TLD of Dutch registry SIDN but has no further ties to the foundation.

We’re excited to announce that Parked.com has acquired WhyPark! The purchase creates synergies between the two companies by combining WhyPark’s strength in developing traffic with Parked.com’s expertise in monetizing traffic.

Parked.com’s acquisition of WhyPark offers several advantages for WhyPark customers including a new premium top-tier feed for offering the highest revenue effective immediately. WhyPark customers will also receive:

• Keyword selection expertise to maximize revenue and click-through rate (CTR)
• Experienced staff to optimize domain names for maximum revenue
• Payment twice a month
• Additional options for receiving payments
• A new referral program (read more)

Over the next months, there will be a number of new upgrades as we continue to integrate Parked.com’s technology and monetization experience into the WhyPark platform. You will continue to use WhyPark to manage your sites and your account information will remain the same. We invite all customers to start using the new integrated feed to see how it compares to any third-party ads you may have used in the past. To start using the new ad feed:

1. Login to your WhyPark account
2. Select some or all of your domains to change to the new ad feed
3. Choose the Change Monetization option from the Bulk Actions menu in the right column and click submit
4. Choose the “Display WhyPark ads” and submit

Or, simply drop us an email at support@whypark.com and we can make the change for you on an account-wide basis. As you continue to use the integrated ad feed, your sites will be optimized to increase your revenue.For more information on the WhyPark acquisition and what WhyPark and Parked.com customers can anticipate with the purchase, visit http://www.whypark.com/faq-parked.htm.

We understand you will have questions about your account and how this acquisition will affect you. Please contact us by email at support@whypark.com, by live chat, or through the WhyPark forum at http://forum.whypark.com.

We’re excited about the opportunities this acquisition will bring to our customers and look forward to continuing to be your preferred domain development platform.

Craig Rowe
President
WhyPark
www.whypark.com

The online poker website Bodog has won back control of the domain name bodog.com, assuming control of the domain name as a result of settling a longstanding dispute dating back to August 2007 with 1st Technology, LLC.

This settlement ends the series of 1st Technology’s lawsuits addressing the alleged use of patents in the 1st Technology portfolio. The settlement also resolves 1st Technology’s judgment collection efforts.

The agreement also covers core multimedia patents for advanced gaming products. The 1st Technology patents, developed by early multimedia pioneer Dr. Scott Lewis, CEO of 1st Technology, are targeted at providing enhanced interactivity and optimized delivery of high quality multimedia information over various bandwidth networks including narrowband and broadband telephone, cable, and wireless Internet.

“While the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group was not the judgment debtor, the MMGG is the exclusive licensee of the ‘Bodog’ brand within the region and, as such, activities that impact the brand necessarily impact our businesses. We are pleased to have worked constructively with 1st Technology and its principals to bring an end to this protracted dispute. This resolution will provide certainty and will also allow us to continue to enhance our technology base for online gaming in order to provide our users with unfettered access to the best technology,” said Mr. Alwyn Morris, Chief Executive for the Morris Mohawk Gaming Group. 1st Technology’s Dr. Scott Lewis commented on the agreement, stating, “We are pleased to have finally resolved this dispute, and applaud Mr. Morris for his proactive and constructive approach.”

Poker News Daily explains the background to the dispute as:
“Bodog lost its domain as part of the patent infringement lawsuit back in 2007. As a result, it quickly scrambled to move its operations to an alternate domain.”

“The arrangement between Bodog and Morris Mohawk for North American marketing rights was forged in September of 2007. One month earlier, Bodog found itself on the losing end of a $48 million default judgment. Bodog promptly launched newbodog.com, which ultimately led to bodoglife.com.”

Bodog.com is currently redirecting visitors to the website to bodoglife.com.

To read the Poker News Daily Report in full, see:
www.pokernewsdaily.com/bodog-regains-control-of-bodogcom-after-legal-battle-2059/

Domainer’s Magazine has announced it is now available via the Kindle ebook reader, one of 27 magazines to be available for the Kindle via Amazon.com.

The Domainer Magazine believes it is a great option for the demographic of this technology’s users. Co-owner Jerry J. Nolte Jr. is pleased that this added convenience will make it easier for current readers to bring Domainer’s Magazine with them anywhere. Mike St. John, co-owner, adds that it is just one more way that the domaining industry is becoming more visible to traditional technology readers.

About Domainer’s Magazine: Domainer’s Magazine was designed to provide valuable insight and thought leadership into the domaining world. It is a first class publication and the original print magazine that targets this industry which is becoming noted by some of the leading financiers of our time. Their goal is to continue to be a world class publication that is the eyes and ears of the “domainer”. For more information on Domainer’s Magazine visit domainersmagazine.com.

Political law attorney Matthew T. Sanderson believes the Internet needs a new .pol top-level domain because of cybersquatters who grab domain names related to politicians. He cites Meg Whitman’s difficulty acquiring domains related to her gubernatorial run in California:

Long before she began forming her campaign for governor of California, Meg Whitman got cybersquatted. Media speculation in early 2008 that the billionaire former chief executive of eBay would seek the state’s highest office prompted a Santa Monica man to nab rights to several Web sites that evoke Whitman’s name, including WhitmanForGovernor.com and MegWhitman2010.com.

Whitman spent much of last year trying to get those sites back. Her early attempts to negotiate failed, and she lost an Internet arbitration because her extensive business and political activities did not make her name “commercial” enough to warrant protection. She then initiated costly and potentially fruitless litigation that, had events run their course, might have concluded after California’s gubernatorial election. In the end, though, Whitman’s substantial checkbook solved her problem. She settled with the cybersquatter out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Full story: http://workbench.cadenhead.org/news/3509/attorney-wants-pol-top-level-domain

If an advocacy group is successful, companies and individuals may one day be able to promote their environmental and sustainability initiatives on the Web with a .eco domain name.Dot Eco LLC is petitioning ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, for the top-level domain segment.

read the full article here: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2009/04/09/momentum-builds-for-eco-web-domains/