Last month Nat Cohen was invited to speak at a World Intellectual Property Organization UDRP workshop in Geneva. He was able to talk to UDRP panelists and practitioners about what domain name investors do and why cybersquatting cases involving investors are unique. On today’s show, Nat discusses what he talked about. It’s an interesting discussion and helped me put myself in panelists’ shoes to think about how they view cases.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

Ruban Thananayagam bought 500 domain names on his credit card before he made his first sale. This gave him the confidence to invest more but it was certainly slow-going for the first few years. But he stuck with it and now makes about $10k a month from domain sales. On today’s show, Ruban talks about discipline, making a plan, and how to find a domain investing mentor.

Also: .RSVP, shorter names = higher valuation, TLD trademarks and more.

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes when a compny goes through a rebrand and acquires a new domain name? On today's show, I talk with Radhika Duggal, Chief Marketing Officer of Super, about her company's rebrand to Super and acquisition of super.com. She explains that the company had a document with six core reasons acquiring super.com made sense. We also talk about the negotiation process and why the company decided to hire a domain buyer broker to close the deal.

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

I talk to a lot of people who believe blockchain based domains will solve all of the internet’s problems. They dismiss all of the counter arguments and questions. Nole Opperman of hey.tx is different. He’s a big believer in blockchain domains (especially Handshake), but he also recognizes the shortcomings and challenges these domains face in order to go mainstream. Let’s dig in.

How to claim reserved HNS domains, hey.tx

Also: Verisign, Muscovitch and Berryhill, CentralNic, and Toast

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

Many in the domain industry were surprised last month when Epik announced that Rob Monster was giving way to a new leader. What would this mean for Epik, a registrar that has made national headlines for its free speech views? What will change at the company, if anythign? To answer those questions, I invited new CEO Brian Royce on the show this week. We discuss his vision for the company, the role Masterbucks might play, and recent payment issues. 

Also: Lease to own, Unstoppable stops .coin, domain stocks

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

On this week’s show, I speak with Marc Trachtenberg, a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Marc represents both brand holders looking to protect their assets online as well as registries and registrars that are sometimes leaned on to help brands. This gives him a unique perspective on policy issues. We start the show talking about ICANN’s so-called Whois Disclosure System and then switch to a discussion about blockchain domains and the coming clash these might have with ICANN, as well as other challenges for blockchain domain initiatives.

Also: a buys UDRP week, Starlink, and a domain downgrade

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

What is the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) and why is it important? On today’s show, I speak with ICA executive director Kamila Sekiewicz and general counsel Zak Muscovitch about what the group is doing and how it advocates for the domain industry. We also get the low down on its upcoming member meeting in January. 

UDRP newsletter signup: http://eepurl.com/hpT1TH

Vegas Event Tickets: https://ICA-AMM2023.eventbrite.com

Join the ICA: https://www.internetcommerce.org/join/

Also: Namecheap steps in for Handshake, RDNH, and .com

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

Q3 2022 is in the books. On today’s show I give an update of how my domain name portfolio is performing this year. I’ll discuss the sell-through rate, median prices, which TLDs I’m selling, and where I’ve acquired most of the domains I sell.

Also: Masterbucks, USAA, Escrow.com data

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

On today’s show, I talk with Squadhelp founder Darpan Munjal. You’ll learn:

• What signals predict someone might by a domain name (and which ones do no predict it)
• How adding language to your landers about sale prices and impending price increases impacts sales
• How people search for domains on marketplaces

Grab a pen and paper, because you’ll learn a lot!

Also: Stolen domains, .US domain privacy, Dan.com brokerage, Handshake and more.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

Most domain investors start out small and try to scale their domain portfolio over time. But what’s the best way to approach scaling? How much money do you need to start? Where should you acquire domains and for how much? How long will it take? On today’s show, Bob Hawkes discusses a recent analysis he wrote on NamePros after quizzing several domain investors. There are some great lessons in today’s show. 

Also: 

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers