Domain Name Wire Podcast

When ICANN removed price caps on .org and info domains a few years ago, domain name registrar didn't site by idly. It challenged the removal and the process that led to it, eventually filing for the Independent Review Process. The panel handed down the decision last month, mostly in Namecheap's favor. Why did Namecheap take on this fight? What will happen now? And what does this mean for the future of .com prices? Today, we chat with Owen Smigelski, who led the fight on behalf of Namecheap.

Also: Bad reputation, big domain upgrade, i2coalition and more

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

It's been ten years since new top level domains started rolling out. Today, I chat with Sandeep Ramchandani, CEO of Radix, to get his take on where we are and where we're headed. Sandeep is always frank about both the upside and the challenges of new TLDs, so you'll enjoy our conversation.

Also this week, you'll hear four additional predictions for this year that I accidentally left out of last week's predictions episode.

Also: Afternic commission change, .org price caps, and RDNH

Sponsor: Sav.com domain auctions

On today's show, we're going to hear from 18 people in the domain business about what surpried them the most in 2022, and what they think will happen in 2023.

Some people glass half full in their predictions, while others see storm clouds on the horizon. And some of the predictions may surprise you.

Sponsor: Sav.com domain transfers

I love talking to entrepreneurs about the domains they choose. This week's guest is both an entrepreneur and someone savvy about domains. In fact, he used a domain he bought on NameJet for a business that generated seven figures of sales per year. Now, Perry Rosenbloom is launching his next venture at motion.io. I asked him why .io, and if he considered getting a .com domain instead. His response will give you an idea about how an entrepreneur thinks about domain names.

Also:

Sponsor: Sell your domains with Sav.com domain landers

Doron Vermaat sold 12 .com domains this year. But he sold many more non-.com domains on his way to a stellar year of sales. On today's show, we talk about why domain investors might consider other domain extensions, run through some of his results, and talk about why Doron loves payment plan deals. You'll walk away with a lot of ideas after listening to this episode.

Sponsor: Sav.com backorders

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