Dotmobi Hides Generics From Squatters

David A. Utter      2006-06-22

Thousands of generic words in multiple languages have been set aside by the .mobi domain registrar as Dotmobi attempts to thwart cyber-squatters who would buy those names for the sole purpose of reselling them at a hefty profit.

Domain tracking site Ipwalk posted a new interview with Dotmobi regarding its withholding of a number of domain names from the marketplace. Dotmobi has taken over 5,600 generic words off the board, removing potential domains like money.mobi and food.mobi from the available pool.

An additional 2,600 domain names related to locations, like NewYork.mobi, have also been set aside so no one can currently purchase them. Ipwalk noted that Dotmobi could make them available in an invitation-only auction.

The action by Dotmobi keeps these premium names under wraps until the registrar decides how it may wish to make them available. The article cited Dotmobi's desire to have these domains go to sites with content:

"We do not want to lend these names to speculators," said Alexa Raad, VP of marketing and business development at Dotmobi. "We want relevant content behind the domain names, and that is what the selection process will focus on. People should not just sit on these names."

Raad referenced the "sunrise" period for .EU domains, where the registrar, EURid, did not restrict valuable generic names. Speculators swooped in and snagged a large number of those domains when they became available.

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About The Author

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.

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