RDND:
Reverse Domain Name Denigration
You
have heard of cybersquatting and cyberpiracy, webjacking
and reverse domain name hijacking. Here is a new term to
add to the Internet lexicon: reverse domain name
denigration.
Reverse
domain name denigration -- RDND -- occurs when a
corporation registers a domain name that deprecates
itself, to preempt others from claiming it.
Lots
of companies are registering what are called
"anti-domains" to keep derogatory domain names out of
enemy hands. Chase
Manhattan Bank,
Charles Schwab, WalMart, Vail Resorts and Volvo Cars of
North America have all registered denigrating
alternatives to protect themselves from the ridicule of
rivals. Given all the possible variations of .SUCKS,
.STINKS, EATS, an more, this may be a futile endeavor.
Lawsuits
have been filed over variations of
[COMPANYNAME].SUCKS. The most visible of those
was the registrant of NETSCAPESUCKS.COM, who was
ordered
to cease and desist
use of a name that deprecates the provider of a major
browser used by millions to access the
Internet.
One
company has been impressively diligent and creative in
its reverse domain name denigration registrations. Is tis
merely corporate paranoia or an example of RDND excess?
All the following names are registered to
CoreComm:
- CORECOMM-SUCKS.COM
- CORE-COM-INTERNETSUCKS.COM
- CORE-COM-INTERNETSUCKS.NET
- CORE-COM-INTERNETSUCKS.ORG
- CORE-COMM-SMARTPACK-SUCKS.ORG
- CORE-COMMSUCKS.COM
- CORE-COMMSUCKS.ORG
- CORE-COMM-SUCKS.NET
- INTERNET-BY-CORECOMMSUCKS.ORG
- COREINTERNETSUCKS.ORG
- CORECOMMDSLSUCKS.COM
- INTERNETBYCORECOMMSUCKS.ORG
- INTERNETBYCORECOMMSUCKS.COM
- CORECOMM-INTERNETSUCKS.NET
- CORECOMMDSLSUCKS.NET
|
- CORECOMM-DSLSUCKS.ORGCORE-COMMSUCKS.NET
- CORE-COMM-SUCKS.COM
- CORE-COMM-INTERNETSUCKS.COM
- CORECOMMDSLSUCKS.ORG
- CORE-COMM-ECHAT-SUCKS.COM
- CORE-COMM-SMARTPACK-SUCKS.NET
- CORE-COMM-ECHAT-SUCKS.ORG
- COREINTERNETSUCKS.NET
- CORECOMM-SMARTPACKSUCKS.NET
- INTERNETBYCORECOMMSUCKS.NET
- CORE-COMM-DSL-SUCKS.NET
- CORE-COMM-INTERNETSUCKS.NET
- CORE-COMM-SMARTPACK-SUCKS.COM
|
Despite
this pre-emptive effort to protect the good name of
CoreComm, its domain was hijacked in January of
2000.
By
Ellen Rony
©
January 2000
