Cameroon strikes it rich on the internet

Cameroon’s .cm web address has created an unexpected source of revenue for the West African nation

The Republic of Cameroon is blessed with many natural riches – among them copious quantities of coffee, cocoa and crude oil.

To these more traditional sources of wealth the West African country has recently added a new income stream: the royalties from one of the most lucrative internet country codes in the world.

Cameroon’s .cm suffix is a common mistyping of the most popular top level domain, .com, meaning that each day thousands of internet users searching for .com sites are directed Cameroonian web addresses which do not exist.

Typically when a browser is unable to locate the site among the 200 or so .cm sites that are registered, an error message is displayed.

Under a deal signed by the Cameroonian Government in the middle of last year, however, any request for a .cm sites that is not registered is now sent to a ‘parking’ page where adverts relevant to the site the user intended to visit are displayed.

Type in almost any .cm address, including company names (microsoft.cm) and themes (party.cm; beer.cm) and the browser will be redirected to an advertising-laden page called ‘agoga.com’.

The deal, struck with a Canadian internet entrepreneur who owns more than 300,000 domain names, was seen by the Government as a chance to capitalise on the unexpected value of the .cm domain, the country’s largest internet service provider said.

Only an estimated 10,000 of the Cameroon’s 18 million citizens have internet connections, and the majority of the .cm addresses that are registered with the Government agency that runs the country’s server, ANTIC, are official sites.

‘Typo-squatting’ – the purchasing of domain names which are similar to hugely popular addresses to take advantage when users mistype – is recognised as a lucrative source of advertising revenue.

Under the deal reached with Cameroon, however, any request for an unregistered .cm site will default to Agoga’s site – as opposed to the company having to own the domain name, meaning that the number of searches from which Agoga will benefit is potentially limitless.

“We can continue to register legitimate .cm names – it’s just when a page doesn’t exist that the person searching is sent automatically to Agoga,” a spokesman for Cameroon’s largest internet service provider (ISP), Camtel, told Times Online from Yaounde.

Cameroon is the latest in a succession of countries to have benefited financially from the licensing of their country codes.

In 1998, the south Pacific nation of Tuvalu, which owned the rights to .tv, signed a 12-year deal worth $50 million with the .tv corporation as a way of supplementing the income from its exports of copra, a form of dried coconut.

Kevin Ham, the Vancouver-born businessman who runs agoga.com, is understood to earn more than $70 million a year from his collection of domain names, which includes god.com and satan.com.

Mr Ham, whose sites reportedly receive 30 million unique visitors a month, is said to be negotiating similar deals with Colombia (.co), Oman (.om), Niger (.ne), and Ethiopia (.et).

Bloggers criticised Agoga’s business as “sneaky” and “not in the spirit of the internet”.

“It’s a total disservice to internet users and to brand names which doesn’t provide any benefit to anyone,” David Ulevitch, chief executive of OpenDNS, a company which redirects users to the correct site when they mistype a domain name, said.

A writer on the blog ‘Swan Fungus’ said: “I wonder if these people’s brains work on a different plane, where the sole focus in on dishonorable ways to make a quick buck.”

On its website, Agoga describes its service as “providing top level domain controllers with a way to earn money from the otherwise unused segment of the domain,” and offers a way for companies who feel the service infringes their trademark to get in touch.

Neither Agoga nor the Cameroonian National Agency for Information and Communication Technology (ANTIC) were available for comment.

World’s leading weather site “goes .mobi”?

World’s leading weather site “goes .mobi”? By Dotmobiz on 27 May 2007 at 18:21 AccuWeather, the world’s leading Internet weather provider, has plans to make AccuWeather.mobi their default mobile page. That is dotMobiz’ conclusion after seeing an announcement on their .com webpage. The company still advertises wap.accuweather.com, but dotMobiz spotted the following: To access the AccuWeather.com Mobile Website… Simply launch the Internet browser found on your mobile device, choose to enter an URL and, using the keypad on your device, enter www.accuweather.mobi. Use the navigation keys found on your device to browse the site, read news articles, zoom radar, and more. Be sure to bookmark the site on your device for quick and easy access at any time. AccuWeather, established in 1962, is the World’s Weather Authority. The Company provides local forecasts for everywhere in the United States and over two million locations worldwide. AccuWeather also provides products and services to more than 250,000 paying customers in media (numerous radio stations and newspapers), business, government and institutions. AccuWeather.com is one of the worlds most visited PC and mobile weather websites. World Traffic rank: 1,077 The Announcement Emulator for AccuWeather.mobi Link | Source: dotmobiz.com | There are no reactions yet There are no reactions to this article yet Here you have the opportunity to respond to this article. Name: Message: B I U Crossed Sub Sup Center Link

Below you can find the list of all the .mobi domains that made it through the Moniker T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silent or Live auction.

.mobi Domain

Category

Mac mini to be discontinued?

The latest Apple rumour has it that the Mac mini’s days are numbered. There might be one more speed bump, but after that it’s “goodnight Irene” – or so the story goes.

 

The trails all seem to lead back to AppleInsider’s claim that respected sources “are now pointing to the mini’s impending demise.”

The Mac mini is a misfit in Apple’s range, being neither an all-in-one like the iMac or internally expandable like the Mac Pro. While it was positioned primarily as a low-cost Mac for ’switchers’ (defecting Windows users) who already owned a suitable keyboard, mouse and monitor, anecdotal reports suggest it was actually more popular as a additional Mac.

And there’s the rub. The mini, when equipped with a TV tuner makes a good media centre computer (or home theatre personal computer – HTPC – if you prefer that terminology): it’s small, attractive and virtually silent. The problem is that the Apple TV is supposed to occupy that niche – no matter that it makes no provision for a tuner.Other applications include a low-cost platform for software developers, an inexpensive second system for a MacBook owner, an in-car computer, web or mail servers, and a way of wringing the maximum number of computers out of a limited budget for pro-Mac schools and businesses.

The latter category is probably the biggest risk associated with dropping the mini. Without getting into arguments about the relative prices and specifications of Macs and PCs, abandoning the mini and dropping the 17in iMac could shake loose a number of customers. They might not be high value customers, but each time Apple loses an education account it makes life harder for those that are left to withstand pressure from the Windows zealots within their communities.

Given the previous failure of the Cube, the demise of the mini could mark the end of small form factor general purpose computers from Apple. Unless, of course, it was replaced my a new model that combined the best features of the Apple TV (simple out-of-the box experience for people who just want to play digital media that’s stored on their main computer) with the flexibility of a full-blown Mac.

Mac bloggers generally reacted negatively to the suggestion that the mini’s days are numbered.

World’s leading weather site “goes .mobi”?

AccuWeather, the world’s leading Internet weather provider, has plans to make AccuWeather.mobi their default mobile page.

That is dotMobiz’ conclusion after seeing an announcement on their .com webpage. The company still advertises wap.accuweather.com, but dotMobiz spotted the following:

To access the AccuWeather.com Mobile Website…
Simply launch the Internet browser found on your mobile device, choose to enter an URL and, using the keypad on your device, enter www.accuweather.mobi. Use the navigation keys found on your device to browse the site, read news articles, zoom radar, and more. Be sure to bookmark the site on your device for quick and easy access at any time.

AccuWeather, established in 1962, is the World’s Weather Authority. The Company provides local forecasts for everywhere in the United States and over two million locations worldwide. AccuWeather also provides products and services to more than 250,000 paying customers in media (numerous radio stations and newspapers), business, government and institutions.

AccuWeather.com is one of the worlds most visited PC and mobile weather websites.

AT&T to offer iPhone on prepaid plan?

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The source of the rumour is The Boy Genius Report, which published what it claims is a screen shot from an internal AT&T system showing account codes for postpaid, prepaid and hybrid  (prepaid via automatic monthly payments of $US29.99, $US39.99, $US49.99 or $US69.99) plans.

Whether the image is genuine or not remains moot. Even if it is, the absence of any information about AT&T’s normal practices means speculation is similar to examining goat entrails. Do all the phones in AT&T’s catalogue show up with three different codes in this system?

All we know for sure is that AT&T originally announced that the iPhone will cost $US499 on a two-year contract.

Over 10,000 Cybersquatting Domains on 10 Top US Retail Bank Sites

Aliso Viejo, California, May 21, 2007 – CitizenHawk, a leading provider of digital brand management solutions, reported yesterday that there are over 10,000 cybersquatting domains infringing on the trademarks of ten of the top US retail bank web sites. These statistics include typo domains as well as other potential trademark-infringing domains:

Bank of America  1,595
Bank of the West  118
Capital One  2,519
Citibank  1,082
Commerce Bank  475
HSBC Direct  83
Sun Trust  600
Wachovia  2,318
Washington Mutual  465
Wells Fargo  1,557

“Cybersquatting is particularly insidious in industries such as financial services where people are entering their financial information online,” said Graham MacRobie, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of CitizenHawk. “With online fraud on the rise and the increasing sophistication of scam tactics, it is imperative that financial institutions ensure the security of their domains.”

According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), many phishing schemes (where Internet scammers use email lures to “fish” for passwords and financial data) use cybersquatting to convince recipients to respond to their emails, by “hijacking brand names of banks, e-retailers and credit card companies.” For example, phishers send e-mails that might lead consumers to counterfeit websites that are a one-letter misspell of their bank’s domain name. Because these typo domain names are very similar to the real ones, consumers are often tricked into divulging financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords and social security numbers to scammers.

“In order to help prevent phishing schemes, a key first step is to identify and stop anyone squatting on your company’s domains,” added Ari Master, chief operating officer of CitizenHawk. “It is also critical to constantly monitor these domains for new instances of cybersquatting, which could provide an early warning of potentially fraudulent activity. By addressing the issue of cybersquatting head-on, retail banks can take a key step towards identifying and thwarting phishing schemes and protecting their customers.”

For an immediate, free estimate of how many cybersquatters are on your domains, please visit http://www.citizenhawk.com.

MSN.mobi online!

What will the future of MSN Mobile be? This week the Microsoft Company launched their .mobi, which does not redirect to their mobile .com website anymore.

This means that there are two active roots now: mobile.MSN.com and MSN.mobi. Both roots and all directories have exactly the same content.

Compare:
Mobile.MSN.com (http://mobile.msn.com)
MSN.mobi (http://msn.mobi)

Would it be a hard decision for MSN to choose which url to advertise?

We selected some links to the content of MSN.mobi:

SportsNews
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/foxsports/

News
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/msnbc/

Entertainment
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/ent/

Weather
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/wea/weacd.aspx

Money
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/mny/

Main Nav
http://msn.mobi/device/en-us/mainnav.aspx

Find the Perfect Domain Name

Let’s face it: Finding a good domain name is tough these days. More than 100 million domains have already been registered, and from all accounts, the trend is not likely to stop soon. So what’s an aspiring internet entrepreneur to do? While not a guarantee, these eight steps will go a long way toward landing that perfect domain name without breaking the bank.

1. Start the search.

The best place I’ve found to locate domain names is DomainTools.com (formerly WhoIs.sc). The site can tell you if a site is taken, and by whom. It also offers variations of the name that are available, the history of the domain name if it’s been registered in the past, and information about the domain’s current traffic. When you find a name you want, open an account at GoDaddy.com, eNom.com or any other domain registration site so that you can purchase the name affordably. It generally costs $7 to $8 to register a new domain name.

You can also search for pre-owned names at Afternic.com, Sedo.com and BuyDomains.com. Each has a large inventory of names that can be searched by category. Unlike finding an unregistered name, these names will often run in the hundreds to thousands of dollars, so determine how much you’re willing to invest in a good name. Lastly, look at sites such as SnapNames.com for names that will be “dropping” or expiring soon. If you find a name you like, and you have the time to wait, you can pick up some good names from domain owners that let their names expire.

2. Get the .com extension.

This is the number-one mistake I encounter when dealing with naming disasters. In a hurry to go to market, eager entrepreneurs decide to take the available .net or a hyphenated version of their name. You’ll likely regret this decision as future customers default to the .com address. You may even find your e-mails going to the .com domain address, which is even more frightening if the .com version is a competitor. This can be a costly mistake in terms of customer confusion, and you’ll spend valuable time explaining the .net or hyphen to each new client you encounter. Be patient and get a name that’s unique, distinguishable and memorable — and one that’s a .com.

3. Be creative.

Here’s another cold, hard reality: The simple one-word domain names are either gone or tremendously expensive. So if you think the name Paradigm or Pinnacle is cool, those names were probably registered about the time Al Gore invented the internet. If you insist on using a common name, then look for an ending, such as:

• Group
• Inc
• Agency
• Systems
• Global
• Solutions

You can also try adding an industry-specific modifier, such as:

• Media
• Medical
• Tech
• Capital

Even if these endings are available as a .com domain name, a competitor might have used the same strategy to obtain a very similar name. Generally it’s better to go one step further and create a truly unique domain name that won’t show up with a slew of others.

4. Combine evergreen words.

One of the best domain-name-creation strategies I’ve discovered is combining simple, positive words in a unique fashion. First create a list of basic words that describe your business or industry. Then add a positive or evergreen word that will make the name stand out.

For example, one company we worked with specialized in embossing and promotional goods. We took the basic word “boss” and combined it with the evergreen word “mark.” The result was BossMark.com, a name that resonated well and was available as a .com domain. Other examples we have found using this method are KoreOne.com, TeamLogicIT.com and BrightHire.com. Some good evergreen words include:

• Star
• Mark
• Point
• First

Not only will this open up possibilities, it will also allow you to track your company’s success online, since you’ll have a unique name that won’t bring up thousands of unrelated matches in a Google search.

5. Consider using a phrase.

In a rush to come up with short domain names, memorable phrases get overlooked. An example of this was an online jewelry company we named SeaOfDiamonds.com. By using the metaphor of an ocean, we created a 13-letter domain name that’s easy to say and recall. This approach does require a lot of thinking and digging. But if you hit on the right name, it’s worth it. Another client, Harbour House Crabs, found the phrase ILoveCrabs.com and secured the domain as their primary e-commerce site.

6. Invent new names.

Another method is to invent names; but be careful. Totally invented names, such as Xerox or Kodak, start off with no inherent meaning. So if you invent a domain name, try to use familiar parts of speech that contain some sense of feeling or emotion you can build your brand on. For instance, we named an all-natural bug spray company Skedattle.com. A web-based IT company we branded Graynium.com to underscore its intelligence and insights. Make sure the name you invent can only be spelled one way. Or at least capture all possible misspellings of the name and redirect them to the main domain name.

7. Run a legal search.

Once you locate an available domain name, find out if you can trademark it. The best place to start is www.uspto.gov, which has a database of trademarks you can search. But just because your name doesn’t show up, doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. There might be a business that operates on a state or local level that doesn’t appear in the database. So do a Google search as well. This will generally provide a good indication if someone is using the name or something similar. To make sure you have a clear name, check it with your attorney or an online trademark company such as TMExpress.com.

8. Hire a specialist.

If your time is valuable or you can only find domain names with huge price tags, consider hiring a naming firm. They can help create a name often for less than the cost of purchasing a mediocre domain name. Instead of just a domain name, a specialist can create an entire brand identity that includes a matching tagline and logo artwork. Granted, not everyone can afford this type of help, but for those looking to build a substantial internet presence, the expense is often well worth it.

In the end, it simply comes down to a choice. And to move forward in business you have to make choices. Review the steps above and ask the opinions of those you trust. Your name has to be one that you believe in and feel passionate about. Once you find the perfect domain name, all that’s left is making a name for yourself.

Has Microsoft violated the GPL?

It would be rather funny if, after all the brouhaha Microsoft has made recently about patent violations, the company is found to be violating the one thing which it passionately hates – the existing General Public Licence.

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Yet that is not a far-fetched conclusion – not after the deal that Dell cut with Microsoft recently. You see, as a result of striking this deal, Microsoft has effectively become a Linux distributor. It gets SUSE Linux licences from Novell and distributes them to Dell.

The GPLv2, the existing version of the GPL that is, stipulates that if a person or company distributes software that is under the GPL, then that person or company is also bound by the terms of the same licence.

In other words, with regard to the Linux it is distributing, Microsoft has to abide by the GPL. This wouldn’t be a welcome thing to hear back in Redmond, but them’s the facts.

Hence, in the unlikely event that there is any of Microsoft’s IP in the Linux distribution which it is distributing, then that IP also comes under the GPL. In other words, it is available for nothing.

Another thought. How can a company know which patent or patents it is violating unless the accuser is specific? And if the accuser refuses to be specific, would it not be the case that patent infringement is actually being encouraged? And if infringement is being encouraged, then on what grounds does the accuser sue?

It’s clear that Microsoft does not want to be specific because developers would immediately go back to their keyboards and write code that worked around the patents which are claimed as being violated.

There are more angles to this can of worms which Steve “Monkey Boy” Ballmer and Horacio Guttierrez have opened. Let’s assume that a patent suit is filed the other way around – for example, company A sues Microsoft, claiming that the Windows maker has violated its (company A’s) patents. What happens then?

I asked a patent expert about this; Dan Ravicher is a fresh-faced young New Yorker, head of the Public Patent Foundation, and a patent lawyer to boot. He’s also one of the legal fraternity who believes that there is a bit more to life than money.

Says Ravicher: “Well, (company A) would have to get the other company to participate in negotiations and then propose the opening of their source code as a wayof settling the dispute.  In that way – through private negotiation – it is (and virtually anything is) possible.”

Into this increasingly complicated mix, throw in the fact that Novell recently admitted that it had looked at Microsoft’s IP as part of the infamous November 2 deal. Does this mean that contributions from Novell to Linux and other FOSS projects should be regarded with suspicion?

Ravicher says there may possibly be no implications for Novell. “It appears from this report that Novell was allowed to look at Microsoft’s code for technical reasons related to the possibility of building interoperability, not legal reasons related to possible infringement of third party rights.”

But there is a catch. “While code licensed by Novell under an open source licence is formally as available as any other open source code, since they are free to incorporate elements that may infringe Microsoft patents, but not pass on a licence to those patents to persons other than their customers, third party developers should be mindful that such code may subject them and their distributees to risk of liability to which Novell is not exposed,” Ravicher says.

“However, GPLv3 may end up containing a clause that addresses this situation. The first draft of GPLv3 did, in that it required distributors of GPLv3′d code to pass on the same protections from patents that they have to all their distributees. However, that clause was altered in the second draft of v3 and we’ll have to see what ends up being in the final version.”

Now all this stuff is good and logical but then it won’t necessarily play out this way. Logic isn’t of much use in the US of A, lobbying and political connections make things happen. So expect a lot of the latter and very little of the former. Either way, this battle has just begun. May 14, 2007, was a red letter for Microsoft. On that day, it may well have put its foot too far inside its mouth to avoid choking.