Google Fights Domain Name Tasting

Advertisement (Why?)

Google Inc. announced yesterday that it would begin to take increasing measures against domain name tasting, a practice which exploits a grace period originally designed to rectify legitimate mistakes, such as registrants mistyping the domain name they are about to buy. With automation and a burgeoning online advertising market, entrepreneurs have generated big bucks by exploiting this policy to test hoards of names, keeping just the ones that turn out to generate the most revenue; unfortunately for legitimate users, these entrepreneurs can tie up millions of domain names at any given moment.

Over the next few weeks, Google will start looking for names that are repeatedly registered and dropped within a five-day grace period for full refunds and will block those domains from generating revenue via AdSense. Yahoo, one of Google's chief rivals, has already taken similar measures into account.

"We believe that this policy will have a positive impact for users and domain purchasers across the Web," Google spokesman Brandon McCormick said.

News source: AP

(2 replies) #1 Cøbra on 26 Jan 2008 - 22:02

Finally. Someone's doing something about it. I <3 Google.

#1.1 markjensen on 26 Jan 2008 - 23:10

(Cøbra said @ #1)

Finally. Someone's doing something about it.

Finally? You make it sound like Yahoo hasn't already been addressing this.

#1.2 Cøbra on 27 Jan 2008 - 00:17

What's Yahoo! ?

#2 theyarecomingforyou on 26 Jan 2008 - 23:18

Anything that stops opportunistic low-lifes from exploiting the domain registration system (and doesn't affect legitimate users) sounds good to me.

#3 plastikaa on 26 Jan 2008 - 23:54

As most top level domains cost little to nothing its ridiculous you are allowed to change it anyway.

#4 +TCLN Ryster on 27 Jan 2008 - 02:41

Wish they could do something about domain squatters too. The people who buy up a domain name the moment it expires in the hopes of getting ad-revenue from people looking for the site that just expired.

#5 Wodin on 27 Jan 2008 - 12:42

It doesn't make sense to me. Its only punishing the last purchaser of the domain, who may be the one to use it legitimately. Why should that person be punished because of actions of people who owned the domain before him.

(1 reply) #6 Magallanes on 27 Jan 2008 - 17:25

And google can do that cause :

a) Google is not microsoft so it's not evil but all goodness (open source, save the whales, ecofriends, etc.)
b) ~~Sequoia Capital~~ Google owns internet.
c) Google is a american company and America is the best country ever and can do whatever they are pleased to.
d) Money talks.

IMHO google can do little to change this situation.

#6.1 theyarecomingforyou on 27 Jan 2008 - 21:51

Blocking money from AdSense is no small thing - people can make serious money from it and this move from Google will certainly have an impact on the minority that use this loophole.

#7 Wiggz on 28 Jan 2008 - 08:01

That's all great. But what about when these Domain tasters give up a domain and another user buys it? What then...are they losing out on AdSense too?

Commenting has either been disabled on this article or you are not logged in. Click here to login or register, its free!

Note: Anonymous commenting is disabled in order to keep the quality of responses to a high standard.

Neowin.net