Domain Names Games

From Good Morning America to Gotham: Here’s eGameworld

philz downtown Palo Alto

A Moment of Fame in Silicon Valley HIstory

From Good Morning America to Gotham: my domain names always have a story. They were the reason my email address was the headline in The San Jose Mercury News. Or Good Morning America called me or NYU Law interviewed and wrote about me. Or being a story on every local tv station in Silicon Valley.

All because of domain names? Yes. Just words. One publicity rich event was when I took on a multinational organization to win a trademark infringement domain name fight. Not in court, but on the very domain they wanted to sue me over. I published my arguments invoking, along with the law, Tim Berners-Lee. I won. Chilling effects website found the case, published it as well as Internet Freedom Foundation and this lead to NYU Law calling me. Power to the people as Tim and Woz said about computing.

The story that put my email address as headlines on The San Jose Mercury had to do with an ad I put in the paper to trade a domain name for a place to live. The Merc interviewed me and surprised the hell out of me by making this the headlines. When your email is the headline, you get noticed and Good Morning America wants to talk to you. It was fun for a few days but then the news cycle is over and that’s that! One and done.

Much has happened in IRL and virtually since those stories. By the time iRobot came nagging me about a domain I owned that they thought was trademark infringement I just put up a blog post showing them how they were incorrect and that was that.

Ok, now, I’d like a bit of that attention and fame because I am ready to sell some never used and some very unused domain names. eGameWorld.com for one. It is FOR SALE! Let me shout it to the rooftops. I bought egameworld in 1998. I’ve decided to try getting a tiny site up with a gaming news feed and some affiliate links. I am tired, so decided to hire someone, first time hiring a developer. Started with Craig of course (thank you Craig Newmark for so much). That’s craigslist I’m talking about. Problems already…people who advertised did not respond. hmm..ok, so from Silicon Valley I end up with someone from NY who advertises in L.A. Craigslist. Alright, its a digital, virtual world, fine by me. I had no idea however the name of the company I was responding to was Gotham. Have I found my superhero? Or, OMG, is this the Joker? I’m always looking for cosmic jokes – have I been served one now? EGameWorld has landed in Gotham? I believe in you..Here’s a pitch for you: GOTHAM TECH

Meanwhile I decide to sell a site, never used, bought in 2007 and do the same thing: affiliate links and newsfeed. And then, a few hours after I decide to do this I find out 23andme has gone public with the ticker symbol ME. My domain is DNAisME dot com…I bought it in 2007 and it has been unused since. Any chance 23 will not come after me for trademark infringement? Ok, we’ll see, ’cause the site is coming, and DNAisME is me, since 2007.

Gotham? Really?? I ended up in Gotham? And a domain with the 23nadme ticker symbol? Oh, the places I’ve been, and I’m skipping the years the Japanese took over CowsAreVeg (I’ve got it back.)

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