Someone wants to register my domain name with .cn and .com.cn -or so they say (Internet for translators)

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Someone wants to register my domain name with .cn and .com.cn -or so they say
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Someone wants to register my domain name with .cn and .com.cn -or so they say

Thread poster: Andrea Riffo

Andrea Riffo

Chile
Local time: 12:07
English to Spanish
+ ...

Oct 27, 2008

Hello everyone!!

On Friday I got an e-mail from a Chinese domain name registrar, warning me that a Mr. X had asked to register (my domain).cn, (my domain).com.cn and (my domain).asia, and asking me if Mr. X was a business partner of mine. I replied that I don't know him.

Today I got a second e-mail from the domain name registrar:

"Dear Andrea:

Thanks for contacting us promptly.

From your letter we know that Mr.XXX have nothing to do with your company.
I will give you the detail explanation.October 24th, 2008, Mr.XX apply for the following names:

(my domain).asia
(my domain).cn
(my domain).com.cn

and the Internet Brand translatexts promote their company and do the promotion on the Google, Baidu and some famous search engines.

the .CN/.ASIA domain name and the Internet Brand are open to register,any person or company has the right to register.

According to the CN/.ASIA and the Internet Brand registration principle, your company is the owner of the trademark and .com domain name, so your company enjoy the priority to register these names,we will help your company remain 5 days.During the priority time,
we will not accept the Mr.XXX's application. If your company need to protect, we will send your company an application form to fill in.

When you finish,you can send me back ,we will object the Mr.XXX's application and help your protect these names.Wait for your decision.

Best regards!

BLABLA,
Checking Dept
----------------------------------------
China Domain Name Registrar:
BLABLABLA.
COMPANY INFO"

After a quick check on the Internet (which I should have done earlier, dumb me!!), I realized that this is a fairly common scam (some might say: "agressive marketing tactic" - http://texturbation.com/blog/?p=343) that's going around in order to scare people into buying .cn domain names (shame on them, recorting to what is basically blackmail), which I might add are quite expensive when compared to .com, .net., .biz. info, etc. Please note that they are gracefully giving me 5 days to buy their .cn services (and their English! Oh, lord!!").

My questions are:

- have you received similar e-mails?

- if so, have you answered them? I'm thinking of ignoring the second one and just letting it go, but I admit I wouldn't want to find out 5 months from now that (my domain).cn is being used to send spam or as a porn site

On the other hand, I have no use for a .cn and, frankly, refuse to be blackmailed into purchasing one even if I DID need it.

- Also, what about trademark issues?? I know that the top-level-domains are somewhat protected by date of registry (or so I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong), but what about the "lower-level" domains???

Anyhow, all experiences and help will be appreciated. Anecdotes are welcome too

Andrea

[Edited at 2008-10-27 01:56] ▲ Collapse

Shouguang Cao

China
Local time: 00:07
English to Chinese
+ ...

Ignore it!

Oct 27, 2008

I think is just a marketing tactic. Ignore it if you don't need the .cn domain name.

Anyway, if you don't want yourdomain.cn or .biz or anything to be used as a name for porn sites (that possibility is low), you will need to buy them.

all .cn, .net or .biz or .asia are high level. If you own mydomain.cn, then you will also own anything below it, e.g. mail.yourdomain.cn, mymail.mail.yourdomain.cn.

ariffo wrote:

Hello everyone!!

On Friday I got an e-mail from a Chinese domain name registrar, warning me that a Mr. X had asked to register (my domain).cn, (my domain).com.cn and (my domain).asia, and asking me if Mr. X was a business partner of mine. I replied that I don't know him.

Today I got a second e-mail from the domain name registrar:

"Dear Andrea:

Thanks for contacting us promptly.

From your letter we know that Mr.XXX have nothing to do with your company.
I will give you the detail explanation.October 24th, 2008, Mr.XX apply for the following names:

(my domain).asia
(my domain).cn
(my domain).com.cn

and the Internet Brand translatexts promote their company and do the promotion on the Google, Baidu and some famous search engines.

the .CN/.ASIA domain name and the Internet Brand are open to register,any person or company has the right to register.

According to the CN/.ASIA and the Internet Brand registration principle, your company is the owner of the trademark and .com domain name, so your company enjoy the priority to register these names,we will help your company remain 5 days.During the priority time,
we will not accept the Mr.XXX's application. If your company need to protect, we will send your company an application form to fill in.

When you finish,you can send me back ,we will object the Mr.XXX's application and help your protect these names.Wait for your decision.

Best regards!

BLABLA,
Checking Dept
----------------------------------------
China Domain Name Registrar:
BLABLABLA.
COMPANY INFO"

After a quick check on the Internet (which I should have done earlier, dumb me!!), I realized that this is a fairly common scam (some might say: "agressive marketing tactic" - http://texturbation.com/blog/?p=343) that's going around in order to scare people into buying .cn domain names (shame on them, recorting to what is basically blackmail), which I might add are quite expensive when compared to .com, .net., .biz. info, etc. Please note that they are gracefully giving me 5 days to buy their .cn services (and their English! Oh, lord!!").

My questions are:

- have you received similar e-mails?

- if so, have you answered them? I'm thinking of ignoring the second one and just letting it go, but I admit I wouldn't want to find out 5 months from now that (my domain).cn is being used to send spam or as a porn site

Andrea

[Edited at 2008-10-27 01:56]

[Edited at 2008-10-28 00:47]

nordiste

France
Local time: 18:07
English to French
+ ...

nice one ;-)

Oct 27, 2008

First time I hear of it ; these marketing people know no limits !

I've just reveived the usual "your domain name will shorly expire - please pay us your renewal fees bla bla bla " and of course it was not from my registrar but from a competitor !
They even send it by real paper mail for better effect. Went to the real trash basket anyway.

Simon Mountifield

Local time: 18:07
French to English

Domain slamming

Oct 27, 2008

Hi,

A couple of years back, I had my own domain name registered through my ISP, and just like Nordiste, I started receiving emails from various dodgy registrars explaining that my domain name was about to expire and that I needed to renew through them. I realised them for what they were and I simply deleted them or binned them without wasting any more time. This particular scam is called "domain slamming" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scams_in_intellectual_property#Domain_slamming, http://support.easydns.com/domain.slammers/ or http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/14/verisign_hit_with_slamming_lawsuit/).

These people can easily find out your details by trawling through the WHOIS database.

Be on your guard!

Simon ▲ Collapse

Erik Hansson

Germany
Swedish
+ ...

Definitely a scam!

Oct 27, 2008

Hi Andrea,
We got a similar message some months ago, stating about the same as in your mail. We were asked to react quickly and register .cn and .com.cn or we would lose these domains to someone else. After a short talk with our webmaster we were convinced that it was just a scam - and off it went to the "round archive under my desk".
Regards
Erik

Andrea Riffo

Chile
Local time: 12:07
English to Spanish
+ ...

TOPIC STARTER

thanks for your input :)

Oct 27, 2008

I've got half a mind to tell them I will give THEM authorization to use MY trademark for a €XXX/year fee and see how they respond

[Edited at 2008-10-27 11:46]

Jeff Whittaker

United States
Local time: 12:07
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...

See this thread

Oct 27, 2008

http://www.proz.com/forum/business_issues/87212-warning_to_translators_with_a_website.html

Harry Bornemann

Mexico
Local time: 10:07
English to German
+ ...

Cheap Scam

Oct 27, 2008

ariffo wrote:
..warning me that a Mr. X had asked to register
...
I wouldn't want to find out 5 months from now that (my domain).cn is being used to send spam or as a porn site

I have no doubt that this Mr. X is their CEO.

If they would use yourdomain.cn for a spam or porn website, I'd bet you would get some additional jobs by people who will visit your site accidentially

, so I would not mind this, but unfortunately they are only bluffing.

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