Tasting Solutions White Paper

An Evaluation and Analysis of Proposed Solutions to the Domain Name Tasting Crisis

Millions of domain names are tasted or kited daily. The tasting and potential registration of these names can lead to customer confusion, brand and trademark dilution, lost revenue, and at times even fraudulent and criminal activity. The parties that register these names and those who partner with them to monetize the traffic are the only beneficiaries of domain tasting.

Domain tasting has become a high profile issue of concern for businesses, individuals and the domain name community at large – so much so that the issue was a topic of discussion at the recent ICANN meeting in Los Angeles and has been discussed within Washington legislative circles.

While many remedies to the current situation have been proposed including add-delete ratios and restocking fees, it is difficult to identify the most effective solution to combat this wave of domain name system abuse.

The purpose of this white paper is to better inform lawmakers, policymakers (ICANN), brand owners, the media and others about the solutions being discussed and considered.

Click here to access the white paper, “Tasting Solutions.”

We hope it will generate more informed opinions and lead to better decisions regarding the resolution of this crisis.

Thank you,

Josh Bourne & Phil Lodico
Managing Partners, FairWinds Partners LLC
Directors, The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse