5 ms·

They're not losing it because of some legal battle or copyright claim, they're losing it because they lost contact with the guy who really owns it, and waited u

by bosdev 11y ago

They're not losing it because of some legal battle or copyright claim, they're losing it because they lost contact with the guy who really owns it, and waited until they had one week to go to make the issue public.

incepted 11y ago
So they're losing it because either they don't care or they're incompetent. They deserve to lose it either way.
- tgb 11y ago
  Except that the article's second paragraph says: > Apparently for the past half-year there have been some "ownership struggles" of the X.Org domain name, which the X.Org Foundation Board of Directors have been trying to resolve in private.
  - nly 11y ago
    Still, if they're fighting for ownership, you'd think whoever has their finger on the button right now would at least have the decency to cough up $10 to renew it. It doesn't really make sense. Mr Shimans name is in the whois database, surely he has the authority? I wonder if anyone has bothered to take a 15 minute drive from MIT to meet him.
    - cbhl 11y ago
      The renewal rate might be closer to $60/year, considering how old the domain is. (That's how much a .com cost in the 90s.)
      - x13 11y ago
        luckily domain prices have changed over time; .org domains are priced annually between $9 - $12, purchased by registrars for ~$7.70 ('12) * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.org#Cost_of_registration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.org#Cost_of_registration * I have had domains registered since '96
      - datalist 11y ago
        Prices of domains (usually; some registries do have premium concepts) are not stuck to their original registration but change over time. x.org is registered with Network Solutions though and they never lowered their prices when domains actually got cheaper (=when the concept of registrars was introduced). So one-year renewal is still US$35 (http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/pricing-chart.jsp http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/pri...). Nonetheless, in this case $35 should equally not be a problem either.
    - datalist 11y ago
      Not his name is in the database, but only an apparently related email address. Problem is the entire domain does not resolve at the moment.
colejohnson66 11y ago
Couldn't they file a trademark claim to takeover ownership?
- teraflop 11y ago
  It's not quite that simple. Owning a trademark doesn't automatically give you the right to seize the corresponding domain names. ICANN has a dispute resolution policy that sets out rules for how such situations are handled: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en Basically, if someone snaps up the x.org domain, and can make a case that they have any legitimate purpose for it other than impersonating or extorting money from the X.org organization, they get to keep it.
  - djsumdog 11y ago
    Nissan.com comes to mind
fencepost 11y ago
No, they're in danger of massive registration headaches because they don't have a clear chain of proof of migration from the LLC (since dissolved) to the 501(c)3 that succeeded it, and they're either not in contact with the person who was the administrative contact when the LLC existed or he's being unhelpful. I'll note that the listing was last updated in 2007, so his name's been on the contact info for 8+ years - probably at that time they renewed for as long as the system would allow. There are provisions in place for replacing contacts on registered domains when the contact is someone no longer with an organization, and I'm pretty sure those aren't generally all that onerous (since incorrect changes can be reverted) - generally something on organization letterhead, probably a drivers' license photo, that kind of thing. In this case because the originally registering organization no longer exists they basically need proof that either the current foundation is legally the successor entity or they need proof that the domain name was part of the "assets" transferred to the new 501(c)3. They could probably have just sent in a change request on the current letterhead, but I suspect that A) they're no longer at that address either, B) Someone at Verisign said "Hey.... If we force an expiration we can auction this sucker for $$$$$$", or C) Leon Shiman could be expected to object to a change. Another problem is the question of whether there's a registered trademark for X.Org - if they had that, even if someone else snagged the domain I suspect they'd be able to get it back via UDRP. Unfortunately it's not clear from a quick search that it's ever been trademarked, which likely drastically complicates the situation.
- sandworm101 11y ago
  They don't need to trademark (verb) X to get a trademark (noun). Registration is a good idea, but failure to register doesn't mean any joe can start using X.org. So long as the organization used the mark in trade (ie sold something and/or took donations) their basic trademark will be protected.
  - lucb1e 11y ago
    The "(verb)" and "(noun)" actually make it less clear, by the way.
    - 11y ago
edwintorok 11y ago
They've also lost and then regained their 501(c)(3) a few years ago: https://lwn.net/Articles/569098/ https://lwn.net/Articles/569098/
Buge 11y ago
"They guy who really owns it"? I didn't get that from the article. It sounded like it was registered to their LLC which was restructured, and now cannot prove they are still the same organization.
Kiro 11y ago
You should apologize for spreading disinformation.
- 91bananas 11y ago
  While spreading it may be bad, what will apologizing do?

by bosdev 11y ago

incepted 11y ago

So they're losing it because either they don't care or they're incompetent. They deserve to lose it either way.

tgb 11y ago
Except that the article's second paragraph says: > Apparently for the past half-year there have been some "ownership struggles" of the X.Org domain name, which the X.Org Foundation Board of Directors have been trying to resolve in private.
- nly 11y ago
  Still, if they're fighting for ownership, you'd think whoever has their finger on the button right now would at least have the decency to cough up $10 to renew it. It doesn't really make sense. Mr Shimans name is in the whois database, surely he has the authority? I wonder if anyone has bothered to take a 15 minute drive from MIT to meet him.
  - cbhl 11y ago
    The renewal rate might be closer to $60/year, considering how old the domain is. (That's how much a .com cost in the 90s.)
    - x13 11y ago
      luckily domain prices have changed over time; .org domains are priced annually between $9 - $12, purchased by registrars for ~$7.70 ('12) * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.org#Cost_of_registration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.org#Cost_of_registration * I have had domains registered since '96
    - datalist 11y ago
      Prices of domains (usually; some registries do have premium concepts) are not stuck to their original registration but change over time. x.org is registered with Network Solutions though and they never lowered their prices when domains actually got cheaper (=when the concept of registrars was introduced). So one-year renewal is still US$35 (http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/pricing-chart.jsp http://www.networksolutions.com/domain-name-registration/pri...). Nonetheless, in this case $35 should equally not be a problem either.
  - datalist 11y ago
    Not his name is in the database, but only an apparently related email address. Problem is the entire domain does not resolve at the moment.

colejohnson66 11y ago

Couldn't they file a trademark claim to takeover ownership?

teraflop 11y ago
It's not quite that simple. Owning a trademark doesn't automatically give you the right to seize the corresponding domain names. ICANN has a dispute resolution policy that sets out rules for how such situations are handled: https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/policy-2012-02-25-en Basically, if someone snaps up the x.org domain, and can make a case that they have any legitimate purpose for it other than impersonating or extorting money from the X.org organization, they get to keep it.
- djsumdog 11y ago
  Nissan.com comes to mind

fencepost 11y ago

No, they're in danger of massive registration headaches because they don't have a clear chain of proof of migration from the LLC (since dissolved) to the 501(c)3 that succeeded it, and they're either not in contact with the person who was the administrative contact when the LLC existed or he's being unhelpful. I'll note that the listing was last updated in 2007, so his name's been on the contact info for 8+ years - probably at that time they renewed for as long as the system would allow. There are provisions in place for replacing contacts on registered domains when the contact is someone no longer with an organization, and I'm pretty sure those aren't generally all that onerous (since incorrect changes can be reverted) - generally something on organization letterhead, probably a drivers' license photo, that kind of thing. In this case because the originally registering organization no longer exists they basically need proof that either the current foundation is legally the successor entity or they need proof that the domain name was part of the "assets" transferred to the new 501(c)3. They could probably have just sent in a change request on the current letterhead, but I suspect that A) they're no longer at that address either, B) Someone at Verisign said "Hey.... If we force an expiration we can auction this sucker for $$$$$$", or C) Leon Shiman could be expected to object to a change. Another problem is the question of whether there's a registered trademark for X.Org - if they had that, even if someone else snagged the domain I suspect they'd be able to get it back via UDRP. Unfortunately it's not clear from a quick search that it's ever been trademarked, which likely drastically complicates the situation.

sandworm101 11y ago
They don't need to trademark (verb) X to get a trademark (noun). Registration is a good idea, but failure to register doesn't mean any joe can start using X.org. So long as the organization used the mark in trade (ie sold something and/or took donations) their basic trademark will be protected.
- lucb1e 11y ago
  The "(verb)" and "(noun)" actually make it less clear, by the way.
  - 11y ago

edwintorok 11y ago

They've also lost and then regained their 501(c)(3) a few years ago: https://lwn.net/Articles/569098/ https://lwn.net/Articles/569098/

Buge 11y ago

"They guy who really owns it"? I didn't get that from the article. It sounded like it was registered to their LLC which was restructured, and now cannot prove they are still the same organization.

Kiro 11y ago

You should apologize for spreading disinformation.

91bananas 11y ago
While spreading it may be bad, what will apologizing do?