6 ms·

Cybersquatter email

18 points by andres 19y ago

From: "Thomas Li" <mybestnames@gmail.com> Subject: important domain names: octopart.cn & octopart.com.cn Dear Sirs, We have octopart.cn & octopart.com.cn and found that the domains are useful for you if you want to explore China market. We can really consider selling them out if you are interested in them. Please get back to us with your kind offer. Thanks Regards, Thomas

edw519 19y ago
all your base belong to octopart.cn
andres 19y ago
octopart.cn and octopart.com.cn were registered on 3/10/07. we launched on 3/05/07.
- BitGeek 19y ago
  this is called enterprising. They aren't pretending to be you, they are just buying generic domain names that might be useful to someone in the future. You can either buy them from them, or give them a pass.... that's your choice. But it seems like you're offended that they offered them to you and that's a waste of energy.
  - edw519 19y ago
    They provide no value to anyone and hold intellectual property hostage for nothing other than their own personal gain. What you call "enterprising" I call "pigs feeding at the trough". Maybe they should find a way to provide value to someone else instead of domain squatting. Now, THERE'S your waste of energy.
    - BitGeek 19y ago
      They are providing value- they risked their own capital to speculate on a domain name that might be valuable in the future... just like anyone who buys swampland hoping to drain it. They took risk, they identified a customer for their property, etc. All these things add value. They aren't holding intellectual property hostage. And by the way, when is personal gain evil? Do you go to work each day primarily to benefit other people, rather than yourself:? They are providing added value, they registered a domain that someone else didn't think of. The problem here is, that you regret not registering it, and so you, rather than accepting blame for your own failure, are blaming the person who was smarter or faster than you. Back in the 1990s, I looked up USWeb.com. I almost registered it, but was on the fence, then went back three days later to register it and found that it had been taken the day after I thought of it-- and that company became a big company eventually before the bust. Were they holding my intellectual property hostage? No. Where does this sense of entitlement come from? IT reminds me of people who build a house in a neighborhood and then complain because a walmart gets built nearby... as if they think they somehow have property rights in the land that walmart bought. LOL.
      - falsestprophet 19y ago
        No. They are speculating, which does not generate wealth.
        dreish 19y ago
        It can generate wealth in markets where accurate prices lead to more efficient allocation of the resources needed to produce the good in question. That's great for physical commodities, but it doesn't take a genius to see that this doesn't do any good with domain names. It takes a committed libertarian to fail to see that, though.
        noonespecial 19y ago
        A libertarian would think this kind of thing is repugnent as well. The difference is that a libertartian's first response would not be "we should pass a law forbidding this..."
        falsestprophet 19y ago
        Investing is not speculating.
        Kaizyn 19y ago
        You mean just as speculating in the mortgage securities market has led to economic prosperity? Oh wait...
        byrneseyeview 19y ago
        Really? It's obvious to me (and you) that sex.com is worth more than american-rivet-supply-corporation.net, but the question of how much more the first is worth is one that should have ramifications -- for example, if sex.com just goes to the first person to register it, it may end up as a popular, disappointing sexual education site -- if it goes to whoever pays the most, it's going to do whatever earns the most. If someone else has a better use for octopart.cn, they'll buy it; if the Octoparts are the best possible users, they'll pay for it. If octopart.cn is worth more than X, where X is what they pay to get it, they're still ahead (just less so than they could be). If not, octopart.cn is overpriced from their perspective, and will end up going to whoever thinks it's cheap.
  - chaostheory 19y ago
    "this is called enterprising. " this is called being a jerk
- cstejerean 19y ago
  this is sad. the good news is you probably don't need a .cn domain name. what registrar did you use? Some registrars are a bit shady and will pull this kind of crap on you.
- icky 19y ago
  So make the subdomain cn.octopart.com, and tell them to suck it! ;-)
ph0rque 19y ago
We got a similar email when we launched i-conserve.com (also with the chinese domain name).
robertgaal 19y ago
Yep, we got one too. Idiots.
snowmaker 19y ago
We got one, too, at Scribd. Maybe they read news.ycombinator.
- corentin 19y ago
  I guess it's more automated than that; they probably monitor registry updates with robots.
  - cstejerean 19y ago
    I don't know, I registered several domain names recently and did not get any .cn emails. Maybe my Gmail junk filtered them away.
swallace 19y ago
Beware! all those chinese domains are tainted with lead.
tlrobinson 19y ago
cyber-squatters lie somewhere between the scammers and spammers on my internet jackass shitlist.
zeantsoi 19y ago
all your domains are belong to us
BitGeek 19y ago
These are not "cybersquatters". Octo and Part are generic terms. One of the domains I own is a combination of a word that means "software" and another word that means "place you like to go". I got it for a developers site... and then after I got it I discovered that there was an italian maker of luxury goods whose trademark is that word - apparently the combination of these two english words makes another word completely in italian. Am I cybersquatting? I've considered selling this domain to them because its much better than the one that they are currently using. If I sell it to them, then they will be getting a better domain at a price that they think is fair (or they wouldn't be buying it). Some may say I'm being opportunistic and this is wrong- well, I say that my intent was elsewhere and this was a surprise coincidence... but that my intent isnt' really relevant. If I'd registered the name then I have perfect rights to it-- after all if they'd wanted it, why didn't they register it? If I register it and several years later they decide they want it-- what gives them the right to demand that I give it to them for free? Finally, the truth is that I didn't register this domain, I bought it at auction. so, what's to say what a fair price is? The idea that these people are "cybersquatters" is an idea of entitlement-- its based on the false notion that you somehow have a right to domain names, even though you didn't register them when they were free. This is false. Domain names are an open territory- if you think of it and register it, its yours. If you later realize you should have registered it, then its you're error, not the error of the preson who did register it. They arent' scamming you, they are asking for compensation for the risk they took in registering it. If hte price they ask is higher than the value of the domain (and if you have foo.com then foo.cn isn't really that valuable, is it?) then just don't buy it and let the owner of foo.cn use it for whatever they want.... why should you care? If they are using a domain to pretend to be you-- then that would be one thing, and that's what cybersquatting really means. But domain speculation, like real estate speculation, is a perfectly legitimate activity. Where does one get the idea that all names of a certain category should belong to them even though they couldn't be bothered to register them? (Speaking in general here, not to the original poster since he didn't express much of an opinion, other than to misuse the word cybersquatter)
- kirse 19y ago
  Sounds like BitGeek is sending your emails ;)
choward93 19y ago
When i got a business license a couple years ago, someone bought my company's .com domain mere days after i registered the trade name. The domain is absolutely useless to them, but they keep it in hope that ill pay them big time for it. not in their lifetime...
rms 19y ago
I just registered a new, really good, 6 character .com domain and the .cn is already gone...
PStamatiou 19y ago
We (skribit.com) got an email like this within a week of our launch..
viewrcorp 18y ago
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:30:27 +0800 From: Thomas Lee <mybestnames@gmail.com> To: alex@viewr.com CC: info@viewr.com viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn Dear Sirs, We have viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn for your purchase to expand China market which is to be No.1 market in the world. Your interest? make offer pls. Thanks Regards, Thomasa

Cybersquatter email

18 points by andres 19y ago

edw519 19y ago

all your base belong to octopart.cn

andres 19y ago

octopart.cn and octopart.com.cn were registered on 3/10/07. we launched on 3/05/07.

BitGeek 19y ago
this is called enterprising. They aren't pretending to be you, they are just buying generic domain names that might be useful to someone in the future. You can either buy them from them, or give them a pass.... that's your choice. But it seems like you're offended that they offered them to you and that's a waste of energy.
- edw519 19y ago
  They provide no value to anyone and hold intellectual property hostage for nothing other than their own personal gain. What you call "enterprising" I call "pigs feeding at the trough". Maybe they should find a way to provide value to someone else instead of domain squatting. Now, THERE'S your waste of energy.
  - BitGeek 19y ago
    They are providing value- they risked their own capital to speculate on a domain name that might be valuable in the future... just like anyone who buys swampland hoping to drain it. They took risk, they identified a customer for their property, etc. All these things add value. They aren't holding intellectual property hostage. And by the way, when is personal gain evil? Do you go to work each day primarily to benefit other people, rather than yourself:? They are providing added value, they registered a domain that someone else didn't think of. The problem here is, that you regret not registering it, and so you, rather than accepting blame for your own failure, are blaming the person who was smarter or faster than you. Back in the 1990s, I looked up USWeb.com. I almost registered it, but was on the fence, then went back three days later to register it and found that it had been taken the day after I thought of it-- and that company became a big company eventually before the bust. Were they holding my intellectual property hostage? No. Where does this sense of entitlement come from? IT reminds me of people who build a house in a neighborhood and then complain because a walmart gets built nearby... as if they think they somehow have property rights in the land that walmart bought. LOL.
    - falsestprophet 19y ago
      No. They are speculating, which does not generate wealth.
      - dreish 19y ago
        It can generate wealth in markets where accurate prices lead to more efficient allocation of the resources needed to produce the good in question. That's great for physical commodities, but it doesn't take a genius to see that this doesn't do any good with domain names. It takes a committed libertarian to fail to see that, though.
        noonespecial 19y ago
        A libertarian would think this kind of thing is repugnent as well. The difference is that a libertartian's first response would not be "we should pass a law forbidding this..."
        falsestprophet 19y ago
        Investing is not speculating.
        Kaizyn 19y ago
        You mean just as speculating in the mortgage securities market has led to economic prosperity? Oh wait...
      - byrneseyeview 19y ago
        Really? It's obvious to me (and you) that sex.com is worth more than american-rivet-supply-corporation.net, but the question of how much more the first is worth is one that should have ramifications -- for example, if sex.com just goes to the first person to register it, it may end up as a popular, disappointing sexual education site -- if it goes to whoever pays the most, it's going to do whatever earns the most. If someone else has a better use for octopart.cn, they'll buy it; if the Octoparts are the best possible users, they'll pay for it. If octopart.cn is worth more than X, where X is what they pay to get it, they're still ahead (just less so than they could be). If not, octopart.cn is overpriced from their perspective, and will end up going to whoever thinks it's cheap.
- chaostheory 19y ago
  "this is called enterprising. " this is called being a jerk
cstejerean 19y ago
this is sad. the good news is you probably don't need a .cn domain name. what registrar did you use? Some registrars are a bit shady and will pull this kind of crap on you.
icky 19y ago
So make the subdomain cn.octopart.com, and tell them to suck it! ;-)

ph0rque 19y ago

We got a similar email when we launched i-conserve.com (also with the chinese domain name).

robertgaal 19y ago

Yep, we got one too. Idiots.

snowmaker 19y ago

We got one, too, at Scribd. Maybe they read news.ycombinator.

corentin 19y ago
I guess it's more automated than that; they probably monitor registry updates with robots.
- cstejerean 19y ago
  I don't know, I registered several domain names recently and did not get any .cn emails. Maybe my Gmail junk filtered them away.

swallace 19y ago

Beware! all those chinese domains are tainted with lead.

tlrobinson 19y ago

cyber-squatters lie somewhere between the scammers and spammers on my internet jackass shitlist.

zeantsoi 19y ago

all your domains are belong to us

BitGeek 19y ago

These are not "cybersquatters". Octo and Part are generic terms. One of the domains I own is a combination of a word that means "software" and another word that means "place you like to go". I got it for a developers site... and then after I got it I discovered that there was an italian maker of luxury goods whose trademark is that word - apparently the combination of these two english words makes another word completely in italian. Am I cybersquatting? I've considered selling this domain to them because its much better than the one that they are currently using. If I sell it to them, then they will be getting a better domain at a price that they think is fair (or they wouldn't be buying it). Some may say I'm being opportunistic and this is wrong- well, I say that my intent was elsewhere and this was a surprise coincidence... but that my intent isnt' really relevant. If I'd registered the name then I have perfect rights to it-- after all if they'd wanted it, why didn't they register it? If I register it and several years later they decide they want it-- what gives them the right to demand that I give it to them for free? Finally, the truth is that I didn't register this domain, I bought it at auction. so, what's to say what a fair price is? The idea that these people are "cybersquatters" is an idea of entitlement-- its based on the false notion that you somehow have a right to domain names, even though you didn't register them when they were free. This is false. Domain names are an open territory- if you think of it and register it, its yours. If you later realize you should have registered it, then its you're error, not the error of the preson who did register it. They arent' scamming you, they are asking for compensation for the risk they took in registering it. If hte price they ask is higher than the value of the domain (and if you have foo.com then foo.cn isn't really that valuable, is it?) then just don't buy it and let the owner of foo.cn use it for whatever they want.... why should you care? If they are using a domain to pretend to be you-- then that would be one thing, and that's what cybersquatting really means. But domain speculation, like real estate speculation, is a perfectly legitimate activity. Where does one get the idea that all names of a certain category should belong to them even though they couldn't be bothered to register them? (Speaking in general here, not to the original poster since he didn't express much of an opinion, other than to misuse the word cybersquatter)

kirse 19y ago
Sounds like BitGeek is sending your emails ;)

choward93 19y ago

When i got a business license a couple years ago, someone bought my company's .com domain mere days after i registered the trade name. The domain is absolutely useless to them, but they keep it in hope that ill pay them big time for it. not in their lifetime...

rms 19y ago

I just registered a new, really good, 6 character .com domain and the .cn is already gone...

PStamatiou 19y ago

We (skribit.com) got an email like this within a week of our launch..

viewrcorp 18y ago

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:30:27 +0800 From: Thomas Lee <mybestnames@gmail.com> To: alex@viewr.com CC: info@viewr.com viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn Dear Sirs, We have viewr.cn & viewr.com.cn for your purchase to expand China market which is to be No.1 market in the world. Your interest? make offer pls. Thanks Regards, Thomasa