The GDPR enforcement deadline may have passed, but that’s not to say its impact isn’t still felt by businesses of all kinds. The consequences on the likes of WHOIS have been enormous, and they are set to continue long into the future. Statton Hammock, Vice President of Global Policy and Industry Development for MarkMonitor, discussed this at length in a 30-minute presentation at this year’s MarkMonitor NYC Summit in April. As our resident GDPR expert, Hammock is perfectly placed to discuss the finer details of the regulation and throughout his talk provides a wealth of insights as to what we can... Read More

Much occurred at the Global Domains Division (GDD) Summit in Vancouver last week, and contrary to popular belief it did not revolve 100% around General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The GDD Summit provides ICANN accredited registrars, gTLD registries and the ICANN Global Domains Division the opportunity to engage and discuss issues of mutual importance. MarkMonitor sent a team of employees to the GDD Summit to take part in the sessions, working groups and to meet with strategic partners including ICANN staff, registries and registrars. Although General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) monopolized much of the conversation, there were many other topics discussed.... Read More

There has been a lot of movement in the domain space recently, partly due to the upcoming compliance deadline for the new European Union’s (EU) General Data Protection Regulation, and partly due to the looming Brexit deadline. The implications of the latter, which involves the United Kingdom withdrawing from the EU, are far-reaching. While there is still a lot of uncertainty around these changes — particularly around trade, law and immigration — the effects are being felt in industries such as retail, financial services and automotive, to name a few.    It seems that the domain space has not escaped the... Read More

Is it easy to sell a high value premium domain? The simple answer is ‘yes.’ Is it easy to sell a high value premium domain for its maximum value? This question is much more complicated, and the majority of the time the answer is ‘no.’ When selling a high value premium domain, there are two distinct market segments, and the price discrepancy between the two can be significant. The first is the wholesale market, comprising members of the domain investor community. These buyers are only willing to pay a fraction of what an end user might be willing to pay, because... Read More

As expiration dates approach for domains in your portfolio, you may be asking if there are any domains that should be let go. Before setting a domain name to Do Not Renew, it is essential to consider some of the key implications of releasing a domain. First, consider the yearly costs incurred by holding the domain registration. Brand owners should use this as a baseline for the internal value of the domain. We then encourage clients to determine if the annual cost of the domain registration can be justified by any of the following factors. If so, it may be a... Read More