back to article Brandon Gray aka Namejuice suspended by ICANN

An accused domain slammer with an international footprint has been temporarily suspended by ICANN, more than a decade after the first complaints about its operations. Brandon Gray Internet Services is accused by ICANN of letting its resellers mine whois for registrant data, which would be used to send “your domain is about to …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Wow..

    . so it's taken ICANN a mere, what, 10 years to suspend these people for a feeble 3 months?

    Makes you wonder what they have to do to receive the kind of punishment (like permanent cancellation) their activities IMHO deserve..

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Wow..

      Have an upvote for saying what I thought when I saw this. I'm thinking I should have been a registrar with a heart of evil. I'd be rich right now.

    2. 's water music

      Re: Wow..

      Yeah, I bet Brandon Gray are just thanking their lucky stars that the UK's ASA aren't regulating their activities. Those bad boys will crank out a letter expressing their disapproval in a matter of weeks or months.

    3. Conrad Longmore

      Re: Wow..

      I haven't had one for a while, but the early ones were certainly attempting to gain sales through deception in my personal opinion. These people don't need an ICANN suspension, they need a visit from the police.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Wow..

        I haven't had one for a while, but the early ones were certainly attempting to gain sales through deception in my personal opinion. These people don't need an ICANN suspension, they need a visit from the police.

        Sadly, they've grown wise to that. The letters are now so formulated that someone who is informed will find the clues that this is a takeover. The uninitiated will still fall for it, but it's just on the right side of the red line to keep them clear from the charge of deception. However, I tend to advise people who have fallen for it to complain - enough complaints will also prompt investigations and personally I don't think they can be investigated enough.

        Next pet hate: domain squatters. There should be a special place in hell for them.

  2. Ole Juul

    ICANN should explain themselves

    "The suspension notice accuses Brandon Gray of “false or deceptive” marketing"

    Why has ICANN been so reluctant with this obvious accusation? One might come to the conclusion that they didn't think it was such a bad thing. I think the delay requires a formal explanation and perhaps even a public apology. I would like to see an inquiry into this.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: ICANN should explain themselves

      "Why has ICANN been so reluctant with this obvious accusation?"

      How do ICANN get their money

      bit like BT cutting off phone services to marketers, they'd lose all that income

  3. Number6

    I used to get this sort of junk. I was giving serious consideration to a complaint to the Mailing Preference Service, given that I was registered with them and didn't have any business relationship with the domain scammers concerned. Then I decided it was just easier to put it in the bin, or write "not known at this address" and put it back in the post box.

    1. VinceH

      "I used to get this sort of junk."

      I get them occasionally from Domain Registry of America - one of those listed - and a number of my clients get them as well (thankfully, rather than just fall for it, each who has received one has had the good sense to ask me if it's real).

      This sort of business doesn't stop at domain names, though. I'm in the process of registering a trademark, and I've already had a letter (which looks more or less like an invoice for 970euros, but states it isn't in the small print, probably enough to keep it just about legal) from "International Patent and Trademark Service" to register the trademark in their database. Again from the small print: "The registration in our database has not any connection with an official government organization".

      Fecking chancers. I'm sure I can look forward to more of these over the life of the trademark.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "[...] or write "not known at this address" and put it back in the post box."

      That approach doesn't stop the junk mail from Virgin Media. I wonder if returned mail actually ever gets back to the Halifax address - or is it just a black hole? Their call centre always says my address is already on their barred list.

      1. frymaster

        The VM junk mail I get is the non-addressed kind that gets given to the postie in a pile and he gets told to deliver one to every street.

        That explains why I get asked to sign up even though we've been with them since they were called cableinet...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          I put a label over the "hand delivered by the post office" with the words

          MPS listed address, RTS

          and pop it, along with the pizza leaflets and other royal mail delivered junk stuff in the post box on my way to work

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Return it without postage, in a box, and add a brick.

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