discuss: Thread: linuxdocs CN domain and keyword

Hello Everyone,

David Ranch here.. the maintainer of the IP Masquerade and TrinityOS doc 
sets (both are getting rather old).  I received the below message and 
while it could be spam, I don't think it is.  In various documents and 
web searches, there are a LOT of references to linuxdoc.org which used 
to be THE domain to use other than the tldp.org domain.  Linuxdoc.org 
now seems to be a parked domain. For example:

http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Adv-Routing-HOWTO.html
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html
http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Virtual-Services-HOWTO.html
    etc

Does the group here have any concern about this domain being parked, 
moving to China, etc?  Is there really any trademark or infringement 
concerns here?  Their email states their new domains would unique as 
they are adding the .cn country suffix but I thought I'd bring this up.  
As to my legacy documents, I assume I should update them to use 
"tldp.org" domain?

--David


-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	linuxdocs CN domain and keyword
Date: 	Wed, 23 Aug 2017 21:18:12 +0800
From: 	Frank ####@####.#### 
####@####.####
Reply-To: 	####@####.####
To: 	dranch



(It's very urgent, please transfer this email to your CEO. Thanks)
This email is from China domain name registration center, which mainly 
deal with the domain name registration in China. On August 21, 2017, we 
received an application from Jiaxun Ltd requested "linuxdocs" as their 
internet keyword and China (CN) domain names (linuxdocs.cn, 
linuxdocs.com.cn, linuxdocs.net.cn, linuxdocs.org.cn). But after 
checking it, we find this name conflict with your company name or 
trademark. In order to deal with this matter better, it's necessary to 
send email to you and confirm whether your company have affiliation with 
this Chinese company or not?

Best Regards,

*Frank Liu* | Service & Operations Manager**

*China Registry (Head Office)* | 6012, Xingdi Building, No. 1698 Yishan 
Road, Shanghai 201103, China

Tel: +86-02164193517 | Fax: +86-02161918697 | Mob: +86-13816428671

Email: ####@####.#### ####@####.####

Web: www.chinaregistry.org.cn <http://www.chinaregistry.org.cn/>

This email contains privileged and confidential information intended for 
the addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, please 
destroy this email and inform the sender immediately. We appreciate you 
respecting the confidentiality of this information by not disclosing or 
using the information in this email.

Quoting David Ranch ####@####.####

> David Ranch here.. the maintainer of the IP Masquerade and TrinityOS
> doc sets (both are getting rather old).  I received the below
> message and while it could be spam, I don't think it is.

It's salesmanship.

I get mail from registrar offering 'linuxmafia' in various TLDs.
If I really wanted to subsidise all of the regstrars of the world, I
could probably even register linuxmafia.pn, and have a presence related
to Pitcairn Island.

http://www.stamps.gov.pn/PitcairnInternetDomainNames.htm


> As to my legacy documents, I assume I should update them to use
> "tldp.org" domain?

Please do.

Your email was marked as spam by gmail.com.  It looks like they want to
buy the linuxdoc domain so they can resell it at a profit.  Even though we
are not incorporated we still have legal rights.  So I would object to
someone registering it unless they have discussed it with us on the
discuss list (and we agree).

On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 08:45:17AM -0700, David Ranch wrote:
> 
> Hello Everyone,
> 
> David Ranch here.. the maintainer of the IP Masquerade and TrinityOS doc
> sets (both are getting rather old).  I received the below message and while
> it could be spam, I don't think it is.  In various documents and web
> searches, there are a LOT of references to linuxdoc.org which used to be THE
> domain to use other than the tldp.org domain.  Linuxdoc.org now seems to be
> a parked domain. For example:
> 
> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Adv-Routing-HOWTO.html
> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html
> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Virtual-Services-HOWTO.html
>    etc
> 
> Does the group here have any concern about this domain being parked, moving
> to China, etc?  Is there really any trademark or infringement concerns here?
> Their email states their new domains would unique as they are adding the .cn
> country suffix but I thought I'd bring this up.  As to my legacy documents,
> I assume I should update them to use "tldp.org" domain?
> 
> --David
> 
> 
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject: 	linuxdocs CN domain and keyword
> Date: 	Wed, 23 Aug 2017 21:18:12 +0800
> From: 	Frank ####@####.####
> ####@####.####
> Reply-To: 	####@####.####
> To: 	dranch
> 
> 
> 
> (It's very urgent, please transfer this email to your CEO. Thanks)
> This email is from China domain name registration center, which mainly deal
> with the domain name registration in China. On August 21, 2017, we received
> an application from Jiaxun Ltd requested "linuxdocs" as their internet
> keyword and China (CN) domain names (linuxdocs.cn, linuxdocs.com.cn,
> linuxdocs.net.cn, linuxdocs.org.cn). But after checking it, we find this
> name conflict with your company name or trademark. In order to deal with
> this matter better, it's necessary to send email to you and confirm whether
> your company have affiliation with this Chinese company or not?
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> *Frank Liu* | Service & Operations Manager**
> 
> *China Registry (Head Office)* | 6012, Xingdi Building, No. 1698 Yishan
> Road, Shanghai 201103, China
> 
> Tel: +86-02164193517 | Fax: +86-02161918697 | Mob: +86-13816428671
> 
> Email: ####@####.#### ####@####.####
> 
> Web: www.chinaregistry.org.cn <http://www.chinaregistry.org.cn/>
> 
> This email contains privileged and confidential information intended for the
> addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy this
> email and inform the sender immediately. We appreciate you respecting the
> confidentiality of this information by not disclosing or using the
> information in this email.
> 
> 
> ______________________
> http://lists.tldp.org/
> 
			David Lawyer

Hello David,

Strange it was marked as spam but that happens I suppose.

I do agree they might be trying to use it for nefarious reasons but I 
don't know what ICANN can/would do here since this request is to make 
the new domain a geo-type domain (add the .cn suffix) which is 
technically no longer a .org domain.  I imagine they were probing around 
and I'm not sure why they contacted me for a domain I never owned and I 
was only one of many many Linuxdoc publishers that had their work posted 
on that domain.

I'll leave it be but I did want to bring this to the group so we are all 
aware.

--David


On 08/29/2017 04:33 PM, David Lawyer wrote:
> Your email was marked as spam by gmail.com.  It looks like they want to
> buy the linuxdoc domain so they can resell it at a profit.  Even though we
> are not incorporated we still have legal rights.  So I would object to
> someone registering it unless they have discussed it with us on the
> discuss list (and we agree).
>
> On Wed, Aug 23, 2017 at 08:45:17AM -0700, David Ranch wrote:
>> Hello Everyone,
>>
>> David Ranch here.. the maintainer of the IP Masquerade and TrinityOS doc
>> sets (both are getting rather old).  I received the below message and while
>> it could be spam, I don't think it is.  In various documents and web
>> searches, there are a LOT of references to linuxdoc.org which used to be THE
>> domain to use other than the tldp.org domain.  Linuxdoc.org now seems to be
>> a parked domain. For example:
>>
>> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Adv-Routing-HOWTO.html
>> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Bash-Prompt-HOWTO.html
>> http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Virtual-Services-HOWTO.html
>>     etc
>>
>> Does the group here have any concern about this domain being parked, moving
>> to China, etc?  Is there really any trademark or infringement concerns here?
>> Their email states their new domains would unique as they are adding the .cn
>> country suffix but I thought I'd bring this up.  As to my legacy documents,
>> I assume I should update them to use "tldp.org" domain?
>>
>> --David
>>
>>
>> -------- Forwarded Message --------
>> Subject: 	linuxdocs CN domain and keyword
>> Date: 	Wed, 23 Aug 2017 21:18:12 +0800
>> From: 	Frank ####@####.####
>> ####@####.####
>> Reply-To: 	####@####.####
>> To: 	dranch
>>
>>
>>
>> (It's very urgent, please transfer this email to your CEO. Thanks)
>> This email is from China domain name registration center, which mainly deal
>> with the domain name registration in China. On August 21, 2017, we received
>> an application from Jiaxun Ltd requested "linuxdocs" as their internet
>> keyword and China (CN) domain names (linuxdocs.cn, linuxdocs.com.cn,
>> linuxdocs.net.cn, linuxdocs.org.cn). But after checking it, we find this
>> name conflict with your company name or trademark. In order to deal with
>> this matter better, it's necessary to send email to you and confirm whether
>> your company have affiliation with this Chinese company or not?
>>
>> Best Regards,
>>
>> *Frank Liu* | Service & Operations Manager**
>>
>> *China Registry (Head Office)* | 6012, Xingdi Building, No. 1698 Yishan
>> Road, Shanghai 201103, China
>>
>> Tel: +86-02164193517 | Fax: +86-02161918697 | Mob: +86-13816428671
>>
>> Email: ####@####.#### ####@####.####
>>
>> Web: www.chinaregistry.org.cn <http://www.chinaregistry.org.cn/>
>>
>> This email contains privileged and confidential information intended for the
>> addressee only. If you are not the intended recipient, please destroy this
>> email and inform the sender immediately. We appreciate you respecting the
>> confidentiality of this information by not disclosing or using the
>> information in this email.
>>
>>
>> ______________________
>> http://lists.tldp.org/
>>
> 			David Lawyer

Quoting David Ranch ####@####.####

> I do agree they might be trying to use it for nefarious reasons but
> I don't know what ICANN can/would do here since this request is to
> make the new domain a geo-type domain (add the .cn suffix) which is
> technically no longer a .org domain.  I imagine they were probing
> around and I'm not sure why they contacted me for a domain I never
> owned and I was only one of many many Linuxdoc publishers that had
> their work posted on that domain.

This happens pretty much all the time.  E.g., I continually get offers
to sell me domains related to magazines I once wrote articles for, where
I never ran (let alone owned) the magazines and there was never a reason
to think I did.  Likewise, I get come-ons suggesting that 15-year-old 
magazine articles be amended to point to someone's link farm.  It's
spammer logic:  Programatically blast out as many sales offers as
possible, hoping a few will hit paydirt.