誠如先前提及當時我身在網路創業熱潮中,對於網域名稱的動態十分注意,深深了解到網域名稱對人們使用網路的習慣有著長久、深遠的影響,以及好的網域名稱對品牌建立的重要性及其高附加價值,因此我一口氣註冊了數十個好記的英語單字的網域名稱。而『台灣英語網』(English.com.tw) 就是其中的一個。
我是一隻網路蟑螂?我想這端視您如何定義“網路蟑螂”了。 維京百科(Wikipedia) 對網路蟑螂的動作 (Cybersquatting) 定義為:
引文:
According to the U.S. federal law known as the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, cybersquatting is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else. The cybersquatter then offers the domain to the person or company who owns a trademark contained within the name at an inflated price, an act which some deem to be extortion.
The term is derived from “squatting”, which is the act of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use. Cybersquatting is however, a bit different in that the domain names that are being “squatted” are being paid for through the registration process by the Cybersquatters. Cybersquatters usually ask for prices far greater than that at which they purchased it. Some cybersquatters put up derogatory remarks about the person or company the domain is meant to represent in an effort to encourage the subject to buy the domain from them. As with many controversial issues some argue that this practice is consistent with a capitalistic and free market ethos.
Cybersquatters sometimes register variants of popular trademarked names, a practice known as typosquatting.
Cybersquatting is one of the most loosely used terms related to domain name intellectual property law and is often incorrectly used to refer to the sale or purchase of generic domain names such as shoes.com; where a covetous party has designs on unseating the entity that was first to register.
— http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybersquatting
網路蟑螂這個名詞主要是針對某些惡意搶註他人、公司名字或商業註冊商標的網域名稱,如:CNN.com、NBC.com、 NBA.com…等,其目的就是為了將購得的網域名稱高價販售給該公司、註冊商標的持有人來賺取不當的利益, 我非但無法認同而且鄙視這些人! 『君子愛財取之有道』, 即便人人都想成功、發財,但這些人的作法實在令人不齒,更別說是與他們為伍!在美國已有相關法律可以制裁這些網路蟑螂、讓其無法遁形!
而我呢? 充其量只是個稍有遠見的投資者,將網路及網域名稱作為我發展事業的舞台。隨著網路的快速發展,網路房地產的網域名稱價值一路飆漲,就像任何投資一樣,有眼光的人及早進場搶得賺錢先機,而我就是搶先他人一步購得網路世界合法的好地皮,而來不及瓜分這塊大餅的人就只能望眼興嘆。不知是誤解 “網路蟑螂”這個新鮮名詞,還是酸葡萄的心理,這批有遠見的少數人(當然,有遠見的人永遠都是少數的),不知怎麼的就被冠上“網路蟑螂”的封號。搶得先機的我,不但不擔心像蟑螂被踩死,更進一步利用我的投資工具拓展我的事業版圖!
網域名稱相關報導:
USAToday: Domain names become premium Web real estate
CNNMoney: Staking a claim on domains beyond dot-com
Business 2.0: Masters of their Domains
Wikipedia: 網路蟑螂
Wikipedai: Cybersquatting
財團法人國家實驗研究院科技政策研究與資訊中心: Google高價購回中國網域名稱的啟示