Notices of Available .asia/.cn/.hk/.tw Domain Names

If you are a business owner with a website, you have probably received some unsolicited emails (read: spam) from companies who seem to be trying to help you:

Dear Manager,

This is Shanghai ShengYun Network Technology Co.,Ltd, which is a professional domain name registration organization approved by China Internet Network.

On Sep 8th.2008, we have formally received an application from HaiKe Investment Corporation which is willing to register the .asia domain names of “Arrowquick” (Because International Network Organization has introduced .asia domain name in order to integrate Asian internet)

During our checking time, we have found that this name is the same with your company’s trademark, and your company uses it most frequently. In order to reduce unnecessary conflict between domain name and company’s brand, we have the obligation to confirm with your company before the registration. Please ask the person who is responsible for your trademark to contact us a.s.a.p if there is any question.
We hereby inform you.

Dear CEO,
We are Shanghai IDC Network Information & Technology Co.,Ltd, which is the domain name register center in China. I have something need to confirm with you. we have received an application formally,one company named “BeLiTe (HongKong) Investment Co.,Ltd” applies for the Domain names (arrowquick.cn, arrowquick.com.cn, arrowquick.net.cn, arrowquick.hk, etc) and the Internet brand name(ARROWQUICK) on the internet Nov.5, 2007.We need to know the opinion of your company, because the domain names and keywords may relate to the usufruct of brand name on internet.we would like to get the affirmation of your company, Please let someone in your company who is responsible for trademark or intellectual right contact me by telephone or email as soon as possible.

Kind Regards

Dear CEO,

We are the domain name registration organization in China, which mainly deal with international company’s in china. We have something important need to confirm with your company.

On the Nov 5, 2007, we received an application formally. One company named “Microkim International Holdings Ltd” wanted to register following Domain names:
arrowquick.cn
arrowquick.com.cn
arrowquick.net.cn
arrowquick.org.cn
arrowquick.hk
arrowquick.com.hk
arrowquick.tw
arrowquick.com.tw

Internet brand keyword:
Arrowquick

through our body.

After our initial examination, we found that the keywords and domain names applied for registration are as same as your company’s name and trademark. These days we are dealing with it. If you do not know this company, we doubt that they have other aims to buy these domain names. Now we have not finished the registration of Microkim company yet, in order to deal with this issue better, Please contact us by telephone or email as soon as possible.

Replying to one of the emails results in a response:

According to our investigation, Microkim company is a Hong Kong company. If you have no relationship with them. According to our working experience, there are 2 possibilities:

1. Microkim company is a domain name investment company, they want to register these names before you and sell back to you to gain profits.
2. It may be a commercial method, Microkim company is consigned by your competitor to register, make your clients confused.

because domain name takes open registration, this is international domain name registration principle. So Microkim company has right to register it. As a domain name registrar, we have no right to dispute their application. So required by China government to inform your company to protect your interest. As the owner of “Arrowquick.com”, you will get the priority to register these domain names and keywords.

If you think their registration will confuse your clients and harm your profits, we can send an application form to you and help you register these within dispute period. This is the only way to prevent domain name grab. If you don’t think their application will affect your company, you can give up. We will finish their registration. Hope get your decision ASAP, so that we can handle the next step.

Are these valid emails? Maybe. It’s possible that the Chinese government requires registrars to inform owners of similar domains of possible trademark infringement. Or it could be a scam to get you to buy some Chinese domain names. Regardless, here are the takeaway points:

• You can probably ignore these messages. They are sent to everyone who owns a .com/.net/.org domain. In our experience, checking months later shows that those domains were not actually registered — by competitors or anyone else.
• There are more than a dozen top-level domains (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, etc.) that can be freely registered by anyone, and many more country-code TLDs. Buying your name under all of them would be very expensive.
• Of course, you may have offices in China or elsewhere, in which case it makes sense to purchase a .cn version of your domain. But you can probably purchase it through your current registrar or hosting company, instead of going through a business you’ve never heard of.
• If somebody does buy a domain that infringes on your trademark, there is an international dispute process that can revoke their registration and transfer ownership to you.