By allowing the use of unique alphabetical addresses instead of numeric ones, domain names allow Internet users to more easily find and communicate with web sites and other server-based services. The flexibility of the domain name system allows multiple IP addresses to be assigned to a single domain name, or multiple domain names to be assigned to a single IP address. This means that one server may have multiple roles such as hosting multiple independent Web sites), or that one role can be spread among many servers. One ip address can also be assigned to several servers, as used in anycast and hijacked IP space
Former Microsoft Domain Manager indicted for fraudulent Billing Scheme
Carolyn M. Gudmundson, 44, of Kirkland, Washington, was indicted yesterday by a grand jury in Seattle for eleven counts of Wire Fraud and seven counts of Mail Fraud for a scheme in which she fraudulently billed her employer and related entities for reimbursement for costs she had purportedly incurred in registering and maintaining Internet domain names for Microsoft and Expedia.
Gudmundson fraudulently made more than $1 million with this scheme. Gudmundson was arrested last night and will make her initial appearance on the charge in federal court in Seattle at 2:30 p.m. today. Wire Fraud and Mail Fraud are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
According to the indictment, Gudmundson was employed by Microsoft as a Program Manager in Microsoft’s MSN Division. Between 2000 and 2004, Gudmundson was responsible for registering, transferring, renewing, acquiring and retiring Internet domain names for Expedia and Microsoft. During the course of this part of her job, Gudmundson defrauded Microsoft in three ways.
First, Gudmundson was authorized to use her personal credit card to purchase, renew and acquire Microsoft’s domain names and then submit reimbursement requests to Microsoft. Gudmundson altered the credit card receipts she submitted so that they showed a much higher price for the purchase, renewal and acquisition of domain names than she actually had paid, and then used these altered credit card receipts to support the false and fraudulent amounts claimed on her reimbursement requests to Microsoft.
Second, Gudmundson allegedly submitted invoices to Expedia for the registration of domain names that she had not paid for.
Third, Gudmundson used an outside company that assists in the negotiation for the purchase of domain names from private parties. Gudmundson told an employee of that company that a fictitious individual had purchased domain names in his name on Microsoft’s behalf and that she needed the employee to send a check to that individual to reimburse him for his costs. Gudmundson then directed the employee to send the checks to her, where she allegedly deposited them into a bank account that she controlled.
The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case was investigated by the US Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kate Crisham.
Sunrise Period for Numeric .NL Domain Names expires December 14th!
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From mid-January 2008, SIDN, the Dutch .nl Registry, is making it possible to register numeric.NL domain names. In anticipation of this move, SIDN is giving trademark and trading name owners the opportunity to claim numeric domain names corresponding to their trademarks or trading names. This opportunity is being provided through a ‘sunrise scheme’ that SIDN is organising in collaboration with Deloitte.
Owners of trademarks and trading names can use the sunrise scheme to make claims for ‘their’ domain names between 1 and 14 December 2007. DomainNews recommends EuroDNS as your registrar of choice for all your .nl needs, including this sunrise period for numeric .NL domains.
On this page, you will find various downloadable documents detailing the domain names that can be claimed and explaining how the scheme will work. If you have a question that is not answered in the documentation, please e-mail it to support@eurodns.com.
Please be aware that the order in which applications for a specific domain in the sunrise will be validated depends on the outcome of a lottery instead on a first come – first served basis. It is therefore not necessary to send in the applications direct at the start of the sunrise.
