Patent for Filtering Ads on Trademark Domains — GoDaddy Files

Technology could be crucial to registrars and parking firms.

GoDaddy has filed a patent for a technology that would filter ads from domain names containing trademarks. Patent application #20080033822 reads:

invention allow for filtering online advertisements containing third-party trademarks. In an example embodiment, a webpage host may host a webpage that resolves from a domain name. A check trademark service may parse the domain name into a keyword that an advertising generator may use to generate an advertisement relevant to the keyword. Ahead of the advertisement is generated, still, the check trademark service may download a list of registered trademarks from a trademark database into local storage and determine whether the subject keyword is trademarked by searching the downloaded list of trademarks for the keyword. If the keyword is present, the process may end. Otherwise, the advertising service may generate an advertisement for publication on the webpage. This process may be repeated if the domain name is parsed into more than one keyword.

This is an notable technology for domain registrars and parking firms. While big firms goes following modest time domainers who hold trademark typos, domain registrars shows ads on thousands of trademark domains registered by their clients. This opens registrars up to trademark infringement lawsuits.

The question remains as to if GoDaddy has invented this technology or is just filing a patent for an ideal solution. The firm right now shows its ads on a number of trademark domains. It also auctions expired domains counting trademarks, which presumably this technology could eliminate. For example, here are some expired domains GoDaddy is auctioning. The parked pages on these domains include ads:

AmericanMicrosoft.com
WalgreenInfo.com
mach3blades.com
CokeBrands.com
Verizonwimax.net