Go Daddy files for business community patents

Go Daddy has applied for three US patents covering an “Online Business Community” that looks a bit like a social network for small businesses.

The patents describe a web site that enables companies and potential customers to interact through forums, community groups and ratings systems, as well as advertising, buying and selling.

In the applications, Go Daddy says it had noticed that:

presently-existing methods of conducting online business, however, do not permit businesses and potential customers alike to interact in one place to share business-related resources; advertise, buy, and sell goods and services; interact; hold discussions; and network.

The patents, if granted, would cover such a service.

While most or all of the features outlined in the applications can be found individually in other Go Daddy products, I don’t think the company currently has a service that combines them all in the way described by the patents. Go Daddy Marketplace probably comes closest.

The applications appear to cover the creation of ad hoc business communities, for example, as well as the formation of “partnerships” between members such as suppliers and customers.

They also appear to account for communication between members using technologies such as instant messaging or voice over IP, and for members to rate each other for trustworthiness.

The three applications, 20100262686, 20100262629 and 20100262502, were filed in June and published today.

Go Daddy files for patent on available domain ads

Go Daddy has applied for a US patent on a system that automatically inserts available domain names into banner ads based on the dynamic content of a web page.

The application “Generating online advertisements based upon available dynamic content relevant domain names” was filed in February 2009 and published today.

The patent would cover a way to analyze the content of a web page, perhaps using image identification technology, then generate keywords and check for available domain names to put in the ad.

Instead of a standard Go Daddy banner, visitors to a web page would be shown a custom ad offering an available or aftermarket domains relevant to the content of the page.

The application also seems to cover an API whereby an advertising network, such as Google, would also be able to offer available domains via Adsense.

Hostway wants non-existent domain patent

Hostway, the large web hosting company, has applied for a US patent on a system of intercepting and redirecting requests for non-existent domains names.

The application describes “A system and method for controlling internet traffic controls internet traffic directed to a non-existing domain in a centralized manner.”

It appears to cover a service that could be offered to local ISPs, enabling them to show their users monetized search pages rather than domain-not-found error messages.

Under the system, ISPs would intercept NXDOMAIN responses to their users’ DNS lookups.

Instead of passing the error on to the browser, the ISP would consult a centralized controller for the IP address of a context-appropriate landing page to redirect the user to.

It’s not at all clear to me whether Hostway is using the technology or has plans to do so. The application was filed in October 2008.

ISPs using NXDOMAIN substitution to monetize error traffic is widespread but controversial.

ICANN president Rod Beckstrom strongly complained about the practice, which also has security implications, during a rant at the Nairobi meeting last month.

VeriSign’s Site Finder, and later Cameroon’s .cm, both controversially did similar things when they “wildcarded” non-existent domains at the TLD registry level.

Other interesting US patent applications published today include:

20100106650 – covering Go Daddy’s auction services.

20100106793 and 20100106794 – covering email forwarding under Go Daddy’s private registration services.

20100106731 – assigned to VeriSign, covering a method of offering alternative domain names for registration when a buyer’s first choice is unavailable.

NeuStar files for patent on DNSSEC hack

NeuStar has applied for a US patent on a stop-gap technology for authenticating DNS queries without the need for DNSSEC.

The application, published today, describes a system of securing the DNS connection between authoritative name servers and recursive servers belonging to ISPs.

It appears to cover the technology underlying Cache Defender, a service it started offering via its UltraDNS brand last July.

It was created to prevent the kind of man-in-the-middle attacks permitted by the 2008 Kaminsky exploit, which let attackers poison recursive caches, redirecting users to phoney web sites.

The DNSSEC standard calls for DNS traffic to be digitally signed and was designed to significantly mitigate this kind of attack, but it has yet to be widely deployed.

Some ccTLDs are already signed, but gTLD users will have to wait until at least this summer. The .org zone will be signed in June and ICANN will sign the root in July but .com will not be signed until next year.

While Kaminsky’s vulnerability has been broadly patched, brute-force attacks are still possible, according an ISP’s experience cited in the patent filing.

“The patch that experts previously believed would provide enough time to get DNSSEC deployed literally provided the industry just a few extra weeks,” it reads.