The DOAC recently held its first meeting of members, which I attended.  I think that this organization has a lot of potential to improve the Canadian internet landscape in a way that is beneficial for all stakeholders.

The DOAC’s mission is the promotion of internet business and investment in Canada.  Let’s face it – the better that the Canadian internet does, the better it will be for all participants.

At the meeting, the DOAC went into more details, and discussed its mission statement, which includes:
1. To promote the registration and use of dot ca domains in Canada and globally.
2. To protect the rights and interests of dot ca domain owners.
3. To encourage the ethical and responsible use of dot ca domains.
4. To bring the collective voice of all dot ca stakeholders to CIRA.
5. To lift the dot ca presence requirements.

The DOAC also elected its directors: Frank Michlick, Harold Simpkins, Peter Maxymych, Rick Silver, Jeffrey Behrendt, and Larry Franschman.

The officers of DOAC were elected as well:
President: Rick Silver
Vice-President: Peter Maxymych
Vice-President of Communications: Frank Michlick
Treasurer: Harold Simpkins
Secretary: Jeffrey Behrendt

Zak Muscovitch, Canada’s leading domain name lawyer, is handling the legal aspects.

If you own a .ca domain, or provide services to .ca domain owners (such as hosting, web design, technical support, marketing, legal, etc.), then you should join the DOAC.  It’s free and easy – simply complete the form and click submit.  You owe it to yourself (and your clients) to stand up for the future of the Canadian internet.

I am proud to announce that my company, in partnership with the renowned Hubbard Media of DropSystem fame, has entered the TBR market by launching Dropping.ca.  What Dropping.ca does is simple – we catch dropping .ca domains – hence our name!

As expert domainers all know, your best bet when trying to obtain a TBR domain is to backorder it from as many places as possible – as you can’t know in advance who will obtain it.  I encourage you to give Dropping.ca a try and backorder the TBR names you are interested in with us.

At Dropping.ca, we provide high-touch service, combined with a simple, easy to use interface.  We are happy to help you every step of the way, and you can be assured that all your questions will be quickly answered.  We also transfer your domains to you right after payment – we don’t hang on to them and collect your parking profits while you watch your expired domains lose their rankings in the search engines.

The costs are modest – there is a minimum charge of $60 Canadian (+GST) for a domain.  Our services are no win, no fee – so you only pay for the domains we catch on your behalf.  We require a $60 bond payment as security when you set up an account.  However, if I know you, please feel free to contact me through my blog and I’ll be happy to set up a personalized coupon code for you to waive this bond.  If more than one person backorders a domain, then it goes to auction.  Given that we are the new kid on the block, you can rest assured that our auctions are not as competitive as the established players and there are lots of good deals to be had.

So, what are you waiting for?  It’s easy to get started.  Head on over to Dropping.ca and sign up.

Fortunately, noted domain lawyer Zak Muscovitch has now stared a blog on his website.  I personally find it amazing that a lawyer, who is undoubtedly under a lot of time pressure, takes the time to blog about this important area of domaining.  Zak is known as Canada’s leading domain lawyer, and you may recall his name from our in depth interview with him about Canadian domain law.

Zak’s blog isn’t limited to Canadian law, indeed it provides a global view, for instance, talking about a recent domain decision by the Indian High Court, the Kentucky seizure of gambling related domain names, and Olympic trademark infringement.

Good luck Zak and I look forward to lots of interesting reading.