Domain Name “Dot Sucks” Controversy

15906241262_786ee57c44_mNew controversy has erupted over the domain name “dot sucks”, which encourages the creation of many protest addresses.

Just a few of the most sought after names to be conjoined with the “.sucks” domain name are Apple, Google, Microsoft, CocaCola, and McDonalds. To protect their brand, many such companies have already bought up domains featuring their brand/company and .sucks.

These domain names cost almost $3,000, compared with less than $100 for typical domain names. The company Vox Populi owns “.sucks”.

For more see on this development, see this Wall Street Journal article.

Banning “Redskins” as a Mascot Name

4822540384_173d27437c_mThe California Assembly has passed a bill banning the use of the name “Redskins” for highschool mascots.  If the bill becomes a law, all California schools would be required to expunge what many Native American activists agree is an offensive and injurious moniker by the year 2017. In June 2014, the U.S. Patent Office officially canceled the trademark name with the argument that it is “disparaging to Native Americans”.

Place names session at the International Conference of Historical Geographers (ICHG), London, July 6 2015

8672040494_9181fd9a50_mThe 16th International Conference of Historical Geographers (ICHG) will include a session on place names, historical toponymic mapping, and the contemporary reconstructions of place names in Europe and Palestine. This session will be held on the 6th of July 2015. The ICHG will take place in London, at the Royal Geographical Society, from the 5th to the 10th of July 2015. Click here for more information.