March 15, 2023

Interview with Scott Kenna

Scott Kenna Header

Scott Kenna is our Head of Client Success at Lexsynergy and has been with the company for nearly 3 years. He works with prospective and current clients to manage their domain portfolios and protects their brands online.

What is your favourite tld and why?

My favourite TLD is most likely .online, I just like the robustness and usability of it. Whether it is an online game, or online service, it is still relevant.

How do you envision the next iteration of the web (Web3)?
I am, sadly, not psychic. I do think though that the end-user usability of technologies is essential to the health of Web3 and is likely its biggest threat; the more complex the technologies become, the more difficult it is for the end-user. I think it's fantastic to have the best product in the world, but what use is it if nobody can use it, let alone understand it?

What is your favourite crypto currency and why?
My favourite cryptocurrency is API3. It is an API-driven blockchain technology that will allow third parties to utilise a variety of data. The intriguing aspect of API3 is that it does away with the intermediary that is currently present in other data-driven protocols. As users connect directly to the company's API, API3 preserves the integrity of data arriving from the source. Accuweather just developed a partnership with them in which their API may be used to obtain all weather data. For the first time, detailed weather information is obtainable on the blockchain!

What are the 5 things you can’t live without?
Nature, food, my dog, friends and family.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming candidates in your field?

Keep pushing; client success can be a merciless cat and mouse game, regardless of whether it's internal or external. However, if both you and the company are continually growing then that is amazing. Remember, fractions turn into percentages! 

P.S Keep this picture close, it may come in handy reminding you of the goal. 

LN MEME (1)

 

What dramatized sales film/tv series gives the most accurate representation?
Mad Men, in my opinion, it was a fantastic TV show depiction of advertising and sales. It encapsulated many of the great characteristics of both such as, the accomplishment and the capacity for quick decision-making, etc. For the time period in which it was set, the cinematography of the programme was beautifully stylized.

What is your favourite domain joke?
Did you know .lol is a domain extension. I didn’t, but it had me laughing out loud when I found out. 

That's it for today's interview, if you'd like to know more about Scott or want to get in contact with him directly, then please connect with him via LinkedIn.

March 14, 2023

Is your brand at risk of being indecently exposed?

Exposed Brand Header

The registry that manages the .xxx extension has announced that they will be releasing all .xxx domains that were originally part of the Sunrise B Launch in 2011 and that have NOT been converted to an AdultBlock.

History of .XXX and AdultBlock

In 2011, .xxx launched as a new extension for the Adult Entertainment industry. During the initial launch, trade mark owners were able to purchase a 10-year block during a phase called Sunrise B. The .xxx Sunrise B blocks included only an exact match of trade marks and only within the .xxx extension. These blocks were not available to purchase after the initial launch ended.

Fast forward 8 years and in 2019, the .xxx registry launched a new blocking service called AdultBlock and AdultBlock+. These blocking programs include all four of the adult entertainment extensions: .xxx, .adult, .porn and .sex. All owners of a .xxx Sunrise B block then had the opportunity to convert their Sunrise B block to an AdultBlock.

In December 2021, any remaining .xxx Sunrise B blocks that had not been converted to an AdultBlock expired. Since then, the registry has been holding on to all remaining .xxx domains that were previously blocked and they have been unavailable for standard registration, until now…

Release of Reserved .XXX Domains

The registry plans on releasing the reserved .xxx Sunrise B domains in a two-phase approach over the next few months of 2023. As previously mentioned, this is only for Sunrise B .xxx domains that have NOT been converted to an AdultBlock. If you have upgraded your Sunrise B .xxx block to an AdultBlock , your .xxx domain will NOT be released for registration.

 

Phase One: 16 March 2023 – 18 May 2023

During this phase, original owners of a .xxx Sunrise B block will have the opportunity to register the matching .xxx domain. If you purchased a Sunrise B Block in 2011 and don’t have the matching .xxx domain, then please get in contact as we can process your registration during this priority phase. Please take note, that as a .xxx Sunrise B owner, you still have the option to upgrade to an AdultBlock during this time.

 

Phase Two: 22 May 2023 – onward

All remaining domains that have not been registered will be available on a first come, first served basis with no restrictions, leaving brand owners exposed

Next Steps

Lexsynergy is assisting owners of .xxx Sunrise B blocks who wish to register the matching .xxx domain or upgrading to an AdultBlock. If you have any questions about .xxx, AdultBlock, or protecting your brand online, then please reach out to us today to start the process – [email protected]

March 08, 2023

Emergence and growth of app scams

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We have noticed a considerable growth in fraudulent investment apps which attract unwary investors into parting with their savings in the false hope of securing high returns on their investment in a short space of time.

 

Fraudulent investment scams otherwise known as “pig butchering” scams have been in existence for a few years. Typically, they use fake websites, malicious advertising on social media and old-fashioned social engineering to groom potential victims.

 

However, the perpetrators are now targeting victims (usually with limited income) through fraudulent apps that misuse the Intellectual Property Rights (including trade marks and copyright works) of well-known brand owners. “Pig butchering” apps are extremely convincing and may even contain real-time commercial information and branding relating to the targeted brand owner. Once the victim has opened their “account” and made an initial deposit, they will start see their investment grow in line with the high returns the perpetrators promised. In order to reassure the victims further, they may even be allowed to withdraw some of their investment. 

 

The perpetrators then convince victims to invest substantially more money, potentially all the target’s savings. Once the increased sums are received, the fraudsters then shut down the app and/or bogus website and steal the invested funds. By adding fraudulent apps to official platforms such as Google Play and the Apple App Store, the perpetrators attempt to add further legitimacy to their activities.  This is yet another new twist on a traditional investment scam. 

 

In order to try and mitigate the harm caused, there are several simple steps to follow both for investors and for targeted brand owners. 

Tips for Investors

  1. Do not click on ”Investment App” download links you receive via email, website SMS message, WhatsApp  or Telegram.
  2. Do not download apps  directly through .APK files
  3. Do not blindly trust videos recently posted on Youtube, Instagram or other social media services.
  4. Do check for online reviews before installing any App on your Smartphone.
  5. Do check the creation date of the app, details of the developer including email and email address. Fraudulent apps are often recently created with little information about them on the internet.

Tips for the targeted brand owners

Do monitor for potentially infringing websites and apps. It is not always necessary to rely on expensive third party wholly automated monitoring solutions. The perpetrators attempt to lure victims through direct messages on social media channels and invite them to download apps through this channel so they may be harder to detect through wholly automated services.

 

Once a suspicious website or app is detected, take swift enforcement action. Lexsynergy has a strong track record of assisting brand owners remove these infringements on a cost-effective fixed fee basis. A robust enforcement strategy can and does make a brand owner  harder to target and may encourage the perpetrators to focus their efforts on other brand owners instead, who are possibly less proactive.

 

Finally, once a scam is discovered, consider placing a warning message on your official website in an attempt to warn investors who become suspicious as it may prevent them from falling prey to the scam.

 

If your brand is having issues with infringing websites or apps, please reach out to our brand protection team who will be able to provide specialist support to help combat these issues: [email protected]