Mark Madsen, the “Mad Dog” who got traded to the Clippers recently, was apparently scammed buying the domain p2p.com from a thief.
Madsen bought the domain on eBay from Daniel Goncalves for $110,000. The problem was Goncalves was not the owner of the domain. He snatched it off GoDaddy.com. Reports indicate that this was the first arrest made for a domain theft in US.
It seems Goncalves picked the wrong target to mess with. One of the original owners of P2P.com is a well-known millionaire and the other is a former Justice Department lawyer. That’s probably why a case like this was able to lead to an arrest. In most cases, time and money needed to push such an investigation is not feasible.
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[...] Records obtained from GoDaddy, the world’s largest domain registrar, verified that the same IP address that was used to log into the company’s account and initiate the transfer was Goncalves’, the sergeant said. A published report says Goncalves hacked into the company’s AOL account to gain access.
Attempts were made soon after to transfer the domain name to a different registrar. However, rules by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) prohibit such a move for 60 days. So Goncalves maintained p2p.com in his own account, Jones said.
Goncalves moved the domain name to a different registrar. Reports say he used his fiancee’s maiden name, Louvado, more than a week after the 60-day GoDaddy transfer prohibition was concluded, authorities said.
Goncalves again waited the mandatory 60 days before listing the name for sale on eBay, where it was bought for just over $111,000 by Madsen of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Goncalves, who lives in Union Township in Union County, remains free on $60,000 cash bail.
Meanwhile, the original owners are still waiting to reclaim the name through civil litigation involving ownership and profits, Jones said. They have included GoDaddy.com as a defendant in their lawsuit, claiming negligence and contributing to trademark infringement. [...]
What was Mark Madsen going to do with p2p.com anyways? Trying to invest in domain names, Mark? It seems he’s an avid domain name speculator. Madsen once , too among many.He’s been quiet since his days as a Laker. In case you don’t remember him well. Here’s a reminder:
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One Comment
I love Mark Madsen.