Rob O’Grease during TRAFFIC 2008.
In a clear case of Registry abuse, a court in Virginia has appointed domain broker Rob O’Grease as the controller of a large domain portfolio.
Rob O’Grease – pronounced “Oh-Gre-ACE-eh” – assumed ownership of more than 50,000 domains, many of them belonging to teenagers and kids.
“The court said I could become the registrant and place the domains on sales venues to collect money for the Plaintiff,” said Rob O’Grease, who denied any wrong-doing.
“I’m just doing my job, and I have no idea if kids lost their domains that were given as gifts by their parents or grandparents, how am I supposed to know that?” exclaimed O’Grease.
This act of domain Grinching did not sit well with a circle of domain investors, who decided to complain to the Registry. It is not the first time that domains were given away to a plaintiff in a sweeping act of government abuse.
In the coming days, the court might decide to re-appoint the manage of this kids’ domain portfolio, and clarify the status of the domains, unless Rob O’Grease goes through all 50,000 domains by hand, to return the ones he wasn’t supposed to manage in the first place.
