Brandon Gray Internet Services Inc.
 | |
| Type: | Privately Held |
| Industry: | Domain Name Registry |
| Headquarters: | Markham, Ontario L3R 8B5 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Website: | https://namejuice.com |
| Key People | |
| Darius Patel, Operations Manager Marilyn Benlolo, Director | |
Brandon Gray Internet Services, Inc. is an ICANN accredited domain name registry operator based in Ontario Canada. It operates under its different resellers names such as:
- Namejuice.com
- Domain Registry of America
- Domain Renewal Group
- Domain Registry of Australia
- Domain Registry of Canada
- Domain Registry of Europe
- Internet Registry of Canada
- Liberty Names of America
- Registration Services Inc.
- Yellow Business.ca
- Internet Corporation Listing Service
Services[edit | edit source]
The company offers the following services to is clients: [1]
Controversies[edit | edit source]
Brandon Gray Internet Services received numerous complaints from customers as well as other domain registry operators because of its domain slamming practices.[2] A process wherein it collects important details about domain owners from the Whois data base and sends them e-mails, expiration letters or renewal notices, misleading domain owners and telling them to immediately renew their domain names through them. Unknowingly the owners are transferring their domain names to a different operator.
In 2003, the United States Federal Trade Commission requested a federal district court to issue an injunction against Domain Registry of America (eNom, Inc.), one of the resellers under Brandon Gray Internet Services, for making misrepresentations when selling its domain registry services. The FTC also asked the court to pay its 50,000 customers with redress and prohibit the company to engage in domain slamming practices and to put the company's activities under FTC's strict monitoring.[3]
The UK Advertising Watchdog Authority also complained against the same domain slamming practices committed by Domain Registry of Europe. The organization threatened to file legal actions against DRoE if it continues to send bill-like renewal notices to domain owners in 2003. The company's argues,"notices were not a bill, rather an easy means of payment should you decide to register or renew your domain(s) with us".[4]
According to The Register's report, since 2001 the Canadian Competition Bureau already warned Canadian Businesses regarding invoice-like renewal notices from registry resellers particularly Domain Registry of Canada, a reseller under Brandon Gray Internet Services, Inc. The Canadian Internet Registration Authority, is the official administrator of the .ca domain name in Canada.
Indidivuals Involved[edit | edit source]
Those who have been targeted by Domain Slamming have recieved misleading emails from a number of people associated with the company, such as: Peter Kuryliw,[5]
Marilyn and Simon Benlolo, and other individuals with that surname are listed in a number of court documents related to the company; some of which have served jail time for other fraudulent activities. A James Tetaka was also convicted in that particular incident.[6]
Legal Battle[edit | edit source]
On September 10, 2010 Brandon Gray Internet Services' license to operate .ca, the country code top-level domain name for Canada was terminated by CIRA because of the alleged domain registry slamming practices conducted by its reseller, the Domain Registry of Canada.[7]
Brandon Gray Internet Services Inc. argued that CIRA did not give them any reason regarding the termination of their license and because of that the company filed a $10 million suit for damages and breach of contract. Meanwhile, DROC claims that Brandon Gray has nothing to do with their reselling operations even if they share the same mailing address, phone system and extension links. David Burroughs, DROC's senior executive claimed, "The nature of our business relationship to handle certain customer service related aspects of our respective businesses is a private matter. We are simply a reseller through them (Brandon Gray)".[8]
On January 27, 2011, the company's injunction request to maintain its license to operate the .ca ccTLD was dismissed by Justice Gilmore. However, she cited that CIRA did not give Brandon Gray the chance to explain its business relationship with DROC. Furthermore, the Judge said that the domain registrar may have complied to the CIRA's recertification regulations. In her ruling Gilmore wrote,“There is a serious issue to be tried in relation to whether or not CIRA breached its agreement with Brandon Gray,” she writes. It could be argued "CIRA does not have unfettered discretion to refuse Brandon Gray's application". [9]
CIRA is set to fight Brandon Gray's $10 million suit for damages and breach of contract.