Top domain news: beware fake apps, .bot and more

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2018 is a go

Despite some concerns, it turns out the world survived 2017 and we are officially in Calendar Year 2018. (Well, some people's calendar.)

I'll be in Las Vegas twice this month. Next week is CES, where I'll keep a close eye on the domain names tech companies are using. Be sure to follow me on twitter for updates.

Then, later this month I'll return for NamesCon. If you haven't made your plans yet, be sure to get your 50% off ticket now.

While CES is designed to kick the tech and consumer products world into high gear for the new year, NamesCon serves much the same function for domain names. And while NamesCon will have about 1% the attendance of CES, rest assured that almost everyone you need to connect with in the domain biz will be at NamesCon.

Drop me a line if you're interested in meeting up during NamesCon.

For a preview of what to expect at Namescon, check out my podcast with show president Soeren von Varchmin.

While you're in your podcast app, check out predictions for 2018 from 17 people in the domain business in the 2018 DNW Predictions Episode.

Now let's review the top stories on DNW last month, ranked by views:

1. Thousands download fake GoDaddy app in Google Play store - A fake GoDaddy app was available for only a few days, but GoDaddy says thousands of people downloaded it.

2. DowDuPont will likely name its agriculture business Corteva - The company registered lots of domain names for Corteva, the likely name of its ag spinoff.

3. Is Amazon preparing OpenTube to compete with Google's YouTube as companies spar? - Before the company applied for trademarks it registered domain names suggesting a rival service.

4. Amazon launches .Bot - It's restricted to verified bot developers.

5. Court orders Tucows to transfer 3.2 million domains to Namecheap - The registrars are fighting over the correct method to transfer domains from Enom's reseller platform.

Missed any podcasts? Subscribe to the Domain Name Wire Podcast on your iPhone or Android device so you never miss an episode. Here are the episodes that aired in October. Listen to them now.

#163 - Building web businesses with Peter Askew
#164 - Domain investing with Shane Cultra
#165 - Soeren von Varchmin
#166 - 2018 DNW Predictions Episode