Who Is Data Docket Inc. And Why Does Google Love Them?

[jmiller]

Last Friday, a blogger by the handle of Gootch may have stumbled upon a trail of breadcrumbs that leads us to Google’s next big release: an online storage system, similar to AOL’s Xdrive, called (what else?) Gdrive, as well as a mystery company connected to Google and a few odd domain names.


Gootch’s blog, which seems an unhealthy and painstaking account of everything Google, presented the path to discovery, and even if the evidence is a bit circumstantial, it certainly makes one think.

Gootch reminds his audience of the gbrowser.com registration that any good WHOIS registry detective can figure out belongs to Google Inc., and thus boosting speculation that a Google Internet browser is on the horizon, as well as other quietly registered domains like googletelevision.net, googlehd.net, googlehdtv.net, googlehidef.com, all of which suggest that Google is heading toward some role in Internet TV as well.

Even though Google had quietly registered the domain (gbrowser.com), it wasn’t long until the whole rumor mill knew of it. This drove Gootch to look up the registry for gdrive.com. Gootch was disappointed to discover the domain was the property of a company named Data Docket Inc. out of Boise, Idaho, and not Google.

But a very astute researcher finds that GoogleTV.com is also registered to Data Docket Inc. So there does seem to be a connection. Gootch also did a WHOIS search on Googlevideo.biz, which is registered to Google, but bills to…Data Docket, Inc., the same company that owns googletv.com and gdrive.com.

A Google search on the company reveals two mentions of Data Docket, Inc. The first is a blog that mentions Googletv.com. The second is a business registry listing Data Docket, Inc. as stationed in Oslo, Norway, not Boise, Idaho. But an official website is difficult to find and not listed on Google or Yahoo, which is strange for an apparent tech company that owns lots of interesting domain names. In fact, superpages.com has no listing for a Data Docket Inc. in Boise, Idaho.

Datadocket.com, currently under construction, is registered to Data Docket, Ltd., a company based in the Isle of Man, in the British Isles. This appears, though I can’t be sure, to be a different Data Docket.

What started out as a curious exploration of the possibility of a future “Gdrive,” has led to a mysterious Google connection to some obscure company in Norway that is registering domains and taking billing statements, it would seem, for the search company—which leads one to question, what’s Google up to?

[kgun]

"What started out as a curious exploration of the possibility of a future “Gdrive,” has led to a mysterious Google connection to some obscure company in Norway that is registering domains and taking billing statements, it would seem, for the search company—which leads one to question, what’s Google up to?"

Do you mean this

http://www.nettkatalogen.no/sitemap/postnr/0153/

site?

1. Public site for Norwegain companies (You can register 20 .NO under one company). http://www.brreg.no/

2. Alert list http://www.varslingslisten.no/

3. Safe catalogue http://www.tryggkatalog.no/

[Gootch]

Originally Posted by kgun

"What started out as a curious exploration of the possibility of a future “Gdrive,” has led to a mysterious Google connection to some obscure company in Norway that is registering domains and taking billing statements, it would seem, for the search company—which leads one to question, what’s Google up to?"

Do you mean this

http://www.nettkatalogen.no/sitemap/postnr/0153/

site?

1. Public site for Norwegain companies (You can register 20 .NO under one company). http://www.brreg.no/

2. Alert list http://www.varslingslisten.no/

3. Safe catalogue http://www.tryggkatalog.no/

what?

I'm doing a little more research into the whole... "Who Is DataDocket?" question... And I'm running into dead ends left and right...

Their "under contstuction" website is hosted by a canadian company in ontario called "MegaWebServers.com" ... affiliated with the "MegaMailServers.com" that seems to attract spammer type people. I dont think this has anythign to do with the question at hand however hehe.

This is a mystery and would definately be interested in finding more domains registered by this company.

[kgun]

"Data Docket Inc." on Google.com

4th of 5 hits

http://www.nettkatalogen.no/sitemap/postnr/0153/

"obscure company in Norway"

Not as far as I know. And I know something about companies on the safe list ....

That list is mainly for big business. I think you may pay to come on that list.

[jmiller]

I found dead ends, too...the data docket ltd site is under construction, the Inc., company, I only found on that one registry, but I didn't dig for a long time, but couldn't find it in Idaho...I called the number on the WHOIS contact info, and reached MarkMonitor, the domain hosting site, which is in Idaho and who ended up cutting me off somehow after I started asking questions...I went onto other things.

[kgun]

http://www.ratite.com/whois/whois.cg...GOOGLE-BUY.NET

Created on..............: 2005-Jun-09.

I think it is not related to Google. There are so many sites with Google in the name.


http://witao.com/node/860?PHPSESSID=...a7563c961a5cc3

DogPile and MetaCrawler gives 15 hits on "Data Docket, Inc"

http://www.search-22.com/meta_search_engines.php

[Gootch]

Originally Posted by kgun

I think it is not related to Google. There are so many sites with Google in the name.

Good stuff!... what makes you think google-buy.net isn't related to google? We know they are working on an online payment system... it could very well be called "google buy".

It's true that there are lots of sites with Google in the name... (ie. googleaddiction.com would fit in that category)... but you must look at the whois information to see who the real registrants are. From what I can tell... if the registrant is either Google OR DataDocket and if there is some sort of mention to MarkMonitor.com... there is a very good chance that the domain in question belongs to Google.

What do you think?

[kgun]

Can it be an employer at Google?

[Gootch]

Maybe employees are given a budget to work on their 20% time projects.. and they are able to register domains with it? but if that was the case the owner would still be Google after all is said and done.

I dont think google would let an employee register domains with Google as the registrant...

[kgun]

"Good stuff!... what makes you think google-buy.net isn't related to google? We know they are working on an online payment system... it could very well be called "google buy".

https://www.google.com/support/adsen...5920&topic=147

https://www.google.com/support/adsen...5827&topic=147

That is not secret. Since your are from Canada, you may even register.

I think that is excellent. We live in 2005 and sending cheques for affiliate payment should be implemented long time ago.

[Gootch]

That is probably a piece of what they are working on... but what I was mentioning was the "Wallet" service they are creating which is going to compete potentially with PayPal.

http://www.kottke.org/05/06/google-wallet

[imghost]

What do they say... follow the money? Well in this case, follow the corporate records. (This is all public record info, if you know where to look)

Data Docket Inc. is a Delaware Corporation that is qualified (registered) to do business in Idaho. It was incorporated 4/17/2002 and registered to do business in Idaho on 11/17/2003. The domain registar for Data Docket Inc., gbrowser.com and gdrive.com, is MarkMonitor. MarkMonitor is a dba for eMarkMonitor, Inc. which is also a Delaware Corporation that is also qualified to do business in Idaho. Both companies have the same corporate officers as reported on the annual reports filed in Idaho.

Another interesting piece. There is a Google Payment Corp, also a Delaware corporation that is registered to do business in California, as well as other states.

[Gootch]

Great work! that is very interesting information. Especially the Google Payment Corp. tidbit.

When was that registered by the way?

[khurramali]

what is the official take on this by google.

Have Google said anything officially on this subject?

About owning Gbrowser.com and gdrive.com?

Guilty unless proven innocent.

Is my verdict.

[TrafficProducer]

Gdrive : GBrowser : GSearch....

Maybe Google are going to spend their cash, (from recent stock sales), on:-


G-string : no not sexy underwear, but the string theory of the Universe.

Joke :)

[kgun]

"What do they say... follow the money? Well in this case, follow the corporate records. (This is all public record info, if you know where to look)."

Did you use the Edgar database?

So it had nothing to do with an obscure company in Norway that is registering domains and taking billing statements.

[mrmdobrien]

'Industry leading technolgy: Fraud Protection - Detecting, Analyzing, and Combating Phishing Scams, Brand Management - Managing, Monitoring and Protecting Brands Online, Domain Management - Managing Global Domain Name Portfolios, and Trademark Management - Managing Trademark & Service Mark Portfolios.'

The above is who Mark Monitor say they are.

So they are managing googles domain name portfolio.

I think they would then not allow another company i.e. Data Docket Inc to use the Google branding unless it was google or google gave approval to use the brand name Google.

[imghost]

Did you use the Edgar database?

So it had nothing to do with an obscure company in Norway that is registering domains and taking billing statements.

No, I didn't use Edgar. I looked up the records on the secretary of state's web site, corporate division. Not all states (certainly not Delaware!) have freely available information, but Idaho does. To answer the question about the useage or holding of the names. If you look at the initial filing of Data Docket, you will find that the officers of the company are the same as the officers of Mark Monitor (see thier web site, about us, management team). Also, you will see that Mark Monitor has a European presence. So there could be a Norwegean connection. My guess is that Google is using Mark Monitor and Data Docket, (and probably others..) to acquire and monitor all "google" names / products, for possible / planned future use, without them being directly tied to Google. At least for now...

[jmiller]

nice work guys...true research pros aren't you?

i think that imghost is definitely on to something. it sounds like some sort of masking service...even more interesting is that markmonitor and data docket have the same officers. when i talked to "Monica" at markmonitor, she acted as if she'd never heard of data docket, and after the second time I was put on hold, I heard the famous, "if you would like to make a call, please hang up and try again..."