# US 8,751,586 B2 · Domain name control based social website account authentication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,751,586 B2 - Document ID: US8751586B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/549,676 - Filed: 2009-08-28 - Published: 2011-03-03 - Granted: 2014-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2009-08-28 - Assignees: Go Daddy Operating Company, LLC - Applicants: Warren Adelman; Justin Jilg; Yong Lee - Inventors: Warren Adelman; Justin Jilg; Yong Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8751586B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/107: Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing] - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Methods of the present inventions allow for verifying the authenticity of social website accounts. An example embodiment of a domain name control based social website account authentication method may comprise the steps of receiving a request (that may include a business name and a business email address) to verify the authenticity of a social website account, determining whether the domain name used by the business email address is registered to and under control of the business, and—if so—certifying the authenticity of the social website account. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method comprising the steps of: A) a domain name registrar receiving, by at least one server computer communicatively coupled to a network, a request from a social website to verify whether a social website account for said social website is non-fraudulent, said request comprising a business name for a business and a business email address for said business, said business email address comprising a domain name; B) said domain name registrar determining whether said domain name is registered to and under control of said business; and C) responsive to a determination that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business, said domain name registrar certifying to said social website that said social website account is non-fraudulent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said social website comprises a micro-blogging website. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said social website comprises a software application selected from the group consisting of a micro-blogging application, a chat application, a forum application, a social networking application, a blog application, and an instant messaging application. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein said software application comprises a server-side software application. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein said software application comprises a client-side software application. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step B) comprises the steps of: i) analyzing a WHOIS data for said domain name; ii) identifying an administrative contact from said WHOIS data; iii) contacting said administrative contact; and iv) receiving confirmation from said administrative contact confirming that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said WHOIS data comprises an administrative contact email address. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein said contacting step iii) comprises sending an email message to said administrative contact email address. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein said administrative contact email message comprises a hyperlink. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein said receiving step iv) comprises receiving an HTTP request originating from said hyperlink. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said determining step B) comprises sending an email message to said business email address, said email message comprising at least one instruction for verifying that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein said email message comprises at least one instruction to modify a CNAME record for said domain name. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein said determining step B) further comprises determining that said CNAME record was modified according to said at least one instruction by analyzing a DNS record for said domain name. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein said email message comprises at least one instruction to upload an HTML file to a webpage resolving from said domain name. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said email message further comprises said HTML file. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said email message further comprises a file name for said HTML file. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said determining step B) further comprises determining that said HTML file has been uploaded to said webpage. ### Claim 18 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein said confirmation is obtained by determining that said HTML file has been uploaded to said webpage. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said certifying step C) comprises notifying said social website that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said certifying step C) comprises transmitting a certification seal to said social website. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said certifying step C) comprises validating said social website account via said social website's application programming interface. ### Claim 22 A method comprising the steps of: A) a social website sending, by at least one server computer communicatively coupled to a network, a request to a domain name registrar to verify whether a social website account for said social website is non-fraudulent, said request comprising a business name for a business and a business email address for said business, said business email address comprising a domain name; B) said social website receiving from said domain name registrar confirmation that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business; and C) said social website certifying on said social website that said social website account is non-fraudulent. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein said social website comprises a micro-blogging website. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein said social website comprises a software application selected from the group consisting of a micro-blogging application, a chat application, a forum application, a social networking application, a blog application, and an instant messaging application. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein said software application comprises a server-side software application. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein said confirmation is obtained by: i) analyzing a WHOIS data for said domain name; ii) identifying an administrative contact from said WHOIS data; iii) contacting said administrative contact; and iv) receiving confirmation from said administrative contact that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein said WHOIS data comprises an administrative contact email address. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The method of claim 26, wherein said contacting step iii) comprises sending an email message to said administrative contact email address. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, wherein said administrative contact email message comprises a hyperlink. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The method of claim 29, wherein said receiving step iv) comprises receiving an HTTP request originating from said hyperlink. ### Claim 31 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein said confirmation is obtained by sending an email message to said business email address, said email message comprising at least one instruction for verifying that said domain name is registered to and under control of said business. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein said email message comprises at least one instruction to modify a CNAME record for said domain name. ### Claim 33 (depends on 32) The method of claim 32, wherein said confirmation is obtained by determining that said CNAME record was modified according to said at least one instruction by analyzing a DNS record for said domain name. ### Claim 34 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, wherein said email message comprises at least one instruction to upload an HTML file to a webpage resolving from said domain name. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, wherein said email message further comprises said HTML file. ### Claim 36 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, wherein said email message further comprises a file name for said HTML file. ### Claim 37 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22, wherein said certifying step C) comprises displaying an indicia of certification on said social website.