System and method for identifying and reporting improperly registered web sites

• US 8,793,318 B1
• Filed: 06/09/2008
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Garth Bruen
• Original Assignee: Garth Bruen
• Inventors: Bruen, Garth
• Primary Examiner(s): Survillo, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US12/135,649
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A method for identifying and reporting improperly registered web sites includes receiving unwelcome mail. A Universal Resource Locator for the unwelcome mail is extracted. A database for ownership data for the extracted Universal Resource Locator is queried. The ownership data includes an owner email address for an owner of the extracted Universal Resource Locator. A message is sent to the owner email address requesting a stop to the unwelcome mail. If the message is rejected, the rejection is indicative of invalid ownership data. Thereafter, the invalid ownership data and the Universal Resource Locator is reported to the proper authority.

Claims

1. A method of identifying and reporting improperly registered web sites, comprising the steps of:

receiving unwelcome mail;

extracting a Universal Resource Locator for the unwelcome mail;

querying a database for ownership data for the extracted Universal Resource Locator, the ownership data including an owner email address for an owner of the extracted Universal Resource Locator; and

sending a message to the owner email address requesting a stop to the unwelcome mail.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a rejection of the message to the owner email address requesting a stop to the unwelcome mail thereby indicating the ownership data for the extracted Universal Resource Locator is invalid; and

reporting the invalid data to a proper authority.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of storing the invalid data reported to the proper authority in a storage device.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of storing a copy of the message sent and information regarding the rejection in a storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of storing a copy of the message sent in a storage device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of querying a database further comprises querying a public Whois database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of querying a database further comprises querying a private database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

detecting whether the URL has been obfuscated; and

de-obfuscating the URL if obfuscation is detected.