Disney’s favorite undercover pop star Hannah Montana has her own mobile website. Keeping with the trend of corporations using a .mobi domain name to shorten an ugly long URL, Disney uses the domain name HannahMontana.mobi instead of trying to get kids to remember http://m.disney.go.com/m/hmt/t/index. Disney has been a leader in using .mobi names because they are short, catchy, and convey that a site is mobile friendly.

The site itself is broken into four parts:
• Hannah on TV gives a brief synopsis of the show and the time it’s on.
• Video Hannah Montana She’s Sixteen Video
• Games & Activities has two games, an Image Identifyer and a Trivia game
• Memory Match is another game where you look at the picture and then answer questions about what is in the picture and what is missing.

Parents will appreciate this warning that appears before the video can be played or downloaded:

This Application is data intensive. Upgrading to an unlimited data plan with your mobile service provider may help you avoid additional charges. Check with your mobile service for details. As always, ask a parent’s permission before streaming or downloading mobile content.

In other words, ask your parents first because if you rack up a huge phone bill you might get grounded or get your phone taken away.

Mobile internet for kids is big business, and it doesn’t get any bigger than Disney

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This post was submitted to Carnival of the Mobilists, a weekly roundup of blog entries covering the mobile web.

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Just in case anyone still thinks you can do whatever you want when registering a domain name, the latest World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) decision is a textbook example of why restraint is a virtue when you have your registrar shopping cart open.

When Richard Saville-Smith decided to purchase Narnia.mobi for his eleven year old son for a birthday gift, he was taking an enormous risk. Narnia, the fictitious land in C.S. Lewis’ book series beginning with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, was recently made famous again in the Disney movie The Chronicles of Narnia. Hint: If you see the word “Disney” in the vicinity of any possible domain registration, it might be a good idea to take a pass on the name if it is a trademark.

According to the WIPO documentation, Saville-Smith stated his intention was to give the domain name to his son so that he could have a narnia.mobi email address, and felt he was free to do so because he believed the trademark had expired. Unfortunately for Saville-Smith and his son, he didn’t set up the email addresses and instead parked the names on Sedo.com (computer link). While the page was parked on Sedo, it displayed advertisements for Narnia related products, so Saville-
Smith gets paid whenever anyone clicks on the advertisments. At the time of this blog post the site is still parked.

Why is this a problem? Well, when a page is parked and generating revenue, it can no longer be considered a fan site. Even if the page earned one penny, or attempted to earn revenue, it may be considered a “bad faith” registration, and that is exactly how the panel at WIPO saw it.

Perhaps Saville-Smith was emboldened to register this domain name because it is a .mobi. After all, the market value of aftermarket .mobi domain names is a hotly disputed topic. Perhaps this would not have been treated as a big deal by another author’s estate, but Disney is another story — they have been steadily building a presence in the .mobi namespace for several years. Disney.mobi, CampRock.mobi, and HSM2.mobi, especially when there is no HSM2.com are all examples of how the Disney company takes their .mobi positioning very seriously. I wouldn’t doubt it if we see Narnia.mobi developed in the near future with the release of their next movie, Prince Caspian, as well as an upcoming third Narnia film slated for 2010.

Certainly I feel badly for the eleven year old boy. In order to avoid this type of disappointing scenario in the future, if you are considering registering a domain name for someone else, the best plan of action is to ensure it is not protected by a trademark.

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“Disney’s Most Rockin’ Original Movie Yet”

If you thought Disney’s High School Musical was popular, get ready for something even bigger (if that’s possible): Camp Rock. For those of you with tweens and teens at home, you can show them how cool you are by loading CampRock.mobi on your iPhone, BlackBerry, iPod touch or mobile phone. As a friendly reminder from a parent, unless you want to rack up huge phone bills, now would be a good time to look into that unlimited internet plan from your phone carrier. Once your kids see this they are going to want to check out all of the other Disney mobile sites. You will prove to be quite impressive with your kids if you can tell the difference and name the three performing Jonas Brothers. (They have a little brother who does not perform.)The Camp Rock Mobile Site will help you understand what your kids (or nieces and nephews) are going to be talking about all summer. There’s a “meet the cast” section, a list of songs for the soundtrack, behind the scenes, and a synopsis of the movie. It’s on tonight by the way, so you know where I’ll be at 8 pm tonight – glued to the Disney Channel.

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Get the scoop on the latest Disney news on your mobile phone with Disney.mobi, the Disney mobile web site. The site has games, information on Disney movies, television, music and live events including the High School Musical ice skating show. There is also travel information like Disney cruises, and if your phone supports streaming video you can even see Disney videos. Mickey says “See you real soon!”

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 What time is it? Time to go to High School Musical 2’s mobile website! If you’ve been watching Hannah Montana or other shows on the Disney Channel, you know that High School Musical 2 has its own mobile website. This is great fun, and games, videos, text, photos, and a lot more so check it out!

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Your Guide to Mobile Web

MobiEnthusiast.mobi is your tour guide on the mobile internet: it’s a mobile blog for mobile website owners, developers, marketers and end users. It is read in 90 countries worldwide.

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About the Author

Holly Kolman is a mobile web publisher, writer, and trainer in San Diego, California. A moderator of the mobile web forum Mobility.mobi, Holly has participated on four international award-winning mobile sites: MobiEnthusiast.mobi, RecalledToys.mobi, and Why.mobi and Leucadia.mobi. She conducts marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) and public relations for mobile website owners, and consults with companies who desire a presence on the mobile internet.

She has been featured on Radio Disney, 60SecondMarketer.com, and the Power to the Small Business podcast for her expertise in the emerging mobile internet. She was most recently a featured speaker for the Mobile Marketing Profits teleclass series.

A rare blend of marketing and technical knowledge has made Kolman a sought-after sounding board for investors and small businesses looking to build a presence on the mobile web. As a former teacher and software trainer, it is common to hear her described as “very patient” and “she explains things so you can understand them.” She often acts as a liaison between mobile web developers and clients since she speaks fluent geek.

mobiEnthusiast.mobi, like all of her other mobile websites, can be accessed by computer, smartphone, or any other web-enabled device.

She is a fixture in the San Diego Twitter community, and counsels clients on mastering social media.

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