After OnlineNIC refused to show up at the legal proceedings that resulted in the largest cybersquatting decision in history, I speculated that their decision to ignore the federal lawsuit may have been based on not having any U.S. presence.

Looking up OnlineNIC’s Oakland, California address raised more questions than answers for me, so I thought I would drop by to check out the location that is listed in their whois record.

The building, 351 Embarcadero East, is located in an industrial area of Oakland. The property is bordered by a cement factory and an empty lot, and it looks like the type of place where junkyard dogs are used for security. I looked around the building and found many businesses listed but no evidence of OnlineNIC or any other Internet company for that matter. Here are a few photos:

While it’s not uncommon for businesses to have unusual locations in high-rent areas such as the San Francisco Bay area, it’s interesting that a company accused of owning almost a million infringing domains would use such a discreet location.