CyanogenMod is one of the most well-supported, feature-rich, and accessible Android custom ROM projects around. We’ve got a huge amount of respect for the devs who keep the project running, and bring up-to-date software to even some of our most aged Android handsets. That’s what makes the latest news to emerge from the CyanogenMod camp so upsetting: a sordid tale riddled with notes of extortion, impersonation, and betrayal.

The problem centers around the cyanogenmod.com domain, which was purchased by a non-team-member and subsequently donated to the project. Recently, the team learned that the person who controls the domain had been impersonating Cyanogen himself, Steve Kondik, in an attempt to set up referral deals. When they asked him to cut it out and relinquish all control over the domain, he demanded they pay up to the tune of $10,000, or he’d kill the site.

The CyanogenMod team neither has that kind of cash sitting around, nor intended to reward the guy controlling the domain for his behavior, so they quickly snagged back of all their social networking accounts he still had access to, and switched the site over to cyanogenmod.org, instead.

They’re still going to fight with ICANN to see if they can’t get the .com domain back, but for now everything will just go through the .org address.

Update:

The CyanogenMod Blog has been updated with a post that brings some good news. The issue has been solved, and, to quote the team, “the ex-member in question contacted us and has agreed to hand over control of the CyanogenMod.com domain. This was done as amicably as these things can be, and CM did not pay the fee he requested”.

The project will continue to use the .org domain as its primary address and the .com page will redirect, as it is not a commercial website.

Source: CyanogenMod (1)(2)
Via: Droid-life