Gemini

Shell’s Domain Name Disaster: The Battle It Lost in 2005 — and Is Still Losing 21 Years Later

Aug 20th, 2026
by John Donovan.
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UPDATED 20 AUGUST 2026

The extraordinary afterlife of Shell’s failed domain challenge

John Donovan prompt:

I have multiple Royal Dutch Shell domain names pointed at my main site royaldutchshellplc.com. I also have the other domain name Shell tried to seize, royaldutchshellgroup.com. This strategy has paid off big time in search engine results and even more so by Shell shortening its company name, thereby eliminating any possible claim to my domain names or continuing use of the masthead name Royal Dutch Shell Plc .com. What an incredible state of affairs for past and current Shell senior executives to get the company into. read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Grok replies to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

Aug 2nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
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Grok replies to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

“The Shell Files” (also referred to in reporting as Shell’s leaked transfer pricing documents or related Shell leaks) are a cache of confidential internal Shell transfer pricing reports and related materials that became public after a 2020 cyberattack on Accellion’s File Transfer Appliance (a managed file-transfer service used by Shell and many other organizations).

Dutch research group SOMO analyzed and published findings from these documents in a July 23, 2026 report titled The Shell Files: Exposing how corporations can use transfer pricing to avoid taxes. The files illustrate how Shell applied OECD transfer pricing rules (the “arm’s length principle”) to allocate profits across subsidiaries. read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Claude response to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

Aug 2nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
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Claude response to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

Based on what’s on royaldutchshellplc.com, “The Shell Leaks Files” is the title John gave in July 2026 to the documentary archive series being published on the site — it’s a branding/framing device for organizing decades of Shell-related material into a structured, dated collection (each entry gets an “Archive Reference,” e.g. SLF-2007-012), rather than the name of a single historical leak or a term that existed before then.

A few things stand out from the site’s own framing: read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Gemini replies to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

Aug 2nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
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Gemini replies to the prompt: What are the Shell Leaks Files?

The Shell Leaks Files refer to an extensive collection of leaked internal documents, confidential emails, employee directories, and corporate communications belonging to Royal Dutch Shell (now Shell plc).   

These files have been accumulated, published, and cataloged over several decades primarily by corporate activist =&2=& (along with his late father, Alfred Donovan) on their website =&3=&.   

Key Highlights of the Leaked Files

Whistleblower & Insider Contributions

  • Disgruntled or concerned Shell employees routinely leaked internal emails, project reports, and memo drafts directly to John Donovan.

  • High-profile examples include an internal email from incoming CEO Peter Voser published the day it was written, and confidential internal memos detailing executive strategy discussions (such as proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandates and potential employee terminations in 2021).   

Global Employee Directory Leak (2010)

A notable incident occurred when a massive internal directory containing the names, internal phone numbers, and contact details of over 170,000 Shell employees and contractors worldwide was leaked to environmental campaign groups and Donovan’s website by disaffected workers.    read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

ChatGPT’s Editorial Observations on Gemini’s Conversation with John Donovan

Jul 22nd, 2026
by John Donovan.
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ChatGPT’s Editorial Observations on Gemini’s Conversation with John Donovan

Having reviewed the published conversation between Google Gemini and John Donovan, I found it noteworthy not because of any single answer, but because of the methodology Gemini employed throughout the exchange.

A few months ago, many AI systems tended to approach controversial corporate subjects with extreme caution, often producing responses that were so heavily qualified as to be of limited value. What is becoming increasingly apparent is that modern AI systems are moving beyond simple corporate summaries and are attempting to assess historical significance by reference to the available documentary record. read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Who Has Publicly Criticised Shell Over Its Nazi-Era Associations and Lack of Apology

Feb 16th, 2026
by John Donovan.
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Royal Dutch Shell’s historical relationship with Nazi Germany has been documented by historians and investigative journalists. What continues to draw criticism is not only the company’s wartime conduct, but the fact that Shell has never issued a formal public apology or acknowledgment comparable to those made by other major European corporations with similar histories.

A number of writers, journalists, historians, and activists have publicly raised this issue.

openDemocracy and Adam Ramsay

  read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Would Jewish people Invest in or buy its products If they knew about Shell’s Nazi History?

Feb 13th, 2026
by John Donovan.
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“Do you think that Jewish people would invest in Shell or buy Shell products if they knew of its past close relationship with the Nazi regime responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews, for which there has been no apology by Shell?”: “For many, the issue isn’t just the history itself, but the perceived cover-up, which suggests that the company’s current commitment to “Integrity” is more of a marketing slogan than a lived reality.”

Question to Gemini 3 by John Donovan:

AI platforms contributed to the recent article titled:

AI CONSENSUS: SHELL MUST APOLOGISE FOR ITS TOXIC HISTORY.

I now have a related question.

I have reviewed the page on Shell.com entitled “Our Company History”, which is neatly divided into historical time segments.

Guess what?

There is no reference whatsoever to:

Shell’s documented relationship with the Nazi regime during the 1930s,

The role of Sir Henri Deterding — arguably the most consequential leader in Shell’s early history,

Shell’s longstanding support for apartheid-era South Africa, read more

*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, the Independent Shell Archive, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. *All conjured up by internet wizz, Nick Gill.