Go Daddy Wants Patent for Selling Business Cards with Domain Names
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Company files patent application for cross-selling business cards based on registrant information.
The Go Daddy Group, parent company of domain name registrar GoDaddy, has filed two patent applications related to ordering business cards along with a domain name registration.
U.S. patent applications 12/202919 (pdf) and 12/202956 (pdf) describe a method of using information collected during the domain name registration process to help generate — and cross-sell — business cards for the registrant. These business cards could be offered as printed cards, an electronic file that may be printed, or as an electronic-only business card.
It makes sense to offer business cards to people when they register a domain name. After all, many people registering a domain are starting a business, and you’ve already collected their contact information (and now have a URL to put on the card). But I wonder how Go Daddy’s invention compares to other companies that collect information to sell one good and cross-sell another. VistaPrint, one of the masters of cross-selling, often uses customer information gained from selling one print or electronic product to sell another to the same customer.
The patent applications were filed September 2, 2008 an published today.
Further Reading:
- GoDaddy Files Patent for Method of Selling Equity in Domain Names
- Amazon.com Gets Patent for Selling and Leasing Domain Names
- GoDaddy Files Patent App for “Jointly Auctioning Expiring Domain Names”
Tags: go daddy group, GoDaddy, the go daddy group
Godaddy are becoming the ultimate patent trolls.
This thread needs the smashing head in to keyboard emoticon
Apparently you can patent anything these days…
@ Alex – it’s not a patent yet. It’s an application.
@ Adam – technically they aren’t trolling. I haven’t seen them file a lawsuit against anyone over patents. What they have done is use their patents and pending patents as leverage when someone else sues them. It’s a smart strategy, whether we agree with all of the patents and patent apps or not.
That said, I do happen to own PatentTroll.com and PatentTrolls.com
Not sure how this idea is novel or protecting it in any way contributes anything to innovation.
Godaddy wants to kill small company’s business. Domain name is not enough to make them rich.
@Andrew I realize it’s just an application, but some of the patents the patent office has been awarding lately are giving companies a realistic expectation that whatever patent they apply for, legit or not, will be approved. If it works, more power to them. I’d just have some pointed criticism of the patent office for granting it.
Im not too hot on this idea personally.
There’s another company that’s been offering this for ~3 years. They include business stationary to boot.
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