The challenge of finding a good domain name is illustrated perfectly on Arrested Development.
I’m finally getting to the end of the Netflix season of Arrested Development (no binge viewing for me!).
I’m not going to play spoiler here, but one of the episodes discusses domain names.
George Michael is working on a new app with his roommate and is having trouble coming up with a name.
George is on the phone, and it’s not clear if he’s talking to a domain registrar or an app store about registering his name. But the expressions that he and his roommate make during the phone call are spot on, and can’t adequately be described in writing.
First, George confidently tells the person on the other end of the line the name they want, WoodBlock, looking smug about coming up with something so creative.
He looks dejected after being told it’s not available. So he suggests BlockWood. His roommate motions that it’s a so-so name.
Also taken.
BlockofWood?
Both George and his roommate look defeated.
Then the operators says “FakeBlock is available. Would you like Fakeblock?”
George Michael tells him to hang on to it. Then he explains to his roommate “It’s $5,000 for the domain name…”
So I guess it’s not really “available” per se.
Now, domain investors reading this are probably heading over to their registrar to see if FakeBlock.com is taken.
Yep. 20th Century Fox owns it, and uses it promote an actual FakeBlock app. And they didn’t have to pay $5000 for it: they hand registered the domain.
Adam says
FakeBlock.com sounds a lot like FaceBook.com I smell a udrp coming for George Michael in the next season.
aweitzman1358 says
It’s also interesting to note that a while back Arrested Development was the name of successful hip hop soul group that took the show to court over the name. I wonder if the name was involved in a UDRP.