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Record breaker: Voice.com domain name sells for staggering $30 million

by — Domain Sales 1 Comment

Microstrategy cashes in on one of its premium domain names, sets a high water mark.

Screenshot of Voice.com, a new blockchain based social media platform

MicroStrategy (NASDAQ: MSTR) sold the domain name Voice.com for $30 million, the company announced today.

This is a record–by a large margin–for a public domain-only sale.

Blockchain-based social media platform Block.one bought the domain name in an all-cash deal facilitated by GoDaddy.

Microstrategy, an enterprise analytics and software company, owns a nice catalog of valuable domain names that it hasn’t put to use, including Alert.com, Courage.com, Mike.com and Usher.com.

The company has fended off attempts to steal its domains through cybersquatting claims, including Glory.com an Emma.com.

A list of some of its best domain names is at Strategy.com.

Missed connections: another smart domain sales idea

by — Domain Sales 14 Comments

A great idea to close deals at previously negotiated prices.

Picture of business people shaking hands with words "Missed Connections: a second chance"

I like it when domain name companies try new and interesting things. They don’t always work, but this industry needs more creative thinking.

The latest comes from Uniregistry. The company took some of its uncompleted sales and is offering them to the public (with permission of the seller).

The list includes domains in which the buyer and seller agreed to a price but the buyer never paid. Each domain is listed with the final agreed price.

If a buyer wants one of the domains, they should open a new inquiry at the accepted price to purchase the domain.

Uniregistry VP of Sales Jeffrey Gabriel notes that “This is not a starting point, and there will not be negotiations.”

From a buyer perspective, I like how you get to skip the negotiations and get domains at fair prices. No wasted time.

Before posting this story, I secured one of the domains on the list: SodaFountain.com. I like this name as a brandable similar to my name CandyCorn.com.

Here are some of the domains:

  • SodaFountain.com (sorry, too late)
  • BenefitsCard.com $4,000
  • Specifications.com $8,000
  • Bootstrappers.com $5,000
  • Chapter11.com $25,000

Proactive domain sales with Joe Uddeme – DNW Podcast #240

by — Podcasts 1 Comment

Learn about changes to the domain market and how to sell your domains proactively.

dnw-podcastWant to learn a process for figuring out end user buyers for your domain names? On today’s show, Joe Uddeme of Name Experts LLC walks us through how he does outbound lead qualifying and marketing. He also gives his take on what’s happened in the domain market since he was last on the podcast in 2014, including the impact of changing habits and new TLDs on “exact match” domains.

Also: About those subpoenas, Uniregistry’s big numbers, DigitalTown’s domain exit, and NamesCon Austin details.

This week’s sponsor: DNAcademy. Use code DNW to save $50.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:16 — 25.1MB) | Embed

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Subscribe via Apple Podcasts to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, view on Google Play Music, or click play above or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

Clinton Sparks wins domain name back

by — Policy & Law 2 Comments

Grammy-nominated Clinton Sparks gets domain name back after it expired.

Screenshot of a fake profle on ClintonSparks.com

Clinton Sparks? Not really. Just an attempt to game the search engines.

DJ, producer and songwriter Clinton Sparks has won the rights to the domain name ClintonSparks.com, which expired after a dispute with his agent.

Sparks and his Get Familiar Music Company registered the domain in 2002 and the agent let it lapse in 2017.

A Ukranian SEO expert then registered the domain name and put up a fake profile of a University of Pennslyvania professor (see image). The profile picture is actually of an American University professor.

The fake profile on ClintonSparks.com links to two sites: UPENN.edu and an academic essay writing service. It seems that the domain owner registered this domain based on its SEO value, and then used the fake site to bolster its backlink profile. The site was designed to confuse search engines.

With the help of attorney John Berryhill, Sparks and Get Familiar Music filed a UDRP with National Arbitration Forum. Berryhill rarely represents Complainants, but he chooses interesting cases when he does.

Clothing company fails to upgrade domain name through UDRP

by — Policy & Law 3 Comments

Clothing company goes after shorter domain name through UDRP.

Image of LittleJonesiesCo.com website showing kids clothes

This clothing company tried to upgrade its domain from LittleJonesiesCo.com to LittleJonesies.com through UDRP. It failed.

A kids and women’s clothing company has lost a cybersquatting dispute against the domain LittleJonesies.com, which is owned by someone with the last name Jones.

The Complainant, Little Jonesies LLC, uses the domain name LittleJonesiesCo.com.

David Jones of Idaho registered the domain in January 2016.

Little Jonesies LLC filed trademarks for the term in 2017 but claimed first use in commerce of 2015.

Interestingly, the company didn’t register its own domain name until April 2016, after LittleJonesies.com was registered. It might have just been using third-party ecommece platforms like Etsy without its own domain name.

In its complaint, the clothing seller didn’t address the fact that the registrant’s last name is Jones, which is a decent tip-off that it might have rights or legitimate interests in the domain.

Jones didn’t make a formal reply in the case but said he registered the domain with plans to start a business. He could have just as easily said he registered it because he has kids and it would suffice as a legitimate interest.

The Complainant also failed to provide any evidence that the domain was used in bad faith. It resolved to an error page at the time the complaint was filed.

Panelist David H. Bernstein did not consider reverse domain name hijacking. Thorpe North & Western LLP represented the Complainant.