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Picking up short Pinyin domains

by — Expired Domains 0 Comments

They have a limited market unless they are more generic.

Graphic that says 'pinyin' in yellow type on purple background

Regular readers know that I don’t invest in Pinyin domains. This is because I want to sell my domains to the entire world but Pinyin names are often limited to the China market. Interestingly, I’m seeing Pinyin domains dropped regularly that can be registered for mere $10 a pop.

For example, the following two Pinyin domains were deleted on August and therefore were available for registration.

Geleshi.com was first recorded by Wayback Machine in 2016 but the site had no contents. In 2017, it was owned by the big seller HugeDomains.com. Geleshi is 3-pin and has 7 characters. Ge Le Shi may have multiple Chinese meanings, such as 歌乐视 (suggesting a music video channel) and 格乐事 (suggesting matters related to happy things).

Rongjixi.com was first recorded by Wayback Machine in 2018 but the site had no contents. Rongjixi is 3-pin and has 8 characters. Rong Ji Xi may have multiple Chinese meanings, such as 融计息 (related to finance) and 荣基喜 (a thriving foundation of happiness).

Having said that I don’t invest in Pinyin domains, I actually own a few of them – although not intentionally. Here are two for illustration.

Hemola(dot)com is 3-pin and has only 6 characters. He Mo La may have multiple Chinese meanings such as 鹤默拉 (associated with crane, silence, and pull). Because the name is very generic, it can be used in almost any business field.

Bibale(dot)com is 3-pin and has only 6 characters. It was first recorded by Wayback Machine in 2008 but I don’t see any site development over the years. Bi Ba Le may have multiple Chinese meanings such as 币霸乐 (associated with money, master, and fun), which can be used in money-related fields.

As you can see, my favorite Pinyin domains are very short and also pronounceable. They can be used both inside and outside China. How did I find them? I use ExpiredDomains.net, choose the Deleted Domains category, and specify 2-word English domains. (It’s still a mystery to me. I intend to see English-based domains but the search result does include Pinyin domains.)

SmartTiles.com UDRP: there are lots of uses for this domain

by — Policy & Law 1 Comment

Domain investor shows that there are lots of uses for the domain and he has a legitimate interest in holding the domain as an investment.

Blue image with the letters UDRP

A domain name investor has successfully defended his domain name SmartTiles.com in a UDRP. The case decision is notable for a couple of reasons:

1. It’s very brief.

2. It validates registering a domain name that’s a trademark in some circumstances, especially if lots of people use the term.

Ehren Schaiberger, who represented himself in the proceedings, argued that he had rights or legitimate interests in the domain name SmartTiles.com because he is in the business of registering, holding, and selling domain names, and there are many of uses for the disputed domain name unrelated to the Complainant, Quinco & Cie Inc.

Quinco & Cie Inc holds a trademark that predates Schaiberger’s registration.

The three-person National Arbitration Forum panel wrote:

Respondent argues that it uses the domain name in connection with a bona fide offering of goods or services because Respondent is in the business of registering, holding, and selling domain names. Registration of a domain name for the purposes of resale may qualify as legitimate use of the domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii). See Platterz Inc. v. Andrew Melcher, FA 1729887 (Forum June 19, 2017) (holding that “investing in genuinely generic terms, for purpose of resale, is a legitimate business and that the acquisition of domain names consisting of common, dictionary terms for resale can confer rights and legitimate interests upon entrepreneurs who engage in this activity”). Respondent argues that it purchased the disputed domain name for resale because it had a variety of potential uses. Respondent provides examples of commercial uses of the term “smart tiles” to illustrate the wide scope of possible uses. See Resp. Annex B. The Panel finds that Respondent has rights and legitimate interests in the disputed domain name under Policy ¶ 4(a)(ii).

Quinco & Cie inc uses the domain name TheSmartTiles.com.

What domains should this startup should consider upgrading to?

by — Uncategorized 0 Comments

This Chinese startup should consider upgrading its domain. Here are some suggestions.

the word "domain upgrade" on a red backgrounder, black arrow pointing upward inside a circle

I read news about companies in China regularly, and I often see many choosing domains that are difficult to remember and not brand matching. Here is one that I recently came across.

Kuai Tu (快兔=speedy rabbit) is a logistics startup founded in 2017. When it began, Kuai Tu settled on the domain KTU56.com. The name consists of three parts: K from “Kuai”, Tu the entire word, and 56, which rhymes with Wu Liu (物流=logistics). These three different parts make the domain difficult to remember.

Business boomed. Kuai Tu completed Series Pre-A and Series A rounds in 2018. The startup then expanded its services to multiple cities in China. In 2019, it raised Series A+ funding and then Series B round early this year. Kuai Tu also changed its name to Kuai Yun Tu (快运兔=speedy transport rabbit).

Apparently, the startup has not upgraded its corporate domain. Entering its new name in Baidu still leads me to KTU56.com. What are the domains Kuai Yun Tu should consider upgrading to? Here are my suggestions.

  • KYT.com
  • KYT.cn
  • KuaiYunTu.com
  • KuaiYunTu.cn

All of the domains are brand-matching. The best one must be KYT.com because it is short and easy to remember. In addition, KYT.com can be used both inside and outside China because it is much easier to pronounce than “Kuai Yun Tu” when used outside China. Many companies have chosen this route to go global, such as JD.com (Jing Dong), ZBJ.com (Zhu Ba Jie), and DJI (Da Jiang Innovations).

There are still many companies in China like Kuai Tu waiting to upgrade to better domains. Since corporate China prefers .com, this also suggests opportunities for domain investors holding short and meaningful .com domains.

15 end user domain name sales

by — Domain Sales 2 Comments

A young entrepreneur, a driver testing company, and a DJ bought domain names at Sedo this past week.

picture of rolled currency with the words "end-user domain sales"

 

Sedo’s top public sale over the past week was BuyWeed .com for $50,000. Other than being in Florida, we don’t know anything about the buyer yet.

Here’s a list of end user sales this past week. You can see previous lists like this here.

Founders.net $37,500 – Lukas Mankow, a young German entrepreneur, forwards the domain to his personal website LukasMankow.com

RoadTest.com $16,500 – Forwards to MPUTest.de, a site about MPU tests. In German, MPU stands for “medical-psychological examination” and encompasses the exams given to drivers to make sure they can drive and have the appropriate reaction time, concentration and attention. This type of test is also used in aviation for pilots and air traffic controllers.

RealisticLoans.com $8,999 – This is an odd name for a loan site, but that’s precisely what it is.

Alavis.com $8,050 – Alavis, a company that sells nutritional supplements for horses to support joint health. It currently uses Alavis.cz for its website.

TAAL.in $5,500 – Merapos Private Limited, a website and digital services firm in India.

Lium.com $5,000 – This domain was bought by Infill Thinking, an information forum founded in 2016 to deliver updates, analyses and research to business decision-makers in the oil and gas industry.

Gonz.com $4,500 – This website is for a Miami-based DJ named Gonz.

ArtPix.com €3,900 – Artpix 3D bought this domain. The company engraves user’s pictures inside crystal keepsakes. ArtPix3d.com is its main website.

Autoly.com $3,800 – This is an app/mobile solution to measure customer engagement with autos. Potential users of this app would be auto showrooms, dealers and manufacturers who can benefit from the data being analyzed from the sensors connected and measured by this mobile app.

TheArtShop.com $3,000 – Digital marketing agency Agency Red bought this domain name.

MaxLine.net $2,800 – Make Cents, Inc is a loan provider. The company is a corporation of the “Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation,” a sovereign nation located in the US.

TheRockShop.com $2,500 – This is an e-commerce site for clothing, accessories and other apparel products in the “rocker” or “goth” genre/style.

Worth.nl €2,500 – Forwards to Worth.systems. Worth is a full-service digital agency based in Reading, England and Rijswijk, the Netherlands.

Zoya.ro €2,940 – Forwards to Zoya.bg, a Bulgarian e-commerce site for organic products including raw super-foods, natural health and beauty products, cleaning and household items.

CloverMarketing.com $2,400 – Clover Marketing bought this domain name. It is a Marketing Services consultancy focusing on the A/C, HVAC and heating industries.

Efty teams up with Dan.com, also introducing marketplace

by — Services 5 Comments

Efty users will be able to accept payments through Escrow.com or Dan.com.

The domain name industry creates strange bedfellows.

For example, you might look at Efty.com and Dan.com as competitors. Both offer landing page services to domain name investors.

Yet they don’t have the same solution set, and that’s where a new partnership comes into play.

More than just landing pages, Dan.com is a payment platform. It accepts many types of payments with limited friction.

So Efty is integrating Dan.com payments into its platform. Sellers will be able to add Dan.com buy now buttons so customers can complete their transaction with a payment through Dan.com. Efty already integrates with Escrow.com.

Efty is also introducing a marketplace so that names listed on its platform are searchable. Efty won’t take a cut, so it’s effectively commission-free before payment processing charges to Dan.com or Escrow.com.

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