MySpace Spends $25K on MySpace.Co, A Domain They Could Have Bought For $300

by

Corporate America.

They still have a lot to learn when it comes to domain names.

A reader informed me that they were in the auction for MySpace.co and that the domain sold for $25,000.

The whois record now confirms that Twentieth Century Fox, which is owned by NewsCorp, which also owns MySpace.com, is the new owner of the domain.

Of course as the trademark holder, Fox could have just applied for the domain in the Sunrise period for around $300 and gotten the domain.

Moreover, one would think that they would have had a very good chance of getting the domain through a WIPO proceeding for 1/4 of the price they paid at auction.

In any event, failing to protect your intellectually property for pennies on the dollar with a simple sunrise application is inexcusable and having to pay $25K for something you could have gotten for $300 is either pure neglect or outright stupidity.

Speaking of Stupity, even after spending that $25K to acquire the domain they could have gotten for $300, the domain isn’t even resolving to MySpace.com.

Although the domain seems to have quite a bit of traffic, with an Alexa ranking of 700K, Fox hasn’t even updated the Name Servers and the domain is going to a parked Network Solutions page.  I’m sure Net Sol is enjoying the extra revenue.

With hundreds of new extensions on the horizon, Corporate America better start getting a better understanding of the domain space or at least hire a domain company to advise them (I can recommend one right offhand)

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About Michael Berkens

Michael Berkens, Esq. is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheDomains.com. Michael is also the co-founder of Worldwide Media Inc. which sold around 70K domain to Godaddy.com in December 2015 and now owns around 8K domain names . Michael was also one of the 5 Judges selected for the the Verisign 30th Anniversary .Com contest.

Comments

  1. Faceless says

    That’s great an all; but any updates on the .co auctions?

    I’ve been waiting to see a price for them.

    I see more have ended as I’ve been waiting for the whois to resolve on one in particular and finally I see this in the whois.

    ————-

    fluege.co

    Auctioned — Awarded

    —–

    Well, what the hell did it fetch? .co is doing horribly at getting more/keeping interest in this extension.

  2. MHB says

    Haven’t gotten any updates on the sales, although I’m told one domain in auction has already topped $50K and its not a domain you would guess.

    On the other hand the auction for slots.co started today

  3. BullS says

    No No…do not hire anybody…Let them show their $STUPidity…$$$$$
    **************************************************
    With hundreds of new extensions on the horizon, Corporate America better start getting a better understanding of the domain space or at least hire a domain company to advise them (I can recommend one right offhand)

  5. Snoopy says

    The underbidder must be even sillier than Myspace to bid it to that, could this have been toyota.me mark II?

  6. Tom C says

    while $25k is not a large sum for the folks at MySpace, it’s great to see they felt the need to acquire this domain!

  11. Robert Cline says

    Do you know what the shortest domain name is? Well, it happens to be E.CO the one auctioned off for charity for $81,000 last month. The interesting thing is that E.COM does not exist and cannot exist for some reason. I wonder why?

  15. Em John says

    I agree with Tom C. Its all relative. Depending on your budget, $25000 is not a lot to some people. I had a friend who sold a painting to royalty. The monarch actually asked her to “add on a zero” just to make it right. So the sale went from $3000 to $30000 in an instant. So money does burn a hole sometimes…LOL.

  19. Gazzip says

    So who auctioned off a blatently obvious trademark name and walked away with $25k profit?

    The .co Registrar ?

  21. MHB says

    Kevin

    Domain Name: MYSPACE.CO
    Domain ID: D2691155-CO
    Sponsoring Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS INC.
    Sponsoring Registrar IANA ID: 2
    Registrar URL (registration services): http://www.networksolutions.com
    Domain Status: serverDeleteProhibited
    Registrant ID: 45655913-NSI
    Registrant Name: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
    Registrant Address1: 10201
    Registrant Address2: W.Pico Boulevard
    Registrant City: Los Angeles
    Registrant State/Province: CA
    Registrant Postal Code: 90035
    Registrant Country: United States
    Registrant Country Code: US
    Registrant Phone Number: +1.3103691000
    Registrant Facsimile Number: +1.3109690144
    Registrant Email: wmf@fox.com
    Administrative Contact ID: 45655919
    Administrative Contact Name: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
    Administrative Contact Address1: 10201
    Administrative Contact Address2: W.Pico Boulevard
    Administrative Contact City: Los Angeles
    Administrative Contact State/Province: CA
    Administrative Contact Postal Code: 90035
    Administrative Contact Country: United States
    Administrative Contact Country Code: US
    Administrative Contact Phone Number: +1.3103691000
    Administrative Contact Facsimile Number: +1.3109690144
    Administrative Contact Email: wmf@fox.com
    Billing Contact ID: 44377845

  22. MHB says

    Gazzip

    Yes the .co registry got the money but its Fox’s fault. The .co registry, nor can any other registry deny issuing domains.

  23. Gazzip says

    “The .co registry, nor can any other registry deny issuing domains.”

    That’s pretty convenient for the .co registrar considering all the TM issues blah they’ve been talking lately.

    .CO Addresses Trademark Abuse Concerns

    http://www.domainnews.com/en/co-addresses-trademark-abuse-concerns.html

    “Concerns of trademark abuse for the recently relaunched .CO country code Top Level Domain have prompted the new registry operator to write an open letter to brand owners to reassure them that their rights will be protected.”

    “Concerns have been raised that the .CO could easily become a typographical error, or typo, for .COM names.”

    ““As the new registry operator of the .CO TLD, we recognize and embrace our responsibility to serve as a reliable trustee for the .CO domain – a unique digital resource with broad global appeal,” said Juan Diego Calle, chief executive officer of .CO Internet. “We are committed to managing the .CO Registry in a responsible manner – one that places a premium on protecting the rights of brand owners.” —

    …if words mean anything then so far it does’nt appear they are going the right way about it by auctioning TM’s off and banking the big bucks themselves.

    Or does this mean the .co registrar will give the new owners of myspace.co their $25,000.00 back because it should’nt have been autioned off in the first place ?

  25. Juan Diego Calle says

    Gazzip – you miss the point.

    The TM holder had the opportunity to get this name during Sunrise or as MHB pointed out they could have filed a UDRP.

    Either way, this case is mind-boggling!

    My only guess is that they were competing against someone who also had a valid trademark (or other right of some sort) that would have made Sunrise and/or UDRP difficult for them.

    Do read the “THE (NOT SO) FINE PRINT” on COauctions.co

    Thanks.

  26. MHB says

    Gazzip

    “The .co registry, nor can any other registry deny issuing domains.”

    That’s pretty convenient for the .co registrar considering all the TM issues blah they’ve been talking lately.”

    Its not a question of convenience its a question of rights and obligations.

    A trademark holder has the RIGHT to apply for their domain, if they don’t whose fault is that?

    If the domain hasn’t been taken during sunrise they anyone can land rush it.

    The wisdom of land rushing a well known trademark is a whole different question but lets continue.

    If one land rush application is received for a domain, that applicant gets it.

    If several applications are received the domain goes to auction.

    Nothing for the registry to do or not to do other than run the auction.

    If they refused to award a domain someone land rushed they would have liability.

    So its the trademark holders fault.

  27. Slate says

    A trademark issue is on the purchaser of the domain and how they use it.
    Its has nothing to do with the registry.
    There are .NET trademark issues, .COM trademark issues, .CO trademark issues.

    If the trademark owner thought there was going to be any problems then they should have gotten the domain during the sunrise. They didnt think enough of it at the time and here we are and someone is out $25K and someone made $25k

  29. Aggro says

    Unusual why MySpace/News Corp didn’t go the UDRP/WIPO

    MySpace/News Corp, historically, have been very litigious mofos..

  32. Slate says

    “about the [gulf of] mexi.co have you seen that another oil rig has exploded today?”

    I am starting to think it is Eco Terrorists!
    Part of that Al-Gore-Qaeda group!

    On another site, I read that there was a $15,000 sale of a LLL.co but the details have yet to be confirmed.

  34. Slate says

    As far as I understand its some local business that wanted the domain.
    Its not my sale, I am just writing what I read.

  35. Wang says

    Baidu.co . baidu.com: Note: Baidu Europe (www.baidu.eu), the Groningen-based automation and web design solutions organization, had secured the rights to the baidu.co domain name, having been the only for the domain name in the trademark protected .CO Sunrise period.Baidu.com is ranked #6 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings