After announcing it selected the domain name abc.xyz for its holding company Alphabet, Google has been going around buying all sorts of “abc” domain names.
Last week we told you that Google bought ABC.Global.
Onlinedomain.com spotted 78 new gTLD’s that Google registered using “abc.
Last night .Club registry announced on Twitter that Google bought ABC.club.
Also last night Onlinedomain.com spotted 8 more new gTLD’s that Google bought or registered starting with “abc”
Which bring us to the fact that Disney, which owns the American Broadcasting Company otherwise known in the United States as ABC Network applied for the new gTLD .abc.
The application for .ABC passed ICANN evaluation and is in contracting so it will be a while until .ABC is live but it’s coming
Unlike .xyz which is open to be registered by anyone in the world on a first come, first served basis, .ABC is a Brand new gTLD, so the public will not be allowed to register .abc domain names unless Disney allows it, which according to its application they do not plan to allow.
At some point we can only assume we will not only have an abc.xyz but a xyz.abc
Yeah that won’t be confusing at all
While Google will control abc.xyz, Disney will control xyz.abc as well as abc.abc for that matter.
That might be a problem for Google, unless Google goes ahead and buys Disney.
Here is what Disney had to say in their application to operate .ABC:
“Disney Enterprises, Inc. (“DEI”) is applying for the .ABC global top level domain (“gTLD”). DEI will act as the Registry Operator, and outsource Registry Services to Verisign, Inc.
DEI will operate a closed gTLD, meaning it will always be the Registrant and not open to third parties to register second level domains.
DEI is 100% wholly owned by The Walt Disney Company (“Disney”).
The ABC branded vision is to “super-serve fans with compelling storytelling, digital and social experiences that connect them with entertainment, news and information they love and desire anytime, anywhere.” Acquiring and operating a .ABC gTLD is consistent with and supportive of that vision.”
“The .ABC gTLD may become a valued destination point for Disney Enterprises, Inc. (“DEI”) content viewing, acquisition and distribution.
It provides a fully branded string that will be easy to remember, shortened for simple sharing across social media platforms, and have immediate brand awareness in global markets where DEI provides content. With the massive changes in technology and content distribution⁄consumption, the ABC brand has the potential to extend globally, breaking the bounds of just the common terrestrial broadcasting, cable and satellite offerings in the US market. Now anyone in the world can download ABC branded apps on their iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices, and consume ABC branded content. Although it is unknown how the mobile⁄computer⁄”TV” viewing model will evolve, the company believes a crucial component of marketing and consuming ABC branded content will continue to involve and be built upon internet models and protocols.
As a part of the implementation strategy, it is critically important that DEI maintains control of the brand. To that end, the company plans to implement a closed gTLD. Registration requirements will dictate that DEI must be the registrant for all domains in the gTLD to ensure there is control around which second level domains are created. The domains will follow explicit business plans and strategies, and will be intentionally created, monitored for performance against the strategy, and reviewed for new potential business opportunities.”
Steve says
I really don’t think Larry Page & Sergey Brin care much about creating an “Alphabet” or “ABC” brand. None of the ventures/entities under the umbrella or holding company “Alphabet” will be ready for prime time; namely, presented to the public as “Alphabet” products.
Nest, once profitable, will probably move over to Google, Inc, and the same for:
Google Car, Glass, and more products.
Maybe “Alphabet” will file for a trademark or not. Doesn’t really matter. No doubt the driverless cars one day will move out of Alphabet and into Google, Inc, which also avoid any potential confusion with BMW’s “Alphabet” mark for fleet management.
Maybe ABC will never even use the .GTLD ABC — purchased solely for defense. Or just use it as a gateway to shows: GMA.ABC, etc
striker says
The only extensions that have any relative value to domain investors are .com, .me, .tv, and .io. The rest are shit.
JohnUK says
@sriker BUT it is NOT what IS “shit” it IS what the customer (Registrant) perceives to be what he wants. Many companies are very naive re domains and the implications of having dot hyr versus dot com. They do not realise that have their emails will go to the owner of the dot com who has “catch all” email set up. He does not know that he is losing a lot of traffic to his website to the dot com. How long will he sty naive ?. Maybe for months , maybe for years ??. In all that naive time he will not want to buy your dot com because he is happy in his naivety. THAT is THE problem for dot com owners who want to sell (although they might not want to say that out loud). That is why someone I know has autoresponders set up on his catch all email saying the domain may be for sale. So maybe the naive person might get wind and twig.
Joseph Peterson says
In that case, I’ve been a fool to profit from .NET, .ORG, .MX, .IN, .CO.UK, .ES, and other TLDs.
Gott im Himmel, if I’d only realized that these were shit! In the interests of ideological purity, what I clearly must do is refund my buyers and ask them to delete the websites they built.
striker says
Yeah, I’ll bet you made a pile of cash on those dogshit extensions. Buying for $20 and selling for $100 is more of a hobby than anything else. You strike me as possibly being one of those dudes who still lives in his mom’s basement.
K says
Alphabet should go register xyz.abc when .ABC is open for registration,. abc.xyz has similar ring to it like Amazon logo has arrow going from letter A to Z. Its like saying we carry all products from A to Z. May be Goolgle is trying to create similar meaning with abc.xyz. Like first 3 and last 3 letters of Alphabet.
janedoe says
Except for the fact that Google won’t be able to register xyz.ab
Steve says
@striker
You’re right.
I own domains (and many premiums) in .com, .me, .io, .de, .org. .net, .co, .tv, 3 or 4 .mobi and a few GTLDs (mostly for defense and to complement a .com I own)
Get about 10-12 offers per week — most offers are for .com, and the rest are usually .me (all end-users).
Michael Berkens says
K
“Alphabet should go register xyz.abc when .ABC is open for registration,'”
As i said in the post .ABC is closed so Google nor anyone else will be able to register domains under .ABC except for Disney
Luke Roman says
Just wondering why Google didn’t buy ABCD.COM or even ABCDE.COM?
Disney owns ABC, but ABCD and ABCDE might also be a better solution.
farnia says
Hi
When will the .abc be public for registeration?
I am waiting for it to be public.