Patrick (Overstock's founder and then-CEO) wanted to buy o.com. He sat across from me and slid a check for $1,000,000 payable to ICANN across my desk...If my memory serves me correctly, Patrick offered $2 million.
Perhaps Overstock's attempt was rebuffed because the price offered wasn't generous enough but this episode demonstrates how a party interested in acquiring o.com could and did conclude, correctly, that single-character .com labels are existing domain name registrations and, incorrectly but maybe somewhat understandably, that they were ICANN's to sell since they were and remain registered to the IANA registrar.
Why are these names still registered by IANA?
read more (circle Id)
Perhaps Overstock's attempt was rebuffed because the price offered wasn't generous enough but this episode demonstrates how a party interested in acquiring o.com could and did conclude, correctly, that single-character .com labels are existing domain name registrations and, incorrectly but maybe somewhat understandably, that they were ICANN's to sell since they were and remain registered to the IANA registrar.
Why are these names still registered by IANA?
read more (circle Id)
