question Why is everyone told to just create brandable .com's

[Jason Baudendistel]

This feels like trying to win the lottery? Why not go find keyword domains that are missed or undervalued in other extensions? Obviously the keyword matters and it needs to be taken in multiple extensions but a 500 dollar flip now feels more realistic than maybe someone 10 years from now will pay me 2,000 for something I made up. Thoughts?

 

[MadAboutDomains]

If you can’t see that, I recommend some new glasses or a monocle

You don't always have to be goading and rude you know. I'm reading no further than that now .

 

[Alessandro Couteau]

You don't always have to be goading and rude you know. I'm reading no further than that now .

Haha, forgot to drink a shot of whiskey tonight, helps me mellow out

 

[Altetra]

Because serious companies will not sell their cars under car + whatever combo, they will invent some brand or buy already invented brand, that is what I was doing recently, was creating brands with a niche that no body knows, I know that current car companies will run after my brands to rebrand, so in the end I will take them by surprise.

 

[ThatNameGuy]

There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding of what is "brandable" when it comes to how companies and businesses view things. A "brandable" from a business point of view is something in which it is worth investing time, money and effort but can be protected with a trademark or service mark. For .COM, it benefits from being the de facto US ccTLD. That does not mean that businesses outside the US think of it as being the first choice for anything other than a global TLD. Outside the US, there is a very obvious shift to the local ccTLDs for local businesses. Sometimes people get lucky with being able to flip brandables but many drop without ever receiving an offer.

Regards...jmcc

"Sometimes people get lucky being able to flip brandables but many drop without ever receiving an offer" How true Having started many a business i just hand registered two brandable names "Dam River" and "Catch River". According to Hoster Stats "Dam River" had been registered 17 of the last 20 years, and "Catch River" has never been registered.

Neither of these names have been trademarked or service marked so I'll need to invest around $800 to maximize their value. While "Dam River" could be a name for a tech company, "Catch River" will most likely become an apparel brand.

Thanks jmcc

 

[Joe N]

Neither of these names have been trademarked or service marked so I'll need to invest around $800 to maximize their value. While "Dam River" could be a name for a tech company, "Catch River" will most likely become an apparel brand.

This is an interesting strategy. Have you had success with selling domains and trademarks together for much more than the domain alone would sell?

 

[bmugford]

This is an interesting strategy. Have you had success with selling domains and trademarks together for much more than the domain alone would sell?

Stay tuned.

 

[ThatNameGuy]

This is an interesting strategy. Have you had success with selling domains and trademarks together for much more than the domain alone would sell?

jmcc said this, "A "brandable" from a business point of view is something in which it is worth investing time, money and effort but can be protected with a trademark or service mark."

Joe, I've had success starting, naming and trademarking many businesses's since 1970. If I sound confident this strategy will work, it's because of my past success. As I've said before, rarely do I register or buy a domain that I don't think I can develop into a successful enterprise. I just left talking with a young man working at my golf club who I told when I get home I'll register the domain "Cadabra Golf" for him/us to jointly develop when he finishes his last year in college (next year).....he's majoring in "Sports Management". When I shared with him the story of Amazon trading as Cadabra prior to it becoming Amazon, he like me thought it was really cool

Since I've actually made two hole in one's this year and this young fella personally knows about them (written up in the newspaper), i told him to be thinking how we can use this info for CadabraGolf(.)com....note, i haven't bought it as of this post, but I intend to. I haven't decided to trademark™ it yet either, but I'll let you know if I do. Finally, i wouldn't recommend this for someone with little or no business experience, but if you think you own a good "brandable" name, you may want to get some professional advice.

 

[bmugford]

jmcc said this, "A "brandable" from a business point of view is something in which it is worth investing time, money and effort but can be protected with a trademark or service mark."

Joe, I've had success starting, naming and trademarking many businesses's since 1970. If I sound confident this strategy will work, it's because of my past success. As I've said before, rarely do I register or buy a domain that I don't think I can develop into a successful enterprise. I just left talking with a young man working at my golf club who I told when I get home I'll register the domain "Cadabra Golf" for him/us to jointly develop when he finishes his last year in college (next year).....he's majoring in "Sports Management". When I shared with him the story of Amazon trading as Cadabra prior to it becoming Amazon, he like me thought it was really cool

Since I've actually made two hole in one's this year and this young fella personally knows about them (written up in the newspaper), i told him to be thinking how we can use this info for CadabraGolf(.)com....note, i haven't bought it as of this post, but I intend to. I haven't decided to trademark™ it yet either, but I'll let you know if I do. Finally, i wouldn't recommend this for someone with little or no business experience, but if you think you own a good "brandable" name, you may want to get some professional advice.

Nothing mentioned really has anything to do with Joe's question.

So the TLDR version is a simple "no" then?

Brad

 

[Joe N]

jmcc said this, "A "brandable" from a business point of view is something in which it is worth investing time, money and effort but can be protected with a trademark or service mark."

Joe, I've had success starting, naming and trademarking many businesses's since 1970. If I sound confident this strategy will work, it's because of my past success. As I've said before, rarely do I register or buy a domain that I don't think I can develop into a successful enterprise. I just left talking with a young man working at my golf club who I told when I get home I'll register the domain "Cadabra Golf" for him/us to jointly develop when he finishes his last year in college (next year).....he's majoring in "Sports Management". When I shared with him the story of Amazon trading as Cadabra prior to it becoming Amazon, he like me thought it was really cool

Since I've actually made two hole in one's this year and this young fella personally knows about them (written up in the newspaper), i told him to be thinking how we can use this info for CadabraGolf(.)com....note, i haven't bought it as of this post, but I intend to. I haven't decided to trademark™ it yet either, but I'll let you know if I do. Finally, i wouldn't recommend this for someone with little or no business experience, but if you think you own a good "brandable" name, you may want to get some professional advice.

Cool story; thanks Rich. I hope Cadabra Golf works out well for you guys.

I think we got side-tracked from my original question, though. Have you had success selling domains and trademarks together for more than a buyer would pay for the domain alone? I'm not very savvy in these matters, so I could really benefit from hearing about your experiences specific to this strategy.

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Nothing mentioned really has anything to do with Joe's question.

So the TLDR version is a simple "no" then?

Brad

Don't put words in my mouth Brad. My limited research shows that you haven't trademarked, registered or service marked DataCube™, but it's my professional opinion that you do so immediately.

I wish I could share more of my success involving the naming and trademarking of businesses here on NamePros, but if you or Joe would like some help, I'll do my best to accommodate you

 

[Joe N]

Don't put words in my mouth Brad. My limited research shows that you haven't trademarked, registered or service marked DataCube™, but it's my professional opinion that you do so immediately.

I wish I could share more of my success involving the naming and trademarking of businesses here on NamePros, but if you or Joe would like some help, I'll do my best to accommodate you

I'd love some help, Rich! If I pick a name from my portfolio, would you be able to take us through the trademarking process and explain how I should go about marketing and (hopefully) selling them as a package?

 

[ThatNameGuy]

I'd love some help, Rich! If I pick a name from my portfolio, would you be able to take us through the trademarking process and explain how I should go about marketing and (hopefully) selling them as a package?

I'd love to help you, and maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here. Since you and Brad are so interested in my strategy and the processing of trademarking why don't we use the name DataCube.com Why did i choose this name? For the same reason I might choose any other name that I believe would be a good name to trademark™. Personally I like the name, especially because it's a natural fit for the tech industry.

So my first step would be to go to the USPTO website to determine if it's trademarked for the purpose I might like to use it for. In this case this is what you will find;

1. Omega DataCube - Live
2. Omega DataCube - Live
3. DataCube - Live
4. ISO DataCube - Live
5. ISO DataCube - Live
6. DataCube - Live
7. DataCube - Live

Here you'll notice there are three "Live" trademarks or DataCube™ for three entirely different services. Note that none them are for the business of "Buying and Selling Premium Domains", so if Brad cared to trademark DataCube™ it appears that he could.

Of course Brad could hire a lawyer like our friend John Berryhill to trademark DataCube™. It's my guess the fee for most reputable lawyers to do this would be from $2,000 to $3,000. However, to DIY the cost will be from $300 to $500....at least this is what what I've paid most recently.

Please note the process can take from 6 - 9 months, but I believe it adds considerable value. Gotta run Joe....i play in a Tuesday night golf league that starts at 5:00, but I'll circle back to you sometime tomorrow. Fore!

 

[Joe N]

I'd love to help you, and maybe we can kill two birds with one stone here. Since you and Brad are so interested in my strategy and the processing of trademarking why don't we use the name DataCube.com Why did i choose this name? For the same reason I might choose any other name that I believe would be a good name to trademark™. Personally I like the name, especially because it's a natural fit for the tech industry.

So my first step would be to go to the USPTO website to determine if it's trademarked for the purpose I might like to use it for. In this case this is what you will find;

1. Omega DataCube - Live
2. Omega DataCube - Live
3. DataCube - Live
4. ISO DataCube - Live
5. ISO DataCube - Live
6. DataCube - Live
7. DataCube - Live

Here you'll notice there are three "Live" trademarks or DataCube™ for three entirely different services. Note that none them are for the business of "Buying and Selling Premium Domains", so if Brad cared to trademark DataCube™ it appears that he could.

Of course Brad could hire a lawyer like our friend John Berryhill to trademark DataCube™. It's my guess the fee for most reputable lawyers to do this would be from $2,000 to $3,000. However, to DIY the cost will be from $300 to $500....at least this is what what I've paid most recently.

Please note the process can take from 6 - 9 months, but I believe it adds considerable value. Gotta run Joe....i play in a Tuesday night golf league that starts at 5:00, but I'll circle back to you sometime tomorrow. Fore!

Thanks Rich! That's all very interesting information. The USPTO site looks like a great resource for conducting trademark searches.

https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4809:oj9dk6.1.1

What if we're planning to sell a domain name that isn't already being used to host a thriving business? I don't run businesses on any of the domain names in my portfolio. Would I still benefit from trademarking all of my brandable names before trying to sell them?

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Thanks Rich! That's all very interesting information. The USPTO site looks like a great resource for conducting trademark searches.

What if we're planning to sell a domain name that isn't already being used to host a thriving business? I don't run businesses on any of the domain names in my portfolio. Would I still benefit from trademarking all of my brandable names before trying to sell them?

The USPTO site is probably one of my best tools for even deciding whether on not to purchase a domain. For instance, if it appears that a name I'm looking to buy may have some issues I'll stay clear. However, with DataCube™ i believe it can be trademarked for the purpose of buying selling domains.

Moving on....the answer to your question about whether or not you should TM all your brandable names before trying to sell them is a big fat NO! Take BrandSail™ for example, while I might consider it a brandable name, I wouldn't trademark it "unless" I owned it and ran my business as BrandSail. Why?...because it simply adds value to the name and my credibility.

Finally, without a plan to outbound market your name, or at least have someone do it for you, I wouldn't consider it......piss'n in the wind is not my swag

ps. thanks for posting that USPTO link since my membership won't allow me to post links

 

[Joe N]

The USPTO site is probably one of my best tools for even deciding whether on not to purchase a domain. For instance, if it appears that a name I'm looking to buy may have some issues I'll stay clear. However, with DataCube™ i believe it can be trademarked for the purpose of buying selling domains.

Moving on....the answer to your question about whether or not you should TM all your brandable names before trying to sell them is a big fat NO! Take BrandSail™ for example, while I might consider it a brandable name, I wouldn't trademark it "unless" I owned it and ran my business as BrandSail. Why?...because it simply adds value to the name and my credibility.

Finally, without a plan to outbound market your name, or at least have someone do it for you, I wouldn't consider it......piss'n in the wind is not my swag

ps. thanks for posting that USPTO link since my membership won't allow me to post links

So your recommendation is to only trademark a name that you're using (or planning to use) for an active business. Thanks for the clarification; that makes a lot of sense.

Using the examples of DamRiver and CatchRiver that you mentioned, would your plan be to develop businesses that operate on those domains, trademark the names, and then attempt to market/sell the entire business to potential buyers?

 

[ThatNameGuy]

So your recommendation is to only trademark a name that you're using (or planning to use) for an active business. Thanks for the clarification; that makes a lot of sense.

Using the examples of DamRiver and CatchRiver that you mentioned, would your plan be to develop businesses that operate on those domains, trademark the names, and then attempt to market/sell the entire business to potential buyers?

Yes, i'd recommend to only TM those domains that you either plan to use yourself, or those domains that we can build a simple business model around, and we're able to showcase them to specific industries they're intended for like, healthcare, financial services and tech.

As for DamRiver and CatchRiver, i plan to TM only CatchRiver™ because the name itself is Catchy, and several people I personally know and respect could easily see it being used for an outdoor clothing brand. Not to mention there are thousands of potential buyers for it.

 

[jmcc]

"Sometimes people get lucky being able to flip brandables but many drop without ever receiving an offer" How true Having started many a business i just hand registered two brandable names "Dam River" and "Catch River". According to Hoster Stats "Dam River" had been registered 17 of the last 20 years, and "Catch River" has never been registered.

Neither of these names have been trademarked or service marked so I'll need to invest around $800 to maximize their value. While "Dam River" could be a name for a tech company, "Catch River" will most likely become an apparel brand.

Thanks jmcc

Good luck with them. The Dam River one might have been a geographical reg. The second has some conservation possibilities due to catch and release fishing.

Regards...jmcc

 

[ThatNameGuy]

Good luck with them. The Dam River one might have been a geographical reg. The second has some conservation possibilities due to catch and release fishing.

Regards...jmcc

Thanks...i agree with both your assessments. Living on the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean I'm very familiar with "catch and release" I just had an inquiry on another similar name Hells River. btw, i absolutely luv Hoster Stats....i've just registered about 350 .link domains, and i see where many of them had been registered from 2015 right up to last month. Thanks for your service

 

[Sjpals]

Because they are much cheaper. I love researching domains and I end up finding some great short domains that are available, but then I cant afford them, as they have a premium price attached.

 

[Mkt Sales Leads]

Sounds like you're referring to invented/made up random names with no meaning. I would advise against building a portfolio with those unless you've figured out how it works with one of the brandable marketplaces, which is basically quantity over quality for those types of names.

As to why not find keyword domains, sure, also two word brandables that can be considered keyword names make for great brands, many can be found expired & worth investing in. In my experience, one could build a quality over quantity portfolio with those names, without dropping the majority every year.

imo

The made up brandables that a lot of domainers go for to reg are the CVCV names (e.g. Yolo / Yoyo /Pogo etc)
and these have virtually all gone (at least in .com).

The brandable craze probably stemmed from the decreasing popularity of EMD/keyword names like buildingservices .tld (due to Google changing its algorithm) and startups choosing misspellings (the most famous being Google as a misspell of 'Googol') like Zomato and made up names like Trivago. The general consensus back then seemed to be that companies want 'brands' in order to be unique and in the eyes of some domainers, that meant weird, out there names.

The problem is that absolute rubbish like dindoploop.pie has been regged and somehow ended up in the brandable marketplaces (thus perpetuating the cycle).