Google Bought The Whole Alphabet
Google’s new parent company are now the proud owners of abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com.
In the name of brand protection, Google’s newborn parent company Alphabet have set out to properly secure the perimeter with a series of new domain name registrations. Their initial domain purchase was of a generic top level domain: abc.xyz. Their next round of domain purchases stretched all the way from a-to-z in the form of a 29 letter domain (if you include the .com).
Learn everything you need to know about gTLDs by checking out this blog post.
Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com is quite the URL to type out when looking for a site, so we can only guess that Alphabet is covering all their bases.; the longer the domain name, the more likely site visitors are to misspell it. The ultra-long domain was first registered back in 1999, and it’s likely Google paid a substantial fee for its ownership. Unfortunately the transfer was completed behind closed doors, so we can only guess at the figure paid.
Their domain roundup also included:
- alphabet.xyz
- abc.global
- abcalphabet.com
- abc.club
If you are wondering whether or not Google also owns Alphabet.com, the answer is surprisingly no. Alphabet.com is currently owned by BMW, the German car company. There have been rumors that Google has made inquiries to work out a deal with BMW but the details are hushed. We shall see how important the domain name is to Google as well as BMW.
As of today, the abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com doesn’t point to any existing website but we will wait patiently to see what exciting plans Google have for the long-winded URL.
What can we learn from Google’s domain purchases?
In the beginning stages of creating a business it is important to protect your brand and your reputation by registering domains that could a) be used against you by online trolls that are looking to defame your business, or b) that could be used as an attempt to make a profit by selling knock-off products associated with your brand.
By registering domains that could harm your company you stay one step ahead of domain squatters. However, what if you are an already established company that has yet to protect their brand by registering existing domains?
It’s never too late! You can still get ahead of the game by doing what you can now – the sooner the better. Take the following steps to protect your brand and business from domain squatters:
- Make a list of any and all domains that you feel could hurt your brand. Don’t forget new gTLDs like .club and .sucks.
- Register all domains that are available from your list at Midphase.com (we will discuss unavailable domains in the paragraph below).
- Educate yourself to the rules and regulations implemented by ICANN concerning domain squatting.
If you find that a domain is being used in bad faith while publishing something that could be mistaken for your registered trademark or brand name, you can contact ICANN to file a UDRP (Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution). ICANN will then take action to attempt to force a disruption of the use of your brand and domain name.
Domain protection cannot curb all attempts at trolls and squatters using your name in bad faith, but knowing your rights and responsibilities can help you maintain the image and reputation that your business has worked so hard for. If you have any questions concerning filing UDRPs or bad faith definitions visit ICANN.org.
Visit Midphase.com to check the availabilty of domains that can protect your brand from domain squatters.