Tag: MarkMonitor

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Featured News Technology

Facebook acquires the domain name Instachecker dot-com

instachecker

According to WHOIS records, Facebook is now the owner of the domain Instachecker.com.

Facebook acquired the name through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

Considering the word “insta” in the domain, instachecker likely has something to do with Instagram, the online photo-sharing company that Facebook bought in 2012.  For now, it’s just speculation, as Instachecker may be nothing more than a defensive registration to protect its Instagram service.

Instachecker.com was first registered in late May 2012.  The previous owner used a WHOIS privacy service, so the price paid for the domain will likely never be known.

The social networking company doesn’t seem all that interested in “Instachecker” if you look purely at domain registrations, having only acquired the dot-com.  The dot-net, dot-org, and other top-level domain names are still available.

At the time of this story, instachecker.com does not resolve to a web page.

Talking about this story: All Facebook

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Featured News Video Games

Microsoft continues “Xbox Gold” domain buying spree following news of interest in name

Xbox Gold Concept Art

Since it was first reported Saturday that Microsoft had been obtaining “Xbox Gold” domains, the company has gone on the offensive registering a slew of “Xbox Gold” domains on Monday, including several international names.

The newest domain registrations include XboxGold.biz, XboxGold.com.co, XboxGold.us, XboxGold.at, XboxGold.ch, XboxGold.jp, XboxGold.mx, XboxGold.ru, XboxGold.tw and XboxGold.fr.

These latest names are just a sampling of what Microsoft has been buying up, at a time when rumors of the next-generation Xbox being officially announced to the public within the next several weeks.

The newest registrations all took place on February 25, two days after news broke that the company had been taking an interest in “Xbox Gold” domains.

Microsoft has yet to confirm the name of its next-gen Xbox, but it’s widely speculated possible names include the Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity, Xbox 8, Xbox Durango, and Xbox Next.

Despite the unusual amount of “Xbox Gold” activity, last week and this week, it’s unknown where “Xbox Gold” ultimately fits in.

Is “Xbox LIVE Gold” being rebranded? Is “Xbox Gold” a new service? The speculation is swirling.

“Xbox Gold & Entertainment” was mentioned in an internal event agenda over the weekend, that was originally posted on the NeoGAF forum.

As promised, I did reach out to the previous owner of XboxGold.com (which Microsoft acquired last week) to find out more details about the transaction and find out if Microsoft opened up their checkbook, but have not received a response.

According to WHOIS records, Microsoft also took ownership of FreeXbox.net from the same Australian resident, so it’s possible lawyers were involved and not cash.  Considering the company has won dozens of domain disputes dating back to 2003 that involved names like HackingXbox.com, it would be hard to imagine that it paid a large sum of money, unless of course, they were looking to expedite the transaction.

Disputes can often takes weeks, if not months, to decide.  And it’s possible, Microsoft wants to position itself with the matching domain — something neither Sony nor Nintendo were able to do.  Nintendo finally did file a complaint over Wiiu.com last week on the same day the name was to head to private auction.

Talking about this story:  VG247, Gameranx, Strategy Informer, Softpedia, GameZone, Anime News Network, MeriStation, Multiplayer.it, iNSIDE, Xbox 360: The Official Xbox Magazine and Computerandvideogames.com

(Image of next-generation Xbox concept art via Yanko Design)

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News Video Games

Activision registers new Skylanders domains – Kao’s Alliance, Super Force, Nano Force, Swap Force [UPDATED]

Skylanders

UPDATE 1: Activision revealed Skylanders SWAP Force, the next installment in the popular franchise at Toy Fair 2013.

ORIGINAL STORY: Last month, Activision reported that the Skylanders franchise crossed $500 million in retail sales in the U.S.

Now it looks like the company is set to expand the hot franchise, according to a handful of new domain name registrations made through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

On January 30, 2013, four names were registered:  SkylandersKaosAlliance.com (WHOIS), SkylandersNanoForce.com (WHOIS), SkylandersSuperForce.com (WHOIS) and SkylandersSwapForce.com (WHOIS).

The domains were privately registered using MarkMonitor’s WHOIS privacy service DNStination, suggesting Activision wants to keep the projects under wraps for now.  There’s little possibility the names belong to anyone else.  MarkMonitor is in the business of protecting some of the world’s biggest brands, and Activision’s own Skylanders.com (WHOIS) is managed through the firm.

Right about this time last year, Activision registered the Skylanders Giants domain names through MarkMonitor, which was first reported here.  Skylanders Giants was eventually announced a few weeks later and went on to be one the top holiday gifts of 2012.

Given the timing of the latest registrations and last year’s timeline, it’s possible an official announcement may be forthcoming for Skylanders Kao’s Alliance, Skylanders Nano Force, Skylanders Super Force and Skylanders Super Force.

At the time of this story going online, none of the domains resolve to a website.

Talking about this story: Forbes, Joystiq, Geeky Gadgets, TheHDRoom, Games.com, GoNintendo, Nintendo Everything and darkSpyro

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News Video Games

Riot Games continues scooping up domains, this time “eSports” names

LoL eSports

Riot Games looks to be expanding its online presence.  This week already the game studio registered the name ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com, but that’s not all.    Riot has bought up even more domains, this time names centered around “league” and “esports”, like LeagueeSports.com (WHOIS) and LoLeSport.com (WHOIS).

So, why are the makers of the “most played video game in the world” with the largest prize pool in eSports history registering these names?

Although it’s only speculation, I think we might see a web site and a level of professional programming from Riot Games, that you see with the likes of “ESPN”.

It’s not too far fetched an idea.  With Major League Gaming taking off, why not?

While the company may have nothing in store beyond protecting its IP, with a record 2012 and Season Three just beginning, I think many would agree that 2013 is shaping up to be the biggest year for League of Legends and eSports.

In its newest batch of registrations through the brand protection MarkMonitor, Riot picked up: league-esports.com (WHOIS), leagueesports.com (WHOIS), lol-esports.com (WHOIS), and lolesport.com (WHOIS).

It is just speculation at this stage though, as none of the newest registrations resolve to a web site.

Talking about this story: GameZone

(Image of 2012 Riot Rumble via RiotGames.com)

Categories
News Video Games

Riot Games registers the domain name ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com

Riot Games registers ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com

In August 2012, Riot Games announced The League of Legends Championship Series, a global league of the top professional, salaried teams that features multiple matches per week and playoff events leading up to the World Championship.

As players begin to battle for spots in the League of Legends Championship Series during Season Three, Riot has went and registered the domain name ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com (WHOIS) through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

Could Riot be planning to launch a new website that provides online coverage of the Championship Series?

It’s too early to tell.  For now, the domain name doesn’t resolve to a web page, but given the massive popularity of League of Legends and its thriving community, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Another possible sign that Riot may do more with the name than just park it, is that, unlike most companies that buy up dozens, sometimes hundreds of domain names to help protect their brand, Riot Games has gone a different route, selectively acquiring a limited number of domain names over the years.

According to a rough estimate using Reverse Whois, Riot only owns about 100 domains.

The company’s last major buying spree came in April 2012, when it secretly registered a slew of domain names for the top secret project Supremacy.  Riot has also acquired names by filing complaints with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which led to the company taking down porn and scam sites like support-leagueoflegends.com, LeagueofLegends.co, and LeagueofLegendsPorn.com.

LeagueofLegends.co
In August, Riot won a dispute over LeagueofLegends.co (missing the ‘m’) which redirected users to a porn site.

If you’re not familiar with the League of Legends Championship Series, here’s a recap:

  • The League of Legends Championship Series: the top eight teams from the US and EU, plus top teams from the Asian regions
  • The top three teams from Gamescom and PAX immediately qualify
  • Weekly regional pro League of Legends matches live, for free, in HD
  • Millions of dollars at stake
  • Regular season, regional playoffs and a spectacular World Championship
  • Critical Challenger Circuit events featuring up-and-coming teams vying for a shot at the League of Legends Championship Series

Whether Riot launches a new online website for Season Three and beyond, is all just speculation at this point.

We’ll just have to wait and see.  In the meantime, you can keep checking the website ChampionshipSeriesLeague.com to see if anything goes online.

(Image of Season Two via LeagueofLegends.com)