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Why Would Selling Equity In A Domain Name Deserve A Patent?
from the isn't-selling-equity-selling-equity? dept
Brad Feld, one of the increasing number of VCs who's grown skeptical of the value of patents (software patents in particular) alerts us that domain registrar GoDaddy has apparently applied for a patent on selling shares of equity in a domain name. You can see the application itself, which only has six claims and seems pretty straightforward. It's only an application, so there's still a decent chance this gets rejected -- but the very fact that anyone even thought it was worth applying for such a patent is quite telling. It's difficult to see what is new or unique about what's in the patent, other than it applies the standard process of selling equity in anything to a domain name.
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It's a new trader's market
Seems like they want to control the ability to buy and sell domain names in an open market. Imagine if you could buy 20 shares in candy.com and then collect rent for someone using that domain name. It's actually a kind of interesting idea in that it would allow domain squatters another avenue to monetize their domain holdings.
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But, but...
It's selling equity *on the Internet!*
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I understand how something like a house has equity, but I just don't understand how something as ephemeral as a domain name can have equity.
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You mean I can buy equity in snickers.com? Hmmmmm...Mortgage backed securities, anyone?
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Oh - Look
What a pretty bubble
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People play the lottery too...
I am unsure of what "telling" is about this application. It is also a fact that people without a high school education spend more money each month on lottery tickets than people with a college education. I guess you can always hope, even when the odds are nearly impossible.
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Bubbily bubble
Well, it's all imaginary value... high pagerank + high site content = get internet millionars!ยก
Some companies have been doing this for some time. For example, Mike's little shindig is worth $25,000.
http://www.cubestat.com/www.techdirt.com
It's hard to see why Bobby Parsons needs to piss off the internets.
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Re:
That happens when the federal reserve sets the rate at which banks recieves money from it artifically low like after the dot com bust. Then they print money out of thin air (they've been doing it since they were founded in 1913 with the net result of having eroded %95 of the dollars value) that creates a false sense of economic prosperity that causes investors to invest in things they wouldn't invest in if they had a clearer picture of the actual economic situation. And like the rule of gravity everything that goes up, must come down eventually everyone discovers that the economic situation wasn't as good as it appeared and the bad investments made need to clear the system.
If you want to know more read about austrian economics it is the only school of economics that predicted this situation as opposed the keynesian school whom the government continues to rely on and follow as we speak. In case you didn't know.
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This patent application follows the ever so popular concept of "X + Internet = New and patentable"
buying groceries? well.. try buying them.. online!
researching real estate? well.. try doing it Online!
Creating a new Dotcom Bubble? well.. try it.. online Again?
Patent office really needs to get their head around the idea that slapping "Online!" onto something does not make it new or special.
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Re: Re:
Are you claiming that selling equity in a domain name is a good idea if the fed were to leave it alone ?
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Oh
Interesting indeed.
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pan firend
Interesting idea. I want tree online sociology courses and certification.
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