Google.com, one minute outside Google
In 2015, a researcher managed to buy google.com for one minute. This surprising story is often retold too quickly, yet it offers a useful reminder of how sensitive a domain name can be.
INSIGHTS
Stories worth understanding.
A surprising story, a striking figure, a dispute or a familiar misconception. Explore what each reveals about your business’s digital identity.
Explore the subjects
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Stories worth discovering
Famous names and surprising beginnings. What their stories can teach us.
Madonna.com: a famous name, but facts that still mattered
In 2000, Madonna secured the transfer of madonna.com. The lesson goes beyond “a celebrity gets her name back”.
Symbolics.com: a .com before the Web
The first .com did not belong to a search engine or an online shop. Its history is a useful reminder that a domain name and a website are different things.
LOOKING CLOSER
Figures, rights and everyday questions
Understand a statistic, question an assumption or recognise a risk.
Sting.com: why fame is not enough
In the same year as Madonna, Sting sought the transfer of the domain matching his stage name. This time, the complaint was denied.
There is a country behind .tv
Television comes to mind immediately. Yet .tv is Tuvalu’s country-code extension. Two letters can have a different origin from the one we imagine.
HTTPS protects a connection. It does not certify honesty.
A fraudulent website can use HTTPS too. Protecting a connection and establishing that a business deserves your trust are different questions.
Lookalike domains: when letters deceive the eye
A name can look familiar while being different. A substituted letter, an added word or a character from another alphabet may be enough to cause confusion.
More than 6,200 WIPO disputes: what does the number actually measure?
WIPO reports a record caseload for 2025. It is a useful indicator, provided it is not mistaken for a count of all cybersquatting worldwide.
No website? The domain name may still be in use
You type a domain name and no page appears. That does not tell you whether it is available, abandoned or for sale.