Japanese Internet Services Provider, GMO Internet Acquires Z.com for JPY800 million
Single-character domain name offer unparalleled marketing power as GMO Internet Group takes on Global Market
Tokyo, Japan – November 21, 2014 -- GMO Internet, Inc. one of Japan’s leading Internet services providers and operator of the country’s largest domain registrar, today announces the acquisition of single-character domain name, Z.com (z.com/en) for JPY800 million.
As one of only three single-character domain names currently existing in the .com space, Z.com is highly memorable and offers unparalleled marketing opportunity. With over 100 million registrations, .com is one of the most instantly recognizable and easily identifiable domains in the world. Z.com was acquired to spearhead GMO Internet Group global growth strategy, and securing “Z” under the .com Top Level Domain, provides the Group with a powerful tool to build a strong global brand.
The availability of one and two character domain names in TLDs varies, but only six exist in legacy generic Top Level Domains (Q.com, X.com, and Z.com, I.net, Q.net, X.com). In the crowded .com namespace, short and memorable domain names command premium prices not least for the simplicity and clarity of branding they offer. In 2010, sex.com was sold for USD13 million, and this is widely recognized to be the highest-value domain name sale in history. The acquisition of Z.com today, represents a transaction of comparable significance to this record-breaking sale.
| Domain Name Sold | Sale Price | New Registrant | Sale Date |
1 | sex.com | $13,000,000 | Clover Holdings Limited | November 2010 |
2 | hotels.com | $11,000,000 | Hotels.com GP LLC | September 2001 |
3 | fund.com | $9,999,950 | Gentile, Philip | March 2008 |
4 | porn.com | $9,500,000 | Moniker Privacy Services | May 2007 |
5 | fb.com | $8,500,000 | Facebook, Inc. | September 2010 |
6 | diamond.com | $7,500,000 | ATTN DIAMOND.COM | May 2006 |
7 | beer.com | $7,000,000 | Thought Convergence, LLC | January 2004 |
8 | casino.com | $5,500,000 | Mansion Limited of Gibraltar | November 2003 |
9 | slots.com | $5,500,000 | Bodog Media | June 2010 |
10 | toys.com | $5,100,000 | DNS MASTER | March 2009 |
(source: Domaining: http://www.domaining.com/topsales/)
For more information about the GMO Internet Group global brand strategy please refer to today's announcement.
About GMO Internet Group
GMO Internet Group is an Internet services industry leader, developing and operating Japan’s most widely used domain, hosting & cloud, ecommerce, security, and payment solutions. The Group also comprises the world’s largest online FX trading platform, as well as online advertising, Internet media, and mobile entertainment products. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
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