Domain Names Playing a Strategic Role in the Writer’s Strike
Here's a great example of why you should obtain all major gTLDs in order to protect your online business interests.
Much has been made over the current labor strike between the Writer's Guild of America (WGA.org) and the studios which are represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP.org). Here's a subplot to this struggle that probably didn't make your local news.
In an effort to benefit their cause, a group of writers used a subversive strategy to undermine the AMPTP by obtaining the AMPTP.com and AMPTP.net domain names and publishing mock versions of the actual AMPTP.org website at those addresses.
The fake sites look nearly identical to the authentic site and poke fun at the AMPTP's negotiation tactics and recent proposals. They also include links to UnitedHollywood.com which is a site supporting the Writer's Guild of America's cause.
To make matters worse, Bill Davis, the current owner of the .com and .net names recently contacted the AMPTP in an effort to sell the domains but the AMPTP showed no interest. Shortly after Mr. Davis was contacted by a group of writers who were interested in acquiring the domains to carry out their plan.
More information available at the LA Times site.
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Filed under: Domain Name News
Brilliant! Thanks for sharing this. Imagine that, a seemingly random 5-letter domain.
What does this mean to us as domainers? We are still early in the game. There is still a world of opportunity for savvy investors. Even the cutting edge media guys over at the AMPTP do not yet grasp the importance of domains - what about the less media-savvy industries?
Good news for domainers just starting out.
Also the fact that the WGA webmasters didn’t do a mod rewrite to make amptp.com work without the “www” is a signal that you don’t need to be one of the big guys, if you’re a technically competent webmaster with an understanding of domains, you’ve still got the edge-
Josh