I wrote a couple of weeks ago about protecting your website domain names by buying not only multiple top-level domain variations (eg .com .co.uk .net etc), but also variations of your company name to prevent cyber-squatters and instances of passing off. However, last week an interesting twist to this story emerged.
Rider Thompson at the Sustainable is Good website discovered that Tate and Lyle and Johnson and Johnson, the makers of sucralose-based sweetener Splenda have secured between 200 and 300 second-level domain names that contain the Splenda name combined with negative wording. To declare an interest, I use Splenda myself, and I'm aware that there are some alleged health issues surrounding its use but none have so far put me off using it. Read this list, though, and ponder what Tate and Lyle and Johnson and Johnson know that make them fear the existence of the following:
splendakills.com / sucralosekills.com
thedangersofsplenda.com / thedangersofsucralose.com
victimsofsplenda.com / victimsofsucralose.com
splendasideeffects.com / sucralosesideeffects.com
I understand that Splenda's makers have to protect themselves from unfounded allegations being made against them, but this revelation has had more of a negative influence on me than any health report. It's had the effect of making me research the potential dangers of sucralose and I'm seriously questioning whether I'll buy Splenda again in the future. When this hits the mainstream press I wonder who else will be affected by this shooting-themselves-in-the-foot story.
Stu ;-)
Tipped off by Seth Godin's blog.
I agree - the domain names these companies purchased are insane - I'd like to know how they came up with the names and decided what to buy.
you raise valid excellent points about protecting your domain name and that is completely reasonable but these guys forecasted hundreds of unique domain names related to their product, Splenda.
- rider
Posted by: Sustainable is Good | March 24, 2007 at 23:47