Iraq.com Domain Name Being Auctioned
The domain name Iraq.com is being auctioned off at Sedo, where the bidding has reached 450,000 Euros, or about $632,215 in U.S. dollars. The bidding started last Thursday at 2,000 Euros and has risen steadily, but has not yet reached the reserve price. The auction is scheduled to conclude Thursday at 2 p.m. EST. Sedo's auction process typically begins once an initial offer has been made on a domain placed for sale with the service. That offer then becomes the opening bid.
WHOIS records list the owner of Iraq.com as KuwaitNet Internet Services, which registered the name in May 1997. The company offers managed hosting and dedicated servers, and is also an ICANN-accredited registrar.
Given the intense debate about the ongoing U.S. war in Iraq, there might be any number of parties with an interest in acquiring the domain. The (apparently) interim Iraqi government web site appears to be at iraqigovernment.org while the U.S. Embassy uses iraq.usembassy.gov. In Aug. 2005 ICANN authorized the fledgling Iraqi government to manage .iq, the top-level domain for the country, which had been in limbo since the previous operators (InfoCom Corp.) were indicted in 2002.
Posted by RichM 
September 24, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter