Reglikedomain industry desk

Confirmed: Facebook Purchases FB.com Domain Name

Facebook purchases FB.com domain name.

Ending months of speculation, it’s now confirmed that Facebook has purchased the FB.com domain name.

The whois record for the domain name just updated to show Facebook’s name and nameservers for the domain name.

George Kirikos first noted back in September that the domain name had sold and speculated Facebook was the buyer. Following doing a little digging he also found that Facebook was in a trademark dispute with American Farm Bureau over the term FB. American Farm Bureau was the seller of the domain name.

I contacted the American Farm Bureau back then and they stated they sold the domain name (but wouldn’t confirm it was to Facebook) and were still in an unresolved dispute with Facebook. As of this evening the dispute still shows as unresolved at U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

I have some speculation that American Farm Bureau did not know they were selling the domain name to Facebook when it sold it. It sold it to an intermediary that works on behalf of a number of corporate clients counting Facebook.

Also on the wire

Other reporting from the domain desk.

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