App describes mobile domain name transfer system — GoDaddy patent

A faster, more secure way to transfer domain names for in-person transactions?

Picture this: you’re at NamesCon in January when you strike a deal with a fellow domainer to sell a domain name to them. You both pull out your phones, activate an app, keep the phones near each other, and then click a few buttons to instantly transfer the domain name to them.

That’s the basic idea of a patent application (pdf) by GoDaddy that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published yesterday.

The application describes a system in which people can transfer domain names via apps on their phones, preferably when the phones are within 100 feet of each other. I imagine the distance is for security purposes.

This does not appear to be near-field communications (NFC) driven, although I suppose that could be covered under the patent. With NFC, two people could activate the app and then “bump” their phones together to authenticate a domain transfer, much like you can transfer contact information and music playlists on some phones (see video for example).