Web.com Group, Inc. (WWWW) officially announced today that it has acquired SnapNames from KeyDrive S.A.
The questions yet to be answered is how will the acquistion effect where expiring domain names from Web.com registrars, including NetworkSolutions.com and Register.com will be going.
All expired domains of Netsol where going to SnapNames.com until it was acquired by Oversee.net, the company that sold SnapNames.com to Keysystems. Once Oversee.net acquired SnapNames.com Netsol went into partnership with Demand Media, INc (DMD) to form Namejet.com which has over the last years been the exclusive auction house for expired Network Solutions domains.
We have asked both Web.com and Demand Media, Inc over the weekend how this acquisition will effect dropped domain names but neither has furnished a definitive answer.
SnapNames is a drop service and online auction house including expiring, deleting and privately-owned domain names.
“We are very pleased to bring SnapNames under the Web.com umbrella,” said David L. Brown, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Web.com. “This acquisition enables us to enhance our existing domain related assets and provide additional services for customers who are looking for specific domain name addresses. In today’s expanding domain resale marketplace, SnapNames is a global industry leader with experience and expertise in domain lifecycle management and auction services.”
Since 2000, SnapNames has engineered a dynamic online marketplace, where high-performing domain names are bought and sold daily. With tens of thousands of newly expired domains flowing into SnapNames inventory every day, SnapNames provides a broad set of choices to customers. SnapNames has exclusive partner relationships with some of the world’s top registrars, thereby giving its users access to a broad set of domain names for purchase.
Web.com owns two of the world’s largest retail registrars in Network Solutions and Register.com. With the addition of SnapNames, Web.com will further expand its global partnership channel by leveraging SnapNames’ extensive international network, thus helping customers find the right domain names the first time they look. In addition, the acquisition complements NameJet, the domain name auction platform managed through a joint venture partnership with Web.com and Rightside.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Web.com expects this transaction to be immaterial to 2014 financial results. Web.com will provide updated guidance when it reports financial results for the first quarter of 2014 and conducts its regularly scheduled conference call.”"
