Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Canadian Company Liberates DarthVader.com from Dark Side for Lucafilm



Many of us are familiar with the science fiction tale that took part in a galaxy far, far away where a Jedi had been lured to the dark side of "The Force" by an evil Sith. In what was Star Wars, Darth Vader was ultimately rescued by his son Luke Skywalker from the darkness in time for a noble, brave act.

In the virtual world very close to us all, the world of domain registration and ownership has led many popular names winding up in hands over than those one would think. In recent years, musicians and other public figures have gone to court to acquire or prevent the misuse of domains using their names. In several cases, celebrities have been successfully able to secure their web address. While not an actual name associated in the real world, a prominent domain name connected to Darth Vader (DarthVader.com) was brought to Lucafilm by a Toronto-based Internet services company called Tucows.

An avid Star Wars fan, Tucows Domain Portfolio Viec President Bill Sweetman explained finding the DarthVader.com name. "The moment I spotted DarthVader.com in a list of deleting domain names, I knew Tucows had to find a way to get this iconic domain name into the right hands. I knew I was its only hope," said Sweetman. The program is an ongoing measure by Tucows to rescue domains and has included FreddieMercury.com and KidneyCar.com in the past.

In what has become a regular program for Tucows, popular and prominent domain names are donated to recipients on the condition of charity. In the case of the DarthVader.com domain address, Lucafilm has pledged a toy donation to the Tucows Elves Project. Lucafilm spokesperson Miles Perkins stated "We're thrilled to be the new owners of DarthVader.com and we are even more excited about supporting such a worthy cause." Perkins also mentioned "We regret having to refuse Bill's request that we deliver the children's toys in the Millennium Falcon. It was heartbreaking having to explain to him that it's not real."

Currently, Lucafilm is utilizing the DarthVader.com into directing Internet users to the main StarWars.com website.

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