Row.com, a dictionary three-letter ultra-premium .com domain, was registered in 1993. Despite being sold for $30,000 on Sedo in 2006, no web records of it as an active domain name exist before this date.
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As of now, Row.com is owned by Michael Talei, the founder of Student Freelance, and is listed on Afternic with an asking price of $30,000,000. Although WHOIS records show different company outfits over the years, the domain is still held by Mr. Talei.
However, the registrant has filed an application for the matching mark ROW.COM with the USPTO, but the current status of the application indicates a potential conflict with a pending trademark. The conflict involves a mark for downloadable software and services, featuring the creation of web applications, data processing, and database management, among others. This complication highlights how exact match domains may face challenges when the keyword itself creates a conflict with existing trademarks. Nonetheless, owners of generic domain names continue to apply for registration of matching marks inclusive of TLDs.
In 2020, the SCOTUS decision regarding the Booking.com trademark application only fueled this trend, and as of January 5th, 2021, BOOKING.COM is a registered trademark with the USPTO.