back to article Painfully trendy: Someone just spent $200k on ebola.com

Anyone looking to cash in on the zeitgeist by buying the domain name ebola.com has left it too late, because the domain name has sold for more than $200,000. A Russian firm called Weed Growth Fund has snapped up this on-trend online home, according to an SEC filing. The Russian-registered company that now owns ebola.com paid …

  1. Anonymous Coward 101

    We'll not be laughing at him if there is a worldwide pandemic of Ebola, and everyone heads to his website for advice. Think of the advertising revenue!

    1. Sir Runcible Spoon
      Black Helicopters

      I thought it was going to be linked to a new strain of grass.

      Blue Cheese just doesn't sound very dangerous does it?

      B-52, now ebola. Maybe?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        "Blue Cheese just doesn't sound very dangerous does it?"

        How about Blue Waffle?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "paid $50,000 in cash "

      Presumably in Ugandan Dollars...

  2. i like crisps
    FAIL

    Misread "sativa shares"...

    ...thought it read 'Saliva shares'......considering the transmission path!

    Icon for me...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Misread "sativa shares"...

      ah Fukishima. A great Disater film - now available for download officially copyright free - go find it!

      maybe start at that domain name i guess

  3. Number6

    Owners of similar domains will have to hope it's catching...

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    spam coming out of that domain would be believed and clicked on by many.

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      especially if from Nigeria.

  5. wikkity

    Natural Ebola remedies

    Judging by the other websites they probably intend to sell a natural remedy for Ebola. I'm sure there are easily enough people willing to buy Ebola targeted snakeoil.

    1. Tom 35

      Re: Natural Ebola remedies

      "Natural remedy" is too nice a word for their magic woo pills.

      Fake "fat burner" pills are bad enough, but people selling fake cures for serious medical conditions should be shot.

      1. John G Imrie

        should be shot.

        You are far to kind.

        I'd send them to live out their final days helping the Ebola victims in Africa, without the aid of protective clothing. Then when they catch the disease we can use them to test their remedies on.

    2. 100113.1537

      Re: Natural Ebola remedies

      Sadly, the market in fake - and dangerous - ebola "cures" is already going strong. WHO has had to distribute information on how to treat people who are swallowing bleach (hypochlorite) after being told that this will cure ebola. We live in sad times when such fear campaigns have to be addressed and take valuable resources away from the more important items.

      1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

        Re: Natural Ebola remedies

        people who are swallowing bleach (hypochlorite) after being told that this will cure ebola

        kornheiser_why.jpg

  6. Version 1.0 Silver badge

    Just checking

    It looks like www.marburg.com is already taken, as is www.hemorrhagicfever.com.

    1. Cipher
      Coat

      Re: Just checking

      ebola.org, more authoritative sounding, is available tho...

  7. nevstah

    forward thinking

    looks like ebola.co.uk was thought of in 2008... makes you wonder...

    1. wikkity

      Re: ebola.co.uk

      Thought that was a bingo site

      Seriously though. Ebola has been around for a longer than the current crisis. I don't know how long it has done so but this site is collecting donations for UNICEF.

      Interestingly the site appears to be a genuine UNICEF site but the whois entry state a registrant type as an individual.

      1. Mark 85

        Re: ebola.co.uk

        Are you sure the donations are actually going to UNICEF? And if so, what percentage? Somehow, this just doesn't appear legit.

  8. Clive Galway

    ISIS TLD?

    With ISIS setting up a caliphate, maybe they should apply for their own TLD?

    Better still, someone should set one up and squat it just to wind them up.

    Anyone fancy being the WHOIS contact for mohammed-school-for-girls.co.isis?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: ISIS TLD?

      At some point they will have to request ".caliphate" at ICANN.

      There will be only a single address: "www.nofunallowed.caliphate"

  9. Valeyard

    wow

    Chaired by former New Mexico Gary Johnson

    he used to be New Mexico? impressive!

    1. Cipher

      Re: wow

      He's lost a lot of weight...

  10. dogged

    Local version

    I note that ebolacola.co.uk is available...

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      Re: Local version

      Your marketing skills need some honing.

      Unless you are planning a big event on bad taste murrica horror fun dayHalloween.

    2. king of foo

      Re: Local version

      Pepsebola.com is also free...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This is where

    the internet falls down.

    Domains like this should be held at government level by the appropriate agency and used as a source of legitimate information, especially in the case of Ebola where there is so much hype and nonsense being farted about.

    The entire domain ownership system is corrupt. Nowadays, if you want to start a company, you need to see what domains are available first and foremost, and I recently had this experience where with over a dozen different names and variations, nothing was available for my fitness company. Only two or three were genuine sites, the rest were all for sale at ridiculous four figure sums.

    It's fucking bollocks.

    1. FlatSpot
      Holmes

      Re: This is where

      You just need to be more creative and look at current trends especially around music artists for example, One Direction, a rubbish band.. but using the direction part I found some good available names using (whatever)direction.co.uk good for hub sites.

      Also using "the" in front of the name will normally throw up some, for example this one is free.

      thefitnessgym.co.uk

      or even this one is free

      yourlocalgym.co.uk

      or base it on your name, in your case;

      anonfitness.co.uk

      is free ;)

  12. JoeKrozac

    Ebola.Com?

    Couldn't they pick something a little classier, like "exploding-bloody-diarrhea.com"?

    Or perhaps "projectile-vomiting-bushmeat.net"?

    $200,000 they paid? They just proved that old adage "a fool and their money are soon parted".

    1. fridaynightsmoke
      Coat

      "projectile-vomiting-bushmeat.net"

      I see you're familiar with my local takeaway.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How about bluewaffle.com ?

    Imaginary diseases could be the new ebola.

  14. Graham Marsden
    Coat

    Ebola?

    Didn't they open for Anthrax at Wembly Arena?

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Alert

    Ebola.com

    Going viral in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

  16. DasBub

    What about the newer gTLDs?

    Has anyone registered ebola.futbol or ebola.lol?

  17. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
    Devil

    I've paid for the site. I've decided it's time to join the online gambling boom. Poker is passe, roulette is silly, what we need is a new online game.

    I propose Tombola!

    Now I can't trademark that. So my online tombola is of course called an ebola. How was I to know that I'd suddenly get all this competition for my trademark? Can I sue a virus?

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