Name.com
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Domain name registration, web hosting |
| Predecessor | Spot Domain LLC (Domainsite.com) |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Founder | Bill Mushkin |
| Headquarters | Denver , United States |
Area served | Global |
Key people | Bill Mushkin (Founder) |
| Products | Domain name registration, web hosting, email solutions, SSL certificates, website builder, WordPress setup, cloud hosting |
| Owner | Identity Digital (formerly Donuts Inc.) |
| Parent | Identity Digital |
| Website | www |
Name.com is a domain name registrar accredited by ICANN and a web hosting provider based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 2003 by entrepreneur Bill Mushkin, the company has expanded to become a prominent global registrar, offering close to 600 Top Level Domains. Its range of services includes domain name registration, web hosting, email solutions, SSL certificates, and various other tools aimed at enhancing businesses' online visibility.
History
In 2003, Bill Mushkin launched Name.com following his acquisition of Spot Domain LLC (Domainsite.com) in 2002. The business oversees several reseller registrars such as domainsite.com, name.net, sunmounta.in, among others.
Acquisitions
Name.com was purchased by Demand Media on January 7, 2013, for $18 million, as disclosed in Demand Media’s financial statements. Subsequently, in August 2014, Rightside Group—spun off from Demand Media—assumed ownership of Name.com. Rightside also managed the aftermarket platform NameJet and registrar eNom, along with a portfolio of 40 new Top-Level Domains (nTLDs). The company was publicly traded under the symbol NAME, reflecting its control over Name.com.
On June 13, 2017, Rightside was acquired by Donuts Inc. through a $213 million transaction unanimously approved by Rightside’s board. This acquisition consolidated all Rightside assets, including Name.com, into Donuts Inc.
In June 2022, Donuts Inc. underwent rebranding to become Identity Digital, continuing its growth within the domain registration and web services sector.
Community involvement
Name.com organizes an annual event called Hack the Dot—a hackathon where developers, marketers, and creative professionals rapidly build projects centered around a secret domain name disclosed during the event. The company has partnered with organizations such as Galvanize, Turing School of Software and Design, as well as various coding academies and coworking spaces to promote innovation.
In 2016, Name.com collaborated with Galvanize to provide complimentary coding workshops across several U.S. cities including Denver, Boulder, San Francisco, Seattle, and Austin through the Learn to Code initiative.
Support of net neutrality and internet free speech
Following GoDaddy’s endorsement of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in 2011, Name.com was among registrars offering discounted domain transfers for customers seeking alternatives.
During the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) net neutrality reviews in 2014 and 2017, Name.com created educational materials highlighting the significance of net neutrality and encouraged its customers to support Title II protections. On July 12, 2017—the Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality—Name.com prominently urged website visitors to contact the FCC in favor of maintaining net neutrality regulations.
Domain tasting allegation
In 2007, luxury retailers Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman accused Name.com of trademark infringement. They alleged that Name.com and Spot Domain had registered over forty misspelled domain names such as NeimanMarco.com and BerdgorfGoodman.com, frequently listing inaccurate or false contact information. The lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Denver sought damages exceeding $100,000 per domain.
The plaintiffs contended that the registrars exploited their accredited status with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to acquire misspelled domains during the five-day grace period—a practice known as domain tasting—paying only for domains that generated income. This was characterized as cybersquatting. Neiman Marcus had previously accused Dotster of similar behavior in 2006. Bill Mushkin defended Name.com against these claims by stating that the company functioned solely as a registrar within an evolving industry framework. The dispute was resolved through a settlement containing specific conditions imposed on Name.com and Spot Domain; however, the terms were not publicly disclosed.
DNS hijacking
Concerns regarding DNS hijacking involving Name.com first emerged in 2010. Rather than issuing a NXDOMAIN response for DNS queries that could not be resolved, Name.com redirected users to an advertising platform it managed. The company justified this approach by referencing a provision in its Domain Registration agreement concerning "parked domain names," a practice commonly employed by registrars.
In March 2013, Name.com discontinued the use of DNS wildcarding.
Services
Name.com focuses on the registration of various top-level domains (TLDs), including gTLDs, ccTLDs, nTLDs, legacy domains, as well as aftermarket domain brokerage services. Its offerings also encompass website hosting, email, Google Workspace, SSL certificates, a website builder, WordPress setup, and cloud hosting solutions. To strengthen account protection, the company provides Two-Step Verification.
Bearglecorn mascot
The company’s mascot, "Bearglecorn"—a fusion of bear, eagle, and unicorn—appears prominently on its 404 page and promotional materials. Conceived by employee Jared Ewy and illustrated by Owen Borseth, the Bearglecorn trademark was officially registered by parent company Rightside in 2016 as part of its branding efforts.
Name.Gives
Introduced in November 2017 and financed by the parent company Donuts, Inc., Name.Gives serves as Name.com’s corporate giving initiative. Through this program, employees can propose local charities to receive donations on a quarterly basis. Previous recipients in the Denver region have included SafeHouse Denver, Special Olympics Denver Swim Team, Metro Caring, along with local high school sports and STEM projects.
Other community programs
Name.com supports multiple non-profit organizations such as the South African literary magazine Amazwi and Environment Colorado. While many supported groups operate at the grassroots level, larger organizations like Susan G. Komen and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have also been beneficiaries.
The company formerly offered a bike-to-work reimbursement program for new bicycle purchases; however, this initiative is no longer active. Additionally, it contributed to mapping efforts for laptop.org and provided internship opportunities at its Denver location. In April 2008, Name.com sponsored Idealist.org during the Webby People's Voice Awards—an event supported by The Public Interest Registry—which featured panels with non-profits including Greenpeace and Wikipedia.