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Digital Ghost Towns: When Big Companies Acquire, Shut Down, and Sit on Domains


Fascinating accounts of how iconic domains were acquired, the stories behind domain name choices, epic fails, unintended meanings, and notable moments in domain history.

The internet is littered with digital ghost towns—premium domains once associated with thriving businesses, now sitting dormant or parked, waiting for their next life. Some of the biggest companies in the world have made strategic acquisitions, only to shut down the businesses they bought, leaving behind valuable domain names that are either redirected, held indefinitely, or simply left in limbo. Let’s take a look at some high-profile cases where major corporations scooped up valuable domains, shut down the original companies, and left the URLs in the digital graveyard.

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