An anonymous person bought Loser.com, a domain worth over $21,000, according to GoDaddy, and has used it to savagely mock self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto Craig Wright.
That person has decided to forward the domain to Craig Wright’s official Wikipedia page . A snapshot of the page exists at Everipedia , a Wikipedia fork that incentivizes users with blockchain tokens.
Remarkably, several “loser” top-level domains remain available. A Craig Wright supporter might seize the opportunity to direct one of those at someone else, perhaps a critic of Wright’s. In any case, valuable domains are rarely used in this manner.
The question now is how the lawsuit-happy Craig Wright will react. As we said, the domain registration is currently private – the closest thing to anonymous that you can get.
With a valid subpoena, the registration information can be turned over. If it’s found to be inaccurate at that time, the domain can be revoked on those grounds.
However, near-professional litigant Craig Wright might find relief before that. According to Lexology , there are certain rules about registering a domain with the intent to defame someone.
One requirement of a domain suspension is that the person complaining – in this case, it would be Craig Wright – must prove that the defendant registered the domain with the specific intention of defaming them.
Called the “bad faith” clause, the powerful ICANN rule could enable someone like Wright to acquire the domain targeted at them.
“Thus, parties that have been defamed on one or more websites located at domains specially-registered to disparage them can still obtain the transfer of those domain names upon proving each of the required elements – including bad faith.”
It’s unclear whether calling someone a “loser,” even if indirectly, can be classified as a form of defamation.
It’s also unclear whether a legal case could be made that would satisfy all of the requirements of ICANN.
Handing over a piece of intellectual property worth more than $20,000 isn’t a small ask. The owner would undoubtedly fight the demand.
The domain was first registered in 2002 and has either changed hands or only changed registrars 3-4 times over the years. The last time it appears to have changed hands was in 2007, according to WhoisRequest.com.
Previously, the owner of Loser.com redirected the website to notorious crypto pumper John McAfee’s Wikipedia page, Internet Archive data shows.