Believe it or not, but Microsoft, owner of the search engine Live.com, does not own LiveSearch.com. The name was registered some 13 years ago by Tyler Tullock, an American living in Washington State.
Tullock has been making quite a bit of money through Google AdSense with the name from what is called type-in traffic, where people visit LiveSearch.com directly thinking it is Live.com.
Recently, Microsoft offered him £25,000 for the name, but he in turn requested £500,000. Redmond was only willing to part with £125,000, so the sale didn’t go through.
Though Microsoft could sue for trademark infringement, they would not win in court. Tullock registered his name well before Live Search was introduced with a legitimate purpose and could even sue Microsoft.
There is some talk about Microsoft relaunching Live Search on a new domain this week. If this happens, Tullock’s name would become worthless over night. He plans on developing it if the rumors turn out to be true. “If they’re going to be abandoning the name, I can move ahead with it,” he said.
Source: Washington Post