Jeremy Lin domain name up for sale in China

Published February 21, 2012 4:20pm

Even as his star continues to rise, newly-drafted National Basketball Association (NBA) sensation Jeremy Lin may risk falling prey to cyber-squatters.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported a Chinese domain name bearing Lin’s Chinese name – www.linshuhao.com – had been registered in China and is up “for sale.”

“This domain name is for sale ... Email：82745340#qq.com,” read a message on the website (www.linshuhao.com) as of Monday night, Manila time.

But the CNA report said attempts to contact the one who registered the domain name got an error message that there were “too many bidders right now.”

“Too many bidders right now. Please state your budget or we won’t reply,” it quoted the error message as saying.

An English translation of the site quoted Forbes as saying Jeremy Lin had become one of the fastest-growing brand names, “worth about $14 million (equivalent to about NT $ 4.1 billion).”

It also suggested the LinShuHao “brand value” has tied that of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.

Lin, now a point guard for the New York Knicks, has become an NBA sensation in past weeks, leading his team to several rousing victories.

He also endeared himself to fans with his humble attitude and hard work ethic.

The CNA report noted the war on Lin’s intellectual property (IP) rights is surrounding the sudden rise of the Taiwanese-American star.

It said Lin’s attorneys have reportedly applied for trademark rights to the term “Linsanity,” which covers the use of all things “Lin.”

The CNA report also quoted foreign wire service reports as saying Andrew Slayton, Lin’s former Palo Alto high school basketball coach, also reportedly bought the domain name Linsanity.com in 2010.

Offers to buy

The CNA report quoted the Chinese news website Tiangjinwe.com as saying some have offered 260,000 yuan (US$41,293) to buy the Chinese domain name.

On the other hand, CNA quoted a Chinese lawyer who pointed out that there are many ways to spell Lin’s Chinese name.

Lin merchandise

Lin jerseys, whether counterfeit or authorized, are hot sellers in China, with prices ranging from 30 yuan to 2,300 yuan.

A search for “Linsanity” products on Taobao, a fast-growing online retail business owned by China’s Alibaba Group, returned more than 2,644 results, including Lin-branded cellphone cases and hats. — AMD/TJD, GMA News

Tags: jeremylin, internet, domainname, dns