The operators of Wander.com have filed for the registration of the matching trademark, WANDER.COM.
This intent to use application indicates the company, Wander.com, Inc., has not used the mark in interstate commerce yet. The mark’s identification is lengthy and here’s one sample:
Downloadable computer software for mobile devices for booking temporary accommodation and vacation real estate listings; downloadable software in the nature of a mobile application for booking temporary accommodation and vacation real estate listings and for processing financial transactions; downloadable applications for use with mobile devices for booking and making reservations for temporary accommodation and vacation real estate listing and for processing financial transactions; downloadable computer software platform that facilitates the provision of information, peer-to-peer interaction, and processing financial transactions relating to temporary accommodation and vacation real estate listing services, and the booking of temporary accommodations in the fields of travel, lodging, dining, and entertainment; downloadable computer software and downloadable mobile applications on which users can post ratings, reviews, and recommendations on vacation real estate listings, temporary accommodations, events, locations, businesses, services, and activities in the fields of entertainment, travel, tourism and restaurants.
The company most likely acquired the domain from its long-term owner and original registrant (1997) on or around May 27, 2021. The WHOIS changes sent the domain into privacy, along with the use of Cloudflare as a proxy DNS.
Wander.com, Inc. is a corporation formed in Delaware in early May. Aside from the domain Wander.com, they also acquired the matching handles on Instagram and Twitter (both are @wander.) That alone indicates a lot of available capital!
And indeed they did raise quite a bit of money, $7.3 million dollars so far according to Crunchbase, with Redpoint as the lead investor. It’s quite possible that the domain Wander.com sold for seven figures as opposed to less than that.
Why was WANDER.COM applied for as a trademark at the USPTO?
It’s an ongoing trend among owners of generic domain names, following the decision by SCOTUS on the Booking.com trademark application.
Since then, dozens of generic domain names have been applied to be registered as trademarks, inclusive of the TLD. We keep track of these applications, and so far none has been decided upon.
As of January 5th, 2021, BOOKING.COM is a registered trademark with the USPTO.
Will these applications become the new norm? Watch this video from NamesCon Online 2020.
