Domain investor and entrepreneur, Rick Latona, scored a big victory with the apparent sale of ChatGPT.com.
The arrangement took place after long negotiations that followed the UDRP filed against the domain name in March. The UDRP was subsequently withdrawn after the two parties came to an agreement.
Rick Latona noted that his company accepted a settlement offer provided by OpenAI, creators of the ultra-popular tool, ChatGPT. Said Rick:
“I can officially confirm that we accepted OpenAI’s settlement offer. They now own chatgpt(.com). I cannot disclose any terms of the settlement, so please do not even ask.”
The details of this settlement will probably remain sealed forever, as such agreements carry strict penalties when the terms are violated. As OpenAI is a private company, it is not required to disclose domain acquisition costs or anything else in its financial reports publicly.
So how much could Mr. Latona have sold the domain ChatGPT.com for?
That’s anyone’s guess and in our opinion the domain ChatGPT.com was traded for up to $250,000 dollars.
It’s a liberal estimate, given the timeframe of the UDRP and subsequent communications between the two parties. Although ChatGPT is currently sought to be registered as a trademark, OpenAI was laggard with regards to securing the domain and therefore its subsequent mark. Now, it has the opportunity to secure the trademark registration as well.
Does this mean that others hoarding “ChatGPT domains” can follow in the footsteps of Rick Latona?
Absolutely not. Once OpenAI registers the ChatGPT trademark expect a tsunami of UDRP filings, or worse. Domain investors are in the same position as with the “Meta domains” craze prior to that.
Read more details in Elliot Silver’s post covering the arrangement for the domain ChatGPT.com.
