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Introduction
JD.com, also known as Jingdong, is a popular Chinese e-commerce company that sells a wide variety of products, from electronics and home appliances to fashion and beauty items. But have you ever wondered how JD.com got its domain name? In this article, we'll take a deep dive into the fascinating story of how JD.com acquired its domain name.
The Early Days of JD.com
JD.com was originally founded in 1998 as an electronics storefront in Beijing, China. However, it wasn't until 2004 that the company began to operate online, where it quickly gained popularity due to its timely and reliable delivery service. At that time, the company was known as 360buy.com, which was a combination of the words "360" and "buy" intended to represent the company's all-encompassing approach to e-commerce.
The Acquisition of JD.com
In 2013, JD.com began the process of rebranding itself to better reflect its changing business model. The company wanted a new, shorter name that would be easier to remember and more reflective of its broad range of offerings. After considering several options, JD.com settled on the domain name JD.com.
However, JD.com was already owned by someone else at the time. In fact, the domain name had been registered since 1992, which made it one of the oldest .com domains in existence. The owner of the domain name was a Japanese company called JD Enterprise, which had been using the domain for its own business purposes for over a decade.
Negotiations and Legal Battles
Knowing that JD.com was the perfect domain name for its brand, JD.com began negotiations with JD Enterprise to purchase the domain. However, JD Enterprise was unwilling to part with the domain, even for a large sum of money.
Thus began a long legal battle between JD.com and JD Enterprise. JD.com argued that it was entitled to the domain name because it had acquired trademark rights to the name "JD" through its use in China. JD Enterprise countered that it had owned the domain name since 1992 and had used it in the course of conducting business. The case was heard in both US and Chinese courts.
The Settlement
In the end, the two companies were able to come to a settlement outside of court. JD.com purchased the domain name for an undisclosed amount, and both companies were able to continue operating without further legal battles.
Conclusion
The acquisition of the domain name JD.com was a long and complicated process for the e-commerce giant. However, it was a necessary step in the company's rebranding efforts and has since become synonymous with the JD.com brand. Today, JD.com is one of the largest and most successful e-commerce companies in the world, thanks in part to its easily recognizable domain name.
