Saddam.com domain name for sale

An internet domain company based in Panama is auctioning off the domain name Saddam.com on eBay this week.

Web Management had acquired Saddam.com only a few weeks ago with plans to hold the domain name as a long-term investment. But the firm said today that large numbers of unsolicited offers from around the world prompted the decision to auction the domain.

The company said it “acknowledges the inherent controversy” in selling a domain name associated with the former Iraqi president who is on trial for genocide, but “believes, however, that the domain name will be a valuable brand for the right buyer”.

“We are not concerned about Saddam.com ending up in the wrong hands or being used for malicious purposes,” said Martin Milagros, Web Management’s vice-president of marketing.

“According to eBay rules, the buyer cannot be on the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list or from any country that is under embargo by the US.

"We have little concern about this sale, as negative international forces are not likely to recognise the power of internet domain names.”

Milagros believes the ideal buyer will be a film studio or production company planning a creative project based on Saddam’s life.

According to the company, there is no record that Saddam.com has ever been used for an active website.

After only one day bidding had already reached $2,751 (€2,200) and Web Management said it expected a five-figure bid by the time the auction concludes tomorrow.

Web Management is a domain investment and website development company that buys, holds, develops and sells domains.

Domain-name investing began in the early days of the internet, when individuals bought domains they thought would be in demand in the future, then sold them later, sometimes at a substantial profit.

The Saddam.com eBay auction can be accessed at http://www.saddam.com.