Windows10.com Is Not Microsoft’s Property
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has made a pretty surprising oversight with regard to Windows 10… it seemingly does not own Windows10.com! The web domain that should naturally be named after this new operating system has not been registered by the software giant, and apparently another individual or company currently owns this URL.
Windows10.com oversight?
It is not known whether this is an oversight on the part of Microsoft, or whether a particularly canny individual has signed up for this domain name ahead of the Microsoft corporation itself. What is certain is that the next operating system from Microsoft, which comes with a brand new front end, redesigned Start menu and new next generation branding, cannot be advertized as Windows10.com, at least not until Microsoft has entered into negotiations with the owner.
At present, the Windows10.com domain does offer something useful and relevant with regard to the operating system. Windows10.com currently provides a wide range of links related to coverage of Windows 10, with the latest news on the operating system that it will be available to download on July 29.
The website contains links from a wide range of coverage across the worldwide web, and the fact that this is not a Microsoft website is made 100 percent clear, probably for legal reasons. A disclaimer clearly stresses when one logs on to Windows10.com that the webpage is "independent and not affiliated with Microsoft Corporation".
This is not the first time that a major company or individual has found that a domain name has been unavailable for use. Opportunistic individuals have previously registered domain names in the hope of extricating some money from the natural owners of such Internet destinations. This has occurred with a variety of success, but in other major cases both courts and judges have ruled that some registrations of addresses were frivolous, and ordered individuals to hand over ownership of the addresses to the obvious recipient.
Windows10.com problems
However, this seems unlikely in this case, as the existing owners of the Windows10.com website have clearly been involved in producing material that is relevant to the domain. Thus, Microsoft is unlikely to be able to achieve a landmark legal ruling that would automatically enable them to assume control of the Windows10.com domain name.
So it is possible that Microsoft will ignore Windows10.com completely, and instead opt for a different domain for its new flagship operating system. There are certainly plenty of options available for Microsoft, and the sophisticated Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) algorithms would unquestionably place the new Microsoft website at the top of the search listings in extremely due course.
Alternatively, it is possible that Microsoft could attempt to enter into a deal with the domain owners of Windows10.com, although whether they would be open to this, or whether Microsoft would be willing to offer enough money, remains to be seen. Obviously Microsoft is easily capable of purchasing the Windows10.com domain name should it choose to do so, but vast corporations often play hardball over relatively trivial issues if they feel it will cost them unnecessary capital expenditure.
Windows 10 hype
With Windows 10 due for release on July 29, there is a huge amount of anticipation in the world regarding this new operating system. The final retail packaging for the Windows 10 operating system was leaked online earlier this week, and there is little about Windows 10 that we don't know by now. The public beta version of the operating system has been available for some time, and considering the rebooting job that Microsoft is doing with the Windows concept, a large amount of details regarding Windows 10 have been made publicly available.
Considering the massive demand for Windows 10, it is still unclear how many PC users will be able to upgrade their PCs to the new Windows 10 operating system when it launches in a couple of weeks' time. Microsoft has stated that 4.4 million users will be able to access Windows 10 immediately, but previous software and hardware launches by both Microsoft and other companies suggest that this will not run smoothly as intended.
In recent weeks, the release of the latest Elder Scrolls video game was greatly marred by numerous server crashes, and it seems unlikely that everything will run entirely according to plan on July 29 when Windows 10 is released.
Microsoft has emphasized that those wishing to install the latest operating system should register for a free copy of Windows 10 as soon as possible. Windows 10 is being made available as an upgrade for all existing Windows 7 and Windows 8 users, but Microsoft has stated that the program will only be available in this form for 12 months.
Whether Windows10.com will form part of its plans remains to be seen, but Microsoft clearly has some work to do on this issue.
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