Zuckerberg firm buys Kochi boy’s domain

It was a big moment for Amal Augustine, 21, a B.Tech student from Kochi, when he received an email from Sarah Kim of ICONIQ Capital, the wealth manager of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The email stated they were interested to purchase the domain "maxchanzuckerberg.com" acquired by Amal in December.

Experts in the field say this is an instance of cyber squatting of prominence in the state, which involved social media giant Mark Zuckerberg.

Cyber squatting is the act of registering a popular Internet address with the aim of selling it to its rightful owner. Amal had purchased the domain maxchanzuckerberg.com the same day Zuckerberg had announced the birth of his daughter Maxima Chan Zuckerberg (Max) on December 1.

“I had earlier also bought some domains, but this is the first time someone has approached me for buying one of them and it was indeed a big one,” says Amal.

ICONIQ Capital contacted Amal through GoDaddy, a publicly traded Internet domain registrar and web-hosting company, and later emailed him expressing interest in purchasing the domain.

“They asked me what my purchase amount is and I said $700, thinking they would agree for at least $500. To my surprise, they agreed for the amount which I demanded. In fact, my friends later told me I could have made a better deal. But, this is my first deal and I have no regrets,” added Amal.

A third-year electronic and communication student at KMEA Engineering College, Aluva, Amal is also an active IT quiz participant who has won many prizes in competitions across the state.