TORONTO

Toronto

Current Weather 7 Day Forecast

CityNews Snow contest

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Domain Name Confusion Over An Internet Giant Sends One Firm's Website Down The Tubes

10/13/2006  | CityNews.ca Staff

share via email
Domain Name Confusion Over An Internet Giant Sends One Firm's Website Down The Tubes

That's what the people at a company called Universal Tube and Rollform Equipment are wondering.

Chances are pretty good you've never heard of the firm that advertises itself under the admittedly boring slogan of the "Largest Stocking Dealer of Used Tube Mills & Used Rollformers in the World."

And you never would have either, if not for the fact that Google just bought the video Internet site Youtube for $1.65 billion.

And though the first company has nothing to do with the latter two, they've have become accidentally intertwined in a coincidence that's virtually brought Universal Tube's own website to a standstill.

The problem started when the news of the Internet search giant's buyout plan first hit the headlines earlier this week. youtube.com is where millions of surfers head every day to watch the latest and most bizarre videos posted to the net.

utube.com is where the people who resell all those old tubes advertise their business. But so many people have been confusing one with the other that the Perrysburg, Ohio business has had its website virtually disabled by users accidentally typing in the wrong address.

Owner Ralph Girkins claims it's been nothing but frustrating since news of the takeover broke on Monday.

"I'm at a point now, all I want to do is to make the site work," the frustrated company boss relates. "Today, it's been up the longest it's been up for a week -- an hour and a half."

But while stats show the formerly obscure utube.com has accidentally shot up to become the sixth most popular U.S. manufacturing website -- ahead of giants like Whirlpool -- the business interruption isn't all bad.

Girkins claims he's been contacted by an intermediary for Youtube asking to buy the website address for a cool $1 million to end the confusion.

But he won't sell. At least not yet.

He plans to wait and see if he can up that ante to at least $2.5 or $3 million.

Still, he might be advised to take the money and run. Both Youtube and Google insist they've never been in contact with the suddenly spotlighted webmaster and have no intention of trying to buy his domain name at any price.

Which could send his early retirement plans down the utube.

 
Stay Connected with CityNews

Latest life Headlines

Maximize your RRSP in your 50s and 60s
2012/02/12 14:59:22
2012/02/12 15:01:49
Air Canada reaches tentative deal with its largest union
2012/02/10 19:58:05
2012/02/10 20:11:44
Cuts to elderly benefits years away: Flaherty
2012/02/10 16:20:08
2012/02/10 16:21:40
Current tests for ovarian cancer 'not enough': study
2012/02/10 10:36:21
2012/02/10 10:45:19
Traffic
Weather

Facebook
Twitter
[+] show more
[-] show less
Featured Partners Content
Rogers Digital Media