Domain Name Games

What’s in a name? If it’s an Internet domain name, there can be quite a bit.

The registry of Internet domain names kept by Network Solutions Inc. hints at the future plans of online retailers such as Aliso Viejo-based Buy.Com Inc. and Corona del Mar-based Shopping.com.

Buy.Com appears to be preparing for a direct attack against its main competitors in the online retailing of books, music and software, having registered the domains 10percentoffamazon.com, 10percentoffreel.com and 10percentoffegghead.com.

“It’s in our marketing plan, but I really can’t comment on anything other than that,” said Scott Blum, president and chief executive officer of Buy.Com. “We will use those domain names at some time.”

Their sights may be set even higher, having registered 10percentoffwalmart.com.

Troubled Shopping.com, whose stock ticker symbol is “IBUY,” last October registered ibuydrugstore.com.

Pharmaceutical products have been discussed as one of the next big online retailing categories, particularly since the inception last year of Drugstore.com Inc.

The Redmond-based start-up, which is backed by the influential Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and headed by former Microsoft Corp. executive Peter Neupert, has not yet opened for business.

Shopping.com officials did not return calls asking for comment.

By the way, Buy.Com also has reserved the domain name buycheeseburgers.com. Blum said it was going to be part of a television advertisement, but it was nixed.

So far, there have been no takers for doyouwantfrieswiththat.com.

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Jonathan Gaw covers technology and electronic commerce for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7818 and at jonathan.gaw@latimes.com.