(Ecns.cn) – Retired NBA star Yao Ming's name still shines in cyber space, as the value of related domain names such as "yaoming.com.cn" and "yaoming.cn" are soaring high, up to 1 million yuan ($154,600).
On 4.cn, a domestic marketplace for domains, the prices for Yao related domain names are growing rapidly, and thousands of potential buyers have been logging on to inquire about them, which has also pushed up the prices to some extent.
In fact, Yao related domain names were speculated on in a mad craze between 2006 and 2007, when sites featuring the former player's name were for sale. Now, after four years, they have regained their market fervor.
An insider revealed that currently domain names such as "yaoming.cn," "yaoming.com.cn," and "yaomingsoft.com.cn" are in auction processes.
Data from the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) showed that the domain name "yaoming.cn" was registered in April 2006 to Wu Bowei, a businessman in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, and will expire in April 2013.
On September 7, 2011, Wu said he will sell the domain for at least 1 million yuan. He believes that Yao and his team won't give up and that it is an important and valuable business brand.
Meanwhile, Han Long, the owner of "yaoming.com.cn" hopes to sell the domain name at the price of 100,000 yuan ($15,460). He disclosed, "The domain name is only reserved for those enterprises or persons who have strong economic power and strategic vision."
However, according to Huang Chunhai, a lawyer with the Tahota Law Firm, "Though everyone can register the domain names in legitimate ways at first, celebrities like Yao have the rights to their name, and the buyers may get themselves in trouble if Yao or his team took them to court."
Yao has already invested in many fields such as information technology, sports, and catering services. For example, the Yao Restaurant is one of his brand names.
