Entertainment

Disney is registering bizarre domain names. Maybe they think people type in that long word. I don’t think so, but hey! it’s only 10 bucks a month at most.

Michael Patalano, college student and disney fanatic, likes guessing what his favorite company is up to by tracking which Web sites Disney Enterprises registers.
Patalano discovered that Disney registered names like and — signaling the company’s interest in securing sites that could be related to its TV show “The Suite Life with Zack & Cody” and a popular children’s book, respectively. Patalano said his biggest scoop came when he discovered the name of Disney’s sequel to “National Treasure” — “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” — before Disney had announced it, setting his fellow Internet fans abuzz.

“I’m a fan of practically everything Disney,” he said. “This was another way to find out what they’re up to.”

Shielding a company’s brand from early or negative exposure has become a business unto itself. On the advice of digital brand-management services and lawyers, many companies register thousands of names to protect themselves. Every time they launch products or services, executives have to worry about shielding their moves online from competitors and protecting themselves from users who might sully their brand.