Amazon Technologies, a subsidiary of e-commerce giant Amazon, has acquired three domain names relating to cryptocurrency: “amazoncryptocurrency.com,” “amazoncryptocurrencies.com,” and “amazonethereum.com.”
Exactly why Amazon decided to register all three of these domain names, no one really knows.
This has, predictably, not stopped observers from speculating about what type of grand schemes Amazon may have in the works. Some have suggested that the move may signal Amazon’s intention to launch its own cryptocurrency. Others believe that it simply results from the company’s proactive measures to prevent possible copyright infringement.
The latter idea certainly has merit: shortly after DomainNameWire first broke this news, an individual identified as “Byron Wiebe” acquired the domain name “amazonripple.com,” which redirects to the Ripple cryptocurrency website.
Also, it is possible that Amazon wishes to help distinguish Amazon Coin, a digital currency it created in 2013, from other cryptocurrencies, as pointed out by CryptoCoinsNews.
Regarding the idea that Amazon is preparing to accept cryptocurrencies as payment, however, there is very little evidence to support this suggestion. Amazon already has a cryptocurrency domain that it doesn’t use. Back in 2013, it registered ownership of “amazonbitcoin.com,” but visitors attempting to access this site are automatically redirected to the company’s main page, Amazon.com.
This is consistent with statements made by Amazon Pay’s vice president, Patrick Gauthier, who recently assured the public that the company has no intention of accepting virtual currency as payment anytime soon.
There is yet the possibility that the company intends to use “amazonethereum.com” for blockchain-related purposes that do not involve cryptocurrency, as some have pointed out.
Read more at: Fortune, Futurism, and CryptoCoinsNews.