 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | British Virgin Islands (2002) |
Key people | Thunayan K. Al-Ghanim, Founder and former CEO |
| Website | fma |
Future Media Architects (FMA) is an internet development company founded in 2002 and focused on acquiring and developing premiere domain names and web properties. FMA is primarily known for its large portfolio of internet domain names, estimated to exceed 120,000 in 2011. FMA has faced several lawsuits related to cybersquatting activities.
History
FMA was founded by Thunayan Khalid Al-Ghanim, known by his internet alias "elequa", in 2002. Born in 1970 in London, Al-Ghanim "comes from a respected Kuwaiti family that has international business interests".[1]
By mid-2003, FMA had "amassed more than 12,000 quality domains", including media.com, multimedia.com, fm.com, mp3.tv, dj.net, and oxide.com. The company purchased i.net, a major ICANN-approved internet registry, to process and manage its portfolio of domain names purchases.[1]
By 2011, FMA held over 120,000 domain names, though Al-Ghanim said, "I haven't been an active buyer lately."[2]
In 2016, FMA reversed a longstanding policy not to sell domain names,[1] and began offloading parts of its domain portfolio. Notably, it sold a number of four-letter domain names in the Chinese market.[3] In 2017, FMA listed almost 10,000 domain names for sale on the Uniregistry market.[4] Between 2014 and 2018, FMA's domain name sales were estimated at $24M.[5]
In March 2019, after "a dispute that lasted four years", Al-Ghanim was removed as an officer of FMA. The company is now under control of his sister, Shareefah Khalid Al-Ghanim. "According to court documents, Mrs. Alghanim asserted that her brother mismanaged the company, and indulged in a variety of vices impeding his judgement when making decisions about FMA. The two siblings were equal partners in the company with a 50% stake each."[6][7]
Lawsuits & Controversy
FMA and Al-Ghanim have faced several lawsuits related to cybersquatting activities, with judgements found both for and against FMA. Examples of disputed domains include kiwi.com,[8] jackass.com,[9] and calcar.org.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Elequa Unmasked: Unveiling the World's Most Prolific "Domain Artist"".
- ^ Hackney, Raymond. "Quick chat with Thunayan Khalid AL-Ghanim (elequa)". TLDInvestors. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
- ^ FMA : Future Media Architects domain sales to China. DomainGang https://domaingang.com/domain-news/fma-future-media-architects-domain-sales-to-china/. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
- ^ "FMA liquidation : Elequa adds almost 10,000 domains to the Uniregistry Market". Domain Gang. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
- ^ "Uniregistry : Exclusive Broker Of Existing FMA Domain Portfolio". wn.com.
- ^ "Elequa's #domain portfolio company is under new management". DomainGang. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ "In re Ex Parte Application of Shareefah Khalid Alghanim for an Order to Conduct Discovery for Use in Foreign Proceedings Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 1782 (1:17-mc-00406)". Retrieved 2019-07-31.
- ^ "Future Media Architects Prevails Over Corporate Giant Sara Lee in Domain Name Challenge".
- ^ LaVallee, Andrew (2008-12-22). "The Battle Over Jackass.com". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Calcar, Inc. v. Future Media Architects, Inc. c/o com fma". Retrieved 2007-10-24.