14 DAY TRIAL // Benedict XVI has just been announced as the Pope name of Cardinal Ratzinger, and Internet users found out that the domain BenedictXVI.com has already been registered.
The owner of this domain is Roger Cadenhead, an American from Florida, the author of many books related to IT, like Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days. He bought this address on April 1.
BenedictXVI.com is not the only domain bought by Cadenhead, who knew that cardinals appointed as Popes choose the name of one of their predecessors to honor their memory. He also bought: ClementXV.com, InnocentXIV.com, LeoXIV.com, PaulVII.com and PiusXII.com. He would have bought JohnPaulIII.com and JohnXXIV.com, but they had already been bought.
Cadenhead bought the domains from Bulkregister.com for 12 dollars each.
Cadenhead declared that he didn't buy the BenedictXVI.com address for cybersquatting. Cybersquatters register certain domains only to resell them afterwards for a bigger price.
After the new Pope was appointed, Cadenhead's blog page recorded 100 hits per minute.
Even if Cadenhead intends to sell the domain to the Catholic Church, it is unlikely that the transaction will take place, since the Vatican already has the top-level domain .va. Cadenhead is already receiving e-mails in which he is accused of committing a sin by buying the domain.