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A brand name only a sucker could love:
Microsoft pulls the plug on RealNames.

SEATTLE, May 14, 2002. In a sudden turn of events, RealNames promptly folded yesterday after its partner, Microsoft, pulled the plug on future partnering.

RealNames bet $100 million of venture capital that companies would be willing to pay good money to buy their keywords in addition to domain names. The ex-company still holds fast to the notion that buying keywords is the wave of the future:

RealNames has ceased normal business operations and commenced an orderly wind down of its business. This is a necessary step, given Microsoft's decision, but an unfortunate one. The growth in Keyword usage clearly demonstrates that Keywords are the next generation naming system. Nonetheless, without our key distributor, it does not make sense to keep the business active in its current form.

Another shoe has dropped into the Internet bubble bath -- perhaps the economy is finally poised to recover. Keyword: aloha.