Dubai-based siblings to transfer jiohotstar.com domain name to Reliance “for free”

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) Dubai-based siblings Jainam and Jivika, the owners of jiohotstar.com domain name, have decided to transfer it to Reliance “for free”, quelling speculations on social media platforms.

The duo said the story of an internet domain that has recently attracted widespread attention on social media platforms ends with “service and kindness.”

The unique website ID is said to have been initially registered by a Delhi-based app developer last year amid speculation that Reliance Jio and Disney Hotstar might merge.

Last month, days after Reliance Jio and The Walt Disney officially announced the merger of their media businesses, the developer made a request to fund his further studies at Cambridge University in exchange for a transfer of domain ownership.

Later, the Dubai-based siblings purchased the jiohotstar.com domain name from its registered owner. According to industry observers, the domain was sold to the siblings in Dubai after Reliance rejected his offer.

The siblings have now shared the latest news, saying they were approached by Reliance’s intellectual property legal team and the duo decided to transfer ownership to them (Reliance) in the hope it would “work for them”.

“We have been approached by the Reliance IP legal team and we will transfer the domain name to them free of charge,” they said in a message on their website.

“There are some rumors online suggesting a payment or transaction was involved, but we would like to clarify – this is not true,” the message said.

In addition, the two also clarified in the video that there was “no pressure from anyone” and denied that there was “any form of transaction.”

“This is purely a domain name transfer on our end because we believe it will work for them. Whether they choose to use it or not is up to them,” the message added.

PTI contacted Reliance for comment on the matter but did not receive any reply.

The siblings said in previous messages that they had received a number of offers, including some really high ones. However, they said the domain is not for sale.

While declaring that “the journey with jiohotstar.com is coming to an end”, the duo said that they are awaiting a transfer draft from Reliance’s legal team.

“We have been contacted by the Reliance IP legal team. We told them that the domain name transfer will only happen after the agreement is signed. They asked us to come to Mumbai to sign the agreement.” They said the agreement is expected to be signed soon.

“Once this occurs, we will transfer the domain name and the site will be terminated,” the message said.

Reliance last week announced the completion of the merger of its media assets with global media giant Walt Disney’s India operations, forming a joint venture worth approximately $10 billion $70,352 crore ($8.5 billion).

The joint venture will become one of the largest media and entertainment companies in India with total revenue of approx. $26,000 crore and will be led by Nita Ambani as chairman.