Microsoft is getting ready to launch a new site or service called Sway. Right now there’s no word from Microsoft officially about what this new product, service, or website will be. But based on the number of domain names that have been purchased recently by Microsoft and their private acquisition of the Sway.com domain name leads me to believe that Sway is launching soon.
Jamie Zoch, from Dot Weekly reports that Microsoft “used the domain buying service Brand Certified and has acquired the domain name Sway.com. No purchase price has been disclosed but it was likely six figures for the domain. The domain purchase likely took place on or about March 3, 2014 and has been hid behind the Brand Certified name since acquiring the domain name on behalf of Microsoft.”
It looks like Sway is going to be “Online Computer Software, Software As A Service”. Microsoft filed for a trademark on the name in June.
Based on the whois record of Sway.com:
Domain Name: sway.com
Registry Domain ID: 1920001_DOMAIN_COM-VRSN
Registrar WHOIS Server: whois.markmonitor.com
Registrar URL: http://www.markmonitor.com
Updated Date: 2014-07-30T10:42:03-0700
Creation Date: 1995-10-30T21:00:00-0800
Registrar Registration Expiration Date: 2020-10-29T21:00:00-0700
Registrar: MarkMonitor, Inc.
Registrar IANA ID: 292
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone: +1.2083895740
Domain Status: clientUpdateProhibited
Domain Status: clientTransferProhibited
Domain Status: clientDeleteProhibited
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name: Domain Administrator
Registrant Organization: Microsoft Corporation
Registrant Street: One Microsoft Way,
Registrant City: Redmond
Registrant State/Province: WA
Registrant Postal Code: 98052
Registrant Country: US
Registrant Phone: +1.4258828080
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax: +1.4259367329
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name: Domain Administrator
Admin Organization: Microsoft Corporation
Admin Street: One Microsoft Way,
Admin City: Redmond
Admin State/Province: WA
Admin Postal Code: 98052
Admin Country: US
Admin Phone: +1.4258828080
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax: +1.4259367329
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email:
Registry Tech ID:
Tech Name: MSN Hostmaster
Tech Organization: Microsoft Corporation
Tech Street: One Microsoft Way,
Tech City: Redmond
Tech State/Province: WA
Tech Postal Code: 98052
Tech Country: US
Tech Phone: +1.4258828080
Tech Phone Ext:
Tech Fax: +1.4259367329
Tech Fax Ext:
Tech Email:
Name Server: ns3.msft.net
Name Server: ns2.msft.net
Name Server: ns1.msft.net
Name Server: ns4.msft.net
Sway.com was transferred to MSFT.NET nameservers on the 31st of July, and it was transferred from domaincontrol.com.
Microsoft also recently registered sway-related domain names as part of their upcoming content delivery network (CDN) for Sway:
sway-cdn.com
sway-cdn.net
sway-int.com
sway-int.net
They purchased those domain names back on July 29, 2014.