The domain name dudu.com was sold for $1 million to Dubai-based social media network DUDU in a sale negotiated over three months by Sedo to close out 2011. The sale was Sedo’s second largest public sale in 2011, topped only by gambling.com, which sold for $2.5 million.

The buyer of dudu.com is Mr. Alibek Issaev, a businessman and Chairman of DUDU Communications. DUDU is a popular social network which uses unique translation technology to allow its users from around the world to communicate with each other in their native languages. The network is currently located at godudu.com, and the company decided that investing in a shorter, more memorable name would benefit their business’ growth. What he did not say though was that many users would be typing in dudu.com and then finding they were at the wrong website.

“With the purchase of dudu.com, we will be able to match our platform’s brand with the exact domain name we need, and migrate from using godudu.com to this shorter version,” said Alibek Issaev, Chairman of DUDU. “This purchase means we don’t lose important traffic, and at the same time we ensure that visitors from around the globe will remember our brand’s name.” The former owner of dudu.com, based in China, had not originally listed the dudu.com domain for sale. However, Sedo’s international brokerage team was able to help both the buyer and seller negotiate a mutually satisfactory agreement for the sale of the name.

“In our day-to-day work, we face the complex issue of language barriers,” confirmed Liesbeth Mack-de Boer, chief sales officer of Sedo. “Our team speaks 27 different languages, so we have the rare ability to handle any kind of negotiation around the globe. With our cultural competency and language abilities, Sedo stands out as being one of the most qualified, proficient and truly international domain marketplace leaders.”

“Sedo’s expertise with international negotiations made it possible for us to acquire the domain name we needed for our branding strategy,” added DUDU Chairman Alibek Issaev.