The symbol representing the Christian "sign of the cross" has been turned into an Internet web address and is for sale, the company that registered it said today.
Internet addresses recently began to incorporate symbols and the sign of the cross is now available as +.com, +.org and +.net. The symbol itself is more of a cross than a plus symbol.
New Zealand company Pdom.com said the dotcom version is for sale for 20,000 US dollars. The other versions cost much less.
Pdom chief executive Mr Rob Wiles said even religion was affected by the Internet."The sign of the cross is now able to be bought and sold as an Internet domain name. For the first time ownership of the symbol is an issue".
Mr Wiles expects Church leaders will raise their eyebrows at the perceived exploitation of their most sacred icon, but he says the Internet is becoming a key tool for people to discover more about themselves and their religion and clear branding is essential.
"The sign of the cross is effectively the oldest brand in the world," said Mr Wiles.
"If the world's most famous commercial brands like Coke, the Nike swoosh and McDonalds are anything to go by, potentially the sign of the cross has to be worth billions of dollars."
AFP