The domain name DarthVader.com has found its rightful home with George Lucas' Lucasfilm Ltd. thanks to a sci-fi fanatic in Toronto.

"Star Wars had a profound impact on me as a child," Bill Sweetman, a domain portfolio vice-president at at Tucows, said in a statement. The Toronto-based global Internet services company manages over 11 million domain names.

"The moment I spotted DarthVader.com in a list of deleting domain names, I knew Tucows had to find a way to get this iconic domain name into the right hands. I knew I was its only hope."
Sweetman's heroism didn't go unrecognzied.

Lucasfilm has agreed to make a donation to the Tucows Elves Project, an annual charitable effort organized by the company that provides toys to children of low income families in Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood.

"We're thrilled to be the new owners of DarthVader.com," said Miles Perkins, a spokesman for Lucasfilm.

"And we are even more excited about supporting such a worthy cause. We regret having to refuse Bill's request that we deliver the children's toys in the Millennium Falcon. It was heartbreaking having to explain to him that it's not real."

The domain name experts at Tucows say they regularly rescue and donate valuable domain names to individuals and organizations the company admires.

Previous domain name rescues include FreddieMercury.com and PhilCollins.com.