Warren Buffett's investment company Berkshire Hathaway has recently significantly increased its stake in domain registration service provider VeriSign, becoming VeriSign's largest shareholder. Buffett seems quite optimistic about its long-term value. Notably, VeriSign holds patents for linking domain names to blockchain addresses such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. (Background: Buffett's 'massive cash hoarding' indicates a crisis in the US stock market? Analyzing 20 years of Berkshire's historical data provides the answer) (Additional context: 99% of Buffett's wealth is directed to family charitable foundations; is it genuine philanthropy or a clever tax avoidance strategy?) According to documents submitted by Berkshire Hathaway to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week, the company spent $28.55 million to purchase 143,424 shares of VeriSign stock over the trading days of December 20, 23, and 24. Following this acquisition, Berkshire Hathaway currently holds about 13,193,349 shares of VeriSign, increasing its stake to 13.7%, making it VeriSign's largest single shareholder. VeriSign, founded in 1995, is a global leader in critical internet infrastructure and domain registration services, enabling navigation of many of the most recognizable domain names on the internet. VeriSign ensures the security, stability, and flexibility of essential internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of the 13 global internet root servers, and offering registration services and authoritative solutions for the .com and .net top-level domains that support most global e-commerce. Why favor VeriSign? Berkshire Hathaway has sold a large number of shares this year and holds significant cash reserves, yet the company is willing to invest heavily in VeriSign, raising eyebrows. Buffett and his investment team seem to see VeriSign's long-term value, believing that VeriSign plays an irreplaceable role in the global internet architecture and has substantial room for appreciation in the future. Marketwatch reports that one reason Buffett is interested in VeriSign could be its strong profitability metrics among S&P 500 constituent companies. In the third quarter of this year, VeriSign's gross margin reached 88.02%, ranking 11th among S&P 500 companies, with an operating margin of 71.25% ranking 6th, and a net margin of 51.54% ranking 7th. Notably, VeriSign has previously received multiple patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for applying blockchain technology to domains. Buffett may also be looking at the development prospects of blockchain technology, which could be another important reason for his choice to invest in VeriSign. For example, one patent obtained by VeriSign is titled 'Transferring Domain Names in Secondary Blockchain Markets and DNS,' which describes a method for transferring domain names across DNS and blockchain networks when using cryptocurrency for transactions. This method can handle the transaction from start to finish, including holding the cryptocurrency in a third-party escrow until the transaction is complete. Another patent, titled 'Lifecycle Management of Domain Name Blockchain Addresses,' describes a method for linking a domain name (e.g., example.com) with a blockchain wallet address. Once users associate the domain with the wallet address, others can directly send cryptocurrency or other assets to the user through that domain without needing to use a hard-to-remember wallet address. This concept is not new, but VeriSign's patents cover a wide range of activities related to the domain name lifecycle, not just manually connecting or disconnecting domain names from blockchain addresses. Related Reports: Buffett publicly announces his estate plan '99.5% donated to family charitable foundations,' advising all parents to do one thing before they die. Buffett cuts another 100 million shares of Apple, holding a record $10 trillion in cash! After the election, can the US stock market escape the fate of a flash crash? Buffett again reduces his stake in Bank of America, total cashing out over $10 billion! Is the stock god's massive sell-off a mystery? 'Buffett focuses on blockchain domain patents? Increasing shares by nearly $30 million to become VeriSign's largest shareholder' This article was first published in BlockTempo (the most influential blockchain news media).