Most domain names related to Sansha, a prefecture-level city on Yongxing Island in Hainan established by China on July 24, have already been registered, Haikou Evening News reported Thursday.

One of the investors named "Luowuzhe" sold domain names related to the city on a website on July 8 for a price of 200 yuan ($31).

Among other related domain names: sansha.com was registered in 1995, sansha.com.cn in 2002 and sansha.cn in 2004, according to an official with the China Internet Network Information Center.

The above domain names are legal as they were registered far before the city's establishment, the official said. Agencies, organizations and individuals can purchase them by negotiation with the owners or file a lawsuit.