Network Solutions saga continues - read between the lines
In my previous blog post about NetSol domain front running, I posted the quote from NetSol Vice President of Policy Jonathan Nevett stating that NetSol have put the following measure in place to "secure" their customers’ domain searches:
…when a customer searches for an available domain name at our website, but decides not to purchase the name immediately after conducting the search. After the search ends, we will put the domain name on reserve. During this reservation period, the name is not active and we do not monetize the traffic on these domains. If a customer searches for the domain again during the next 4 days at networksolutions.com, the domain will be available to register…
From this statement I logically deduced that the domain that was searched for by a customer logged into their NetSol account would be reserved for that customer only. Now, disregarding the nightmare that this scenario would present with thousands of customers making thousands of domains inelligible for registration to anyone but themselves by a simple click of a button - you can literally search for a thousand domains and make each one unavailable for a 4 day period - it would still present a more pleasent scenario than what is actually happening. You could still say that it was in some twisted way a benefit to the individual customer, more so then a benefit to NetSol.
However, if you read the quote from Jonathan Nevett carefully:
If a customer searches for the domain again during the next 4 days at networksolutions.com, the domain will be available to register
meaning if ANY NetSol customer searches for that domain in the 4 day period the domain will be available. If you are not a NetSol customer you get a "This domain is UnAvailable" message.
If you think about it carefully, this is a brilliant if dirty ploy by NetSol. Basically, they are completely cutting out the opposition for any domain names searched through their interface.
In addition, their search results are available for public viewing, and can be abused by other front runners through the back end.
I wonder what ICANN will think of these actions and whether this will prompt a careful review of the domain frontrunning/tasting phenomenon.
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4 Responses to “Network Solutions saga continues - read between the lines”
January 9th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
it has more bad effects than good effects on customers
if i search say 10000000 domains using some script
only god can save the next searchers
also after my search there might be a customer who may be in irritated state due to lack of the domains those are searched by me and them
he he
January 25th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
[...] impending move will also not do anything to stop companies like NetSol from tasting domains for 5 day periods in order to monopolize the domain industry. What’s [...]
February 25th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
[...] Network Solutions domain front-running saga was well discussed in the domaining community after it was revealed they were registering any [...]
April 21st, 2008 at 11:38 pm
[...] while back I blogged about the dodgy domain front running practice of Network Solutions. Well, they were at it again recently - doing something similarly [...]