Network Solutions + Unethical go hand and hand.

[Devil_Dog]

Here's the latest. Try and do a search for some random available name on their site. Make up anything, dkfhgkjhd.com etc etc.

Now go to Moniker or another registrar and attempt to register it.

Name will say unavailable. Wonder why? Because netsol has decided they want to hold that name hostage and force you to reg it at their site for $34.99.

Talk about sneaky, shady, and underhanded.

My advice would be to steer clear of Network Solutions when searching for available names.

Wonder how many other registrars are going to follow the lead.

 

[Dave_Z]

The fact that other extensions show as taken - even for domains that are not worth registering in any extension - is a quirk of the system (one hopes).

They stated somewhere it's only for .com. Makes sense since other extensions
aren't tasted as much.

 

[Mark]

Duke comments.

"Over the last 24 hours Network Solutions has taken the fiercest corporate beating I've seen in this industry..........."

http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm

Try doing that at your local bank. "Honest officer, I only held them up to make sure the money was

safe from the real bank robbers!"

http://www.dnjournal.com/lowdown.htm

I love that Ron :tu: Awesome ....

 

[Mobi Cheap]

Be afraid, be very afraid!

They stated somewhere it's only for .com. Makes sense since other extensions aren't tasted as much.

Agreed.

I saw that too, in one of the links to their new FAQ additions - thanks for those, Dave.

What doesn't make sense to me are some of the other FAQ additions, for instance this one:
----------------------------------------
How does domain name “Front Running” happen? How can people get access to these searches?

There are many ways Front Runners may get access to these searches. It may happen through the sale of such search data by domain name registries, Internet Search Providers (ISPs), or even through the use of Spyware placed on your computer by 3rd parties, who then would be able to access your search queries. The reason these unscrupulous individuals may “front run” domains is to conduct what is called “tasting” to see how much money they can make on a domain name through pay-per-click ads or by re-selling the domain in the aftermarket at a highly marked up price.
----------------------------------------

So they are saying you should really beware the registry, your ISP or spyware on your PC.

Well, who is the registry for .com?

Verisign, which used to be part of Network Solutions.

Do they know something we don't? :yell:

The other possibilities:

ISPs/rogue employees thereof/Spyware distributors - would any of those really focus on the domain ideas that even I didn't consider valuable enough to register, or on my bank account passwords (or failing that - on the passwords to my administrative contact email accounts, and domain registration user name and password - for the myriad of .coms that I did register, many years ago and which are actually worth the bother)?

Exactly how afraid do they want me to be now?

 

[TT]

start checking GOOGLEXXXXXXXX domains, they are one of the only companys that actively prosecutes domain TM infringements and if we all do our part

googleKEYWORD x 500 we should be able to have them owning 100's of thousands of these and the big G can be the ones to fight the fight... Ill start

googlealthotel19666666666666666.com
googlealthotel1866666666666.com
googlealthotel17666666666666666.com
googlealthotel166666666666
googlealthotel1566666666666666
googlealthotel14666666666666666
googlealthotel136666666666666666
googlealthotel12666666666666666
googlealthotel1166666666666661
googlealthotel1011111111111111111111111111111

 

[smashfactory]

i tried
catchacrazyregistrarintheact and ebayauctionhouses- but they are still showing avail at godaddy

 

[Acroplex]

Takes about 20 minutes.

 

[Mobi Cheap]

i tried
catchacrazyregistrarintheact and ebayauctionhouses- but they are still showing avail at godaddy

Just one theory: Perhaps they are programming the script to recognize domains containing meaningful words only.

Obviously what's meaningful to one person is not necessarily meaningful to all, so it might be best to use NetSol's own words, for instance:

----------------------------------------
How does domain name “Front Running” happen? How can people get access to these searches?

There are many ways Front Runners may get access to these searches. It may happen through the sale of such search data by domain name registries, Internet Search Providers (ISPs), or even through the use of Spyware placed on your computer by 3rd parties, who then would be able to access your search queries. The reason these unscrupulous individuals may “front run” domains is to conduct what is called “tasting” to see how much money they can make on a domain name through pay-per-click ads or by re-selling the domain in the aftermarket at a highly marked up price.
----------------------------------------

Seems to work:

Whois Record

Registrant:
This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US

Domain Name: UNSCRUPULOUS-INDIVIDUALS-MAY-FRONT-RUN-AT-HIGHLY-MARKEDUP-PRICE.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC [removed by poster]@networksolutions.com
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US

 

[deleted984054565403]

It also just guaranteed that LLLL.coms are going to rise in price even faster than they already were :hehe:


It's probably only going to be a matter of weeks before all half decent brandable (CVCVC/VCVCV) 5L.coms are either regged or being held hostage by NetSol. Some people are working on scripts as we speak to ensure it

Hearing that is very frustrating to me. I'm in the middle of looking closely at the ones I'd like to buy, and I can't actually register the ones I'd like to register. I'm going to have to throw out my personal "to register" list soon.

I suppose it's time to get out the credit card before it's too late...

 

[-REECE-]

For sure..

LLLL.coms are way, way up the last couple days... Can't say it's not coincidence, but I can't help but think that speculation on the NetSol affair may be connected to it.

Hearing that is very frustrating to me. I'm in the middle of looking closely at the ones I'd like to buy, and I can't actually register the ones I'd like to register. I'm going to have to throw out my personal "to register" list soon.

I suppose it's time to get out the credit card before it's too late...

 

[mis_chiff]

Just wanted to update my previous post, don't want
to report inaccuracies...but now the .eu is gone for this
fantastic domain....
so the .com is not available anywhere (except netsol) - but all the others are
you can get the deal of a lifetime on this
domain, and look...4 ... no .... 5 other tld's already registered...pfffft

Umm, did anyone notice this?
Based on the domain from above post
DONT-WANT-TO-PAY-OVER-34-DOLLARS-PER-DOMAIN-OOOOOPS-THINK-AGAIN.COM

Godaddy says the .com is registered - but everything else is available....

and networksolutions is showing
dont-want-to-pay-over-34-dollars-per-domain-ooooops-think-again
.com
.net
.mobi
.org
.us
.us.com
.info
.co.uk

With the bolded ones already registered????
I was surprised to see the others registered ...
Is that to make it more appealing?

They stated somewhere it's only for .com. Makes sense since other extensions
aren't tasted as much.

They just pretend the other's are taken, and only on their own
site do they show as taken. (to encourage you to spend that crazy amount)

 

[aki]

http://forthelulz.org/netsol-omg.png

COnfirmed post above.

 

[deleted984054565403]

http://forthelulz.org/netsol-omg.png

COnfirmed post above.

I thought their original idea was unethical, but that's just horrible.

 

[Ronald Regging]

Putting aside the fact that this action is completely unethical... Even putting aside the fact that ICANN doesn't seem to think there is anything wrong with it...

Aren't there some type of anti-competitive or consumer protection laws that this would fall into? I just can't see how this is either ethical or legal.

 

[Mobi Cheap]

Indeed, I would be quite surprised if there isn't at least one US state (not to mention other countries) that offers a good legal foundation for challenging this practice.

But why wait for the lawyers and the attorney generals?

This is our chance to show that people who register domains are not sheep.

If we keep making enough noise their PR people will tell them to back down - hopefully before their lawyers do.
:imho:

 

[MarkP]

The story made the AP wire today. Expect it will start hitting the mainstream press tomorrow.

 

[Dave_Z]

Aren't there some type of anti-competitive or consumer protection laws that this would fall into? I just can't see how this is either ethical or legal.

Heh, you'll need a lawyer for that.

However, no one's being cheated here in the sense that you're not getting the
service you're paying for. Heck, even that is potentially subjective.

 

[Ben42]

This is a big story, but the real scam thats been going on for years is Netsol + Snapnames. That is a story that will never make the AP.

 

[mis_chiff]

Heh, you'll need a lawyer for that.

However, no one's being cheated here in the sense that you're not getting the
service you're paying for. Heck, even that is potentially subjective.

I have to disagree, you are being cheated.
My above post clearly points that out.
They are leading you to believe the .com is available (only through them)
and 5 other TLD's are registered
When in fact, they are all available! Including the .com

False advertising comes to mind....

 

[Dave_Z]

I have to disagree, you are being cheated.
My above post clearly points that out.
They are leading you to believe the .com is available (only through them)
and 5 other TLD's are registered
When in fact, they are all available! Including the .com

False advertising comes to mind....

I did say in my previous post "in the sense that you're not getting the service
you're paying for". That's what false advertising is generally known for, unless
it's redefined according to your jurisdiction's laws.

There are previous threads discussing that availability searches aren't always
correct, and registrars don't guarantee 100% accuracy. No one can.

 

[mis_chiff]

There are previous threads discussing that availability searches aren't always
correct, and registrars don't guarantee 100% accuracy. No one can.

True enough, I've read those threads...
I used to think all the searches I did were compromised
as well cause everytime I checked the second time, they
were gone, no matter what they were.

But I've never seen the sneaky bit about the
others being registered, that's a new one...

 

[.Andy]

I Also recall a law about owning a monopoly in us. It was mentioned in our Us Law course. It looks like apple is getting sued for having such a monopoly on the digital music indestry. http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141009/article.html

 

[Dave_Z]

Just found this:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/10/Network-Solutions-stands-by-name-policy_1.html

Mitchell added that if ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization that oversees the domain name system, would move to cut down on these type of scams, then his company wouldn't have to engage in this kind of automatic search registration. "We would be perfectly happy to end this process if ICANN or the registries would do something to protect small businesses or other small users," he said.

There you go, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth.

 

[-REECE-]

If Netsol really wanted to protect their customers, why not allow that name to only be registered by that particular IP address? Allowing any NetSol customer to purchase the name in question isn't protecting anyone...

Is $35.00 really going to keep a "scammer" away from a name worth tenfold that? Highly doubt it.

 

[PowerUp]

Just found this:

http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/10/Network-Solutions-stands-by-name-policy_1.html

Mitchell added that if ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the organization that oversees the domain name system, would move to cut down on these type of scams, then his company wouldn't have to engage in this kind of automatic search registration. "We would be perfectly happy to end this process if ICANN or the registries would do something to protect small businesses or other small users," he said.

There you go, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth.

What Netsol is actually saying is this,

"...if ICANN would stop domain tasting, then we would be forced to end this process as well since WE also can no longer taste domains...."

 

[tansks]

Unbelievable. It happen immediately. Once search then not available at another site.