Check ANY domain for availability at Network Solutions = THEY register it, ALLEGEDLY!

It is being reported by multiple independent and normally dependable sources that using Network Solutions' standard whois checking facility currently results in automatic registrations of the domains being searched for - on the basis that they are being reserved for registration at Network Solutions (presumably using the free 5-day window allowed for cancellation of erroneously registered domains, which has been widely criticized for being open to abuse and the widespread unintended use of which is known as domain 'tasting').

As non-discounted retail prices at Network Solutions are many times higher than at the cheapest mainstream registrars, some people have made the point that this is tantamount to holding a domain at ransom and/or demanding an extortionate price for certainty of registration of one's own domain ideas.

If this is of NetworkSolutions intentional doing (rather than say a programmer experimenting on their own) the danger is that other registrars will follow this example and the availability of good domains would shrink even further.

There are also potentially opportunities for abuse of the new system by third parties, which I would rather not go into but which do not require much imagination to come up with.

My bet is this will not be allowed to last for long, but for now let's say checking for domain availability at NetworkSolutions is perhaps not a good idea.

What's your take?

 

Let's all teach this company a lesson and search for every domain name possible. Surely, they would end up going broke and then having to let go of the domains

 

But you can cancel the registration up to five days after the registration, without any costs. Correct?
So they wouldn't go broke, there script just has to run over time

I think this is a bad developtment. It has too much negative influence if you want to register for a domain. But on the other hand, companies would be stupid not to do it. It's easy money, and it doesn't cause you a thing. You just have a script running that checks the domains that are searched for, register and cancel after 4 days.

From a sales point of view it's the perfect thing. But from a customer point of view it's the worst case scenario. Then you would have to find a trust worthy whois-website, and only search for domains there. I think the organisations that are behind the whole domain registering thing should take care of that. It's the customer his choice when he chooses to take the risk and not search for a domain over there.

Because getting rid of the 5 day period is not a good thing. The customer always has to be able to cancel his registration without any extra costs in a given time frame, that's just a service you have to offer in the online world. ... But hey, that's just my opinion

 

Great idea, but (because they are likely to automatically drop them at the end of the five day period allowed) they don't have to pay anything for the privilege - unless of course somebody does buy the domain and then NetSOl have to pay the registry just over US $6 and keep the profit.

No risk, some very likely reward - in terms of short term profit.

In the longer term though, this seems to carry a high risk of impacting NetSol's reputation in a distinctively negative way.

 

Maybe, but imagine the heavy resources on their database if it was continuously updated because of all the fake reg's. I reckon the registrar's registrar would be full of complaints in no time.

 

Your suggestion seems to be working: right now their whois server is having let's say issues.

According to their whois server, the .mobi. the .info and the .co.uk alternatives of this domain are all taken:

we-only-registered-this-domain-to-make-profits-without-any-risk.com

In fact, only the .com version is, at least according to every other registrar that I tried.

You can actually copy it in your browser's URL window and press return: the domain is fully funcioning and takes you to a page that says you can register it at Network Solutions.

And check out who owns the domain:

http://whois.domaintools.com/we-only-registered-this-domain-to-make-profits-without-any-risk.com

They may cancel the registration soon, so it might be a good idea to take snapshots of these two links for posterity.

(Hopefully) in only a few years people would find it difficult to believe that such practices were possible in the first decade of the 21st century.

 

Apparently it's owned by a registrant by the name of "This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com".

I wonder if this is a genuine person or company (registered before the time stamp of this post), what do you think?
-------------------------------------
Whois Record:

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

Domain Name: WE-ONLY-REGISTERED-THIS-DOMAIN-TO-MAKE-PROFITS-WITHOUT-ANY-RISK.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620

Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 16:38:37 EST.

Domain servers in listed order:

ns1.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.190.55
ns2.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.189.55
-------------------------------------

 

Wow. It's true! Try it yourself.

I just did a whois at netsol on a .com & it was available. I then went to namecheap and tried to register it but it was taken today by "This Domain is available at NetworkSolutions.com".
It only works on .coms, they didn't take the .nets I queried.

 

How can I disagree?

Netsol need to be shamed into a very, very quick retreat over this.

By us...

 

http://www.circleid.com/posts/81082_network_solutions_front_running/

Jonathon Nevett, Vice President of Policy at Network Solutions, has offered the following in response to the news break:

“I’d like to clarify what we are doing. In response to customer concerns about Domain Name Front Running (domains being registered by someone else just after they have conducted a domain name search), we have implemented a security measure to protect our customers. The measure will kick in 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. If the domain name is not purchased within 4 days, it will be released back to the registry and will be generally available for registration.

This protection measure provides our customers the opportunity to register domains they have previously searched without the fear that the name will be already taken through Front Running.

You are correct that we are trying to take an arrow out of the quiver of the tasters. As you know, domain tasters are the largest Front Runners. Due to no fault of registrars, Front Runners purchase search data from Internet Service Providers and/or registries and then taste those names. Some folks may not agree with our approach, but we are trying to prevent this malicious activity from impacting our customers.”

 

Whois Record

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

Domain Name: WEUSE-YOUR-OWN-IDEAS-TO-MAKE-YOU-PAY-OVER-34-DOLLARS-PER-DOMAIN.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, LLC
13681 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 300
HERNDON, VA 20171
US
1-888-642-9675 fax: 571-434-4620

Record expires on 08-Jan-2009.
Record created on 08-Jan-2008.
Database last updated on 8-Jan-2008 17:47:40 EST.

Domain servers in listed order:

ns1.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.190.55
ns2.reserveddomainname.com 205.178.189.55

 

I was about to post that. Interesting and understandable why.

Of course, no one's required to agree with that.

 

Fortunately, I only use the whois command on Linux to query domains.

 

Interesting.
So they are trying to protect the original searcher.
Does that mean the "secured" domain can only be purchased by the original searcher? Or can it be purchased by anyone? There is no point in "securing" the name if it can still be registered by anyone... at NetSol of course

 

No, it can be purchased by anyone.

Anyone who is happy to spend $34.99 per name at Network Solutions that is...

 

Unless you have a coupon code or are one of their VIP customers.

 

Oh, they're doing it all right. Believe their reasons for doing so or don't - the readers of Slashdot and Reddit have been having some fun with the Network Solutions servers.

Story on Slashdot
Fun to be had on Reddit

Try your own hand at registering a completely random domain:
http://www.thisregistrarisaschemingdomainthief.com/

 

They seem to have stopped now. Outrageous all the same...