Domain Snatchers Hit With Lawsuit

A class-action lawsuit filed yesterday targets a top purveyor of domain names and its alleged practice of “frontrunning,” Network World reports. Network Solutions essentially registers a domain name the second a customer searches for it, forcing the customer to pay the company’s above-market rate of $35 for the address. The suit also names ICANN for "aiding and abetting fraudulent concealment."

“Imagine if you asked a car dealer if they had a black convertible and were then forced to buy the car from them,” says the lead counsel. “Would you get a good deal?” Network Solutions says the practice protects consumers from other frontrunners or “domain tasters,” who buy thousands of addresses, then charge exorbitant fees. (More ICANN stories.)