MSNBC also has an article on the Network Solutions name-grabbing scheme.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22608368/
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New domain name practice criticized
Company grabbing names people search for but don't immediately register
updated 11:07 a.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 11, 2008
NEW YORK - A company that sells Internet domain names is facing criticisms for holding some in reserve as a consumer-protection measure, a move that also prevents interested parties from shopping around for better prices.
After weeks of testing, Network Solutions began this week to grab names that people search for on its Web site but don't immediately register.
The name is locked up for about four days, during which the person who made the search can buy it directly from the company for $35 a year — a few times more than what many of its rivals charge. After that, the name returns to the pool and can be registered by anyone through any registration company.
Spokeswoman Susan Wade said Network Solutions was trying to combat domain name front running — the use of insider information to snatch desired domain names before an individual or business can register them.
But what it's doing shares similarities with the practice the company says it is trying to prevent, which the Internet's oversight agency for domain names already is investigating.
One blogger termed Network Solutions' action "deplorable."
"They actually think they are doing customers favors with this little dirty trick," wrote Jay Westerdal, president of Name Intelligence Inc., which analyzes domain name patterns. "These guys are clueless!"
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