Battleangel

NS = VeriSign. Exactly what was predicted (#917).

I have to say that Networksolutions.com is the biggest bunch of dishonest scammers to ever manage top level domains. As has been documented thoroughly already. And they are probably not alone. The word ‘honest business’ just isn’t in anyone’s vocabulary anymore. I reckon that NS isn’t the only registrar with shady tactics either.

Still, once you register a domain with Network Solutions they’ll never let go of it. Not much of a problem for you perhaps but the next guy that might want to use it when you’re done with it (or just tired of domain name speculation in the hope of selling it off) will have a real problem with this policy.
Even today, there seems to be no actual rules regarding the maximum redemption / grace period for domain names. Originally a domain name would seize to be if you missed the expiry date by more than a week. Now it stays in the hands of the registrar for at least 30 days. Though the rules vary a lot. And many aren’t even clear on the subject and prefer to keep their clients, and other firms, in the dark. Bottom line, a domain that has been registered with Networksolutions will most likely never enter circulation again. At best, it will conveniently switch hands and up with another major player, just as dishonest as Network Solutions. One such example is the sister site battleangel.COM which recently failed to pay its bills and remained in REGISTRAR-LOCK until it suddenly changed hands and ended up at nameadmininc.com, a Grand Cayman company that is based around scooping up domain names for profit. Despite what they claim on their site. No doubt they paid handsomely to acquire the name before it was released, which I admit is a possibility open for everyone, but it helps if you’re big biz with a big budget to that aim. Nameadmininc.com is btw the same company that become known thanks to the FactCheck.com blooper.
At any rate, here is what seems to be official but sketchy NS policy on the matter of expired names:

What the hell is the point of having a grace period if you use it as a monopoly for selling off the domain? The idea of the grace period is obviously to prevent names from being returned to the domain pool in case the current owner has missed the deadline, i.e. respite, and then promptly return the goddamn name to the pool of name combinations. As it stands, a name, when created can never be undone. It will circulate the internet forever, changing hands for no other reason than the odd chance that someone will want to use it once more. This is the most philosophically bizarre thing. Just because it was created and thought up by man makes it valuable. It’s the same incomprehensible concept that drives art and entertainment. The Picasso-effect if you will. To value that which has no real value. Immaterial theory.

I feel like I’m walking a thin line here. On the one hand I’m against regulations that would restrict who can register what domain name. The internet boom is over as far as I am concerned. If you didn’t get your company name as a TLD yet, you’re out of luck. And future enterprises have to adapt to the world as it is and can’t come running to registrars bitching about someone using “their domain name”. As such it is not reasonable to request names to be handed over on the basis of trademark or intellectual property.
On the other hand it’s a shame that the registrars themselves abuse the system in this fashion. This organized domain camping must end! There are companies out there that have arbitrarily registered thousands of names hoping to make a profit. And the registrars have found a cash cow in the guarding, securing and organized hijacking (”backordering”) of domain names. I do not condone a system where one can throw in an extra 100 bucks and get ahead of those that can’t afford it. And backordering systems like Snap Names provides the same bias. That is the true dark side of the new TLD system. I would propose that the control of TLDs should be transferred to a new central, international (possibly UN controlled) organization that would distribute names for a small fee but nothing more. No adverts, no reselling, no backordering and no camping or funny business. And with a grace period of exactly 14 days, no hogging, to help circulation. Also, companies that bulk register names should be under scrutiny. In a way, it shouldn’t be much different from the real world. It’s sad that the corporatization of the internet can be held back no longer. TLDs should be like numbers in a phone book, not as potential storefronts in a shopping mall. Once you start down that road you turn your back on the users and favor the abusers.