Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Domain Name Deals

Author:Christoph Pingel
Posted:5/3/1999; 5:58:23 AM
Topic:Domain Name Deals
Msg #:5550
Prev/Next:5549 / 5551

In response to Who Owns .Com? and Charlie Jackson's E-Mail:

I attempted to register a domain name, but made a typo (both the primary and secondary DNS names were the same instead of being different). The registration couldn't go thru and I got a message back to that effect. When I saw the e-mail the next day, I attempted to register the name again, but it was taken. I looked up who had taken it, went to their web site, and there was the name, for sale (www.ideatrade.com).

This is interesting, I know of at least two cases *in Germany* where *exactly* the same thing happened: Someone shows interest for a certain domain (without registering it), some days later he is offered to *buy* that very domain. In one case, it was a private person with a very special family name, something like "Schnazkymozny", he just *looked up the database* if the domain (his family name) was available - and gone it was, the very next day.

When I was asked a while ago if I considered it likely that this kind of thing happens, I said no. But now I obviously have to change my mind. It's not only likely, it happens in the US and in Germany as well (at the DE-NIC).

Is this a way they make additional money? Kind of a "insider trade"? That being the case, it's really BIG news, because it's what I would consider data fraud right at the heart of the internet.

BTW, commercially, this behaviour makes sense. It's impossible to reserve *all possible* domain names. But it's possible to grab the ones you know someone is interested in. If you get to know them.

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