Network Solutions may be stealing domain names
As a person constantly searching for new ideas and consequently domain names, I’ve always sort of wondered/half-suspected domain registrars’ ethics regarding domain lookups. They obviously have access to some very valuable data (the domain names I am researching) and could potentially lock them down so I couldn’t register them elsewhere or so I would have to pay a premium.
According to several sources (both sites currently down due to Slashdot), Network Solutions is “front-running” domain names, meaning they are registering them as soon as you search for them so you can’t buy them from other domain name service.
While this is ethically questionable, is it really bad business? As a site visitor, you’re using their service and submitting valuable data willingly. Who says they can’t use it to prevent their competition from profiting off of their services? Its not entirely different from Google’s business model. You submit valuable data about your intent (a search query) and they profit by posting relevant ads on the results.
