Domain Tasting

Have you ever spoken with someone who complained of searching for the availability of a specific domain name, finding it available, making an attempt to purchase it only, for example, to lose their internet connection momentarily. When they’ve returned, within minutes, and tried to pick up the original transaction they’ve discovered the domain name is no longer available. Most have felt violated and called it a “crime.”

The “crime” is called “Domain Tasting.” Personally, I’d originally called it a “crime” because no one was informed that their searches for domain names were being monitored and used surrepticiously for investment and gain. Yet, many were/are making millions, even billions, in the market. I’m not going to endorse nor oppose the practice but I thought you, everyday person, might be better off learning a bit about it. Perhaps we can erase “crime” and call it “opportunity?”

“A practice of registrants using the five-day ‘grace period’ at the beginning of a domain registration for ICANN-regulated generic top-level domains to test the marketability of a domain name. During this period, when a registration must be fully refunded by the domain registry, a cost-benefit analysis is conducted by the registrant on the viability of deriving income from advertisements being placed on the domain’s web site.”

Check out the Wikipedia entry and then read about the “Man Who Owns The Internet” to the tune of about $300 Million!

“He was one of the first to take advantage of a loophole that allows people to register a name and return it without cost after a free trial, on occasion grabbing hundreds of thousands of names in one swoop.”