Network Solutions Sued For Defrauding Millions

[Robin Gross]

Complaint attached.



Network Solutions Sued For Defrauding Millions
ICANN also named in Class Action


LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Network Solutions has forced  
millions of people to buy Internet domain names from them instead of  
cheaper competitors through a scheme that's netted the firm millions  
of dollars, a federal class action lawsuit filed today by Kabateck  
Brown Kellner, LLP states. ICANN, whose policies facilitate the  
scheme, is also named in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court,  
Central District of California.

"Imagine if you asked a car dealer if they had a black convertible  
and were then forced to buy the car from them. Would you get a good  
deal? Each time someone asks Network Solutions about a domain name,  
the firm creates a monopoly for itself, forcing consumers to pay the  
price they demand," said Brian Kabateck, lead counsel in the class  
action and Kabateck Brown Kellner's Managing Partner.

Whenever someone searches for the availability of a domain name  
through Network Solutions' website, the company immediately registers  
the name for itself, preventing other companies from selling it and  
forcing consumers to pay Network Solutions' expensive fees.

If a consumer were to go to another, cheaper site to register the  
name, they would find the name is "unavailable." Consumers are never  
informed that inquiring as to a name's availability through Network  
Solutions results in the company holding a monopoly on selling that  
name.

This allows Network Solutions to continue charging substantially  
higher prices for domain name registration. Network Solutions charged  
$34.99 to register the name sought by this suit's lead plaintiff. A  
competitor would have charged $9.99.

Network Solutions' scheme is made possible by ICANN. ICANN allows  
companies that sell domain names to avoid paying registration fees  
for names cancelled within five days. Thus, Network Solutions can  
defraud customers at no cost to itself.

ICANN is aware that Network Solutions is abusing this policy and yet  
continues to facilitate its actions.
ICANN is the international organization, headquartered in Marina Del  
Rey, CA, that regulates domain names and other Internet protocols.

Kabateck Brown Kellner is one of the nation's foremost consumer law  
firms. Its clients have won more than $750 million against Google,  
Yahoo!, Farmer's Insurance, Eli Lilly and others. As a plaintiff's- 
only firm, Kabateck Brown Kellner is always on the consumers' side.







IP JUSTICE
Robin Gross, Executive Director
1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA  94117  USA
p: +1-415-553-6261    f: +1-415-462-6451
w: http://www.ipjustice.org     e: robin at ipjustice.org



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