SnapNames has expanded the methods we use to acquire expiring domain names for SnapBack holders.

Starting today, if a domain name at Network Solutions expires and is not renewed, 36 days after the listed expiration date the domain will immediately be awarded to the holder of a SnapBack subscription on that name. If there is more than one SnapBack subscription on a particular name, the name will become the subject of a short auction among the interested parties, and will be eventually awarded to the auction winner.

Network Solutions will start checking to see if domains have a SnapBack on them within a few hours from now. Any Netsol registered names with an expiry date of 8/12, 8/13 or 8/14 could be part of this, so you may want to enter those domains into your SN account as soon as possible.

This page (http://www.networksolutions.com/en_U.../pending.jhtml) will have a list of NetSol names/expire dates that may interest potential SnapNames customers; on that page there is also a link to download a CSV file of the same data.

Please feel free to contact me and/or our support department with any questions you may have.

Best,

Kjel Holmberg

Kjel@SnapNames.com

thats pretty good news for big pocket domainers,
bad news for the original snapholder who got the snap when their werent auctions yet. ;(

Holy cow, batman!

Any Netsol registered names with an expiry date of 8/12, 8/13 or 8/14 could be part of this, so you may want to enter those domains into your SN account as soon as possible.

Pretty slim picking for those dates .

Karen

They think they could pull that off due to Tucows latest move? So what happens to the existing contracts that drop catcher registrars have with Pool and Enom? Still tied in or can they move to snapnames? Comments Chris?

Looks like Netsol wised up and realized they own a lot of the best names which drop already and can maximize profits on existing names in their inventory and use their connection to catch names dropping from other registrars in the normal process. The perfect senario to destroy Pool once and for all. Now if all of Snapnames registrars participate we'll really be heating things up!

Dotster?
GoDaddy?

Who is next.....

thats pretty good news for big pocket domainers,
bad news for the original snapholder who got the snap when their werent auctions yet. ;(

in fairness, when people placed their original snapback it was on a completely different basis to what snap are doing to chase now. if snap were operating the same model as when the snapback was placed they wouldn't be getting the names. when you see snap get a name you had a snapback on, its not realistic to think you would have got that name if they were still operating that flat fee model.

I think its clear law suits are going to fly given the holdings netsol have from their monopoly days - if netsol and snap can ride that through then this is just about the biggest blow to happen to the expiring domain market imo and perhaps second only to if the wls gets implemented.

Comments Chris?

chris can't comment here as he is suspended.

Shouldn't this be in the promotions...?
In fairness to members in exile ...

Snapnames spoke to the admins before posting this thread and we agreed that this was sufficiently newsworthy.

"and will be eventually awarded to the auction winner."
congratulations to UlT, BD, et al...

It sounds alot like the tucows proposal except it seems that rather than most the revenue going to the old registrant it simply goes to netsol/snap. The thing I find worrying is that netsol is now acting as if they "own" the names registered with them when they hit the expire date.

Personally I'd say this is much worse for domain owners than wls ever was, though I really doubt this system is going to get off the ground. It sounds alot like a verisign-"sitefinder" style launch, ie start it up and just hope nobody minds.

Personally I'd say this is much worse for domain owners than wls ever was, though I really doubt this system is going to get off the ground.

its not a culture change though, more just a venue change. there is no landrush advantage when its an auction system - so the real losers would be the other drop chase services and icann on the cred front.

other than that, the registrants still get nothing - as they do now, people will have to pay the same value driven prices - and snap and netsol make coin.

golly goldielocks, I need to check my drop lists now.

Originally posted by safesys
its not a culture change though, more just a venue change. there is no landrush advantage when its an auction system - so the real losers would be the other drop chase services and icann on the cred front.

other than that, the registrants still get nothing - as they do now, people will have to pay the same value driven prices - and snap and netsol make coin.

I'd say the main reason why is worse is because registars will be essentially taking domains before they drop. It will create a huge windfall for any high profile name that expires with them, I don't think thats good news for people with names at netsol already.

It certainly creates clear conflicts of interest for netsol and removes competition and innovation and creates a monopoly over some of the nets oldest online assets.

But in real terms, it doesn't actually change all that much at the sharp edge.