Domain Name Front Running
When choosing a domain name, have you ever searched and finally found a name
available only to discover a few minutes later it no longer is? While unlikely, it’s possible
you have experienced a case of what is known as domain name front running.
While millions of domains are registered each month and the chances of someone else
chasing the same name as you in the same timeframe are perhaps better than winning
the lottery, a more sinister explanation of the phenomenon has floated around the
Internet for years.
Domain name front running is the name given to the reported practice of a registrar
monitoring domain name searches from potential registrants and then registering those
names. This effectively prevents the name from being registered elsewhere, forcing the
registrant to use the front runner’s service. It’s also been reported that in some cases,
the registrar will then attempt to "sell" the domain name for a much higher price than the
regular registration fees to the party, or keep the name for its own uses, such as for
displaying ads.
Domain name front running has a close relationship to domain name tasting, whereby
a registrant can use the first few days of the registration period to gauge the potential of
a name and then requesting a refund. The practice of domain tasting was not confined
to registrars and many domineers engaged in the practice until the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) introduced a small fee to discourage tasting.
ICANN has investigated the issue of domain name front running but was unable to
conclude the practice was/is occurring. However, according to DomainIncite, ICANN’s
Applicant Guidebook for new TLD operators contains a draft Code of Conduct for
registries that includes an explicit ban on the practice.