VeriSign Settles Domain Slamming Case

BulkRegister officials announced Wednesday afternoon they had reached a settlement against one of its competitors over charges of domain slamming.

VeriSign , the largest registrar in the world and owner of the registries for the .com and .net top-level domains (TLDs), was the subject of several lawsuits beginning in May over what competitors called false advertising and an attempt to steal customers.

Officials would not release the dollar value of the settlement.

VeriSign officials were not available for comment on the settlement, nor theother three lawsuits pending in regards to its “Domain Name Expiration Notices” — two filed by other registrars and one by lawyers representing consumers in a class-action suit.

BulkRegister officials said they would pay back the costs customers paid to transfer over to VeriSign, get them back on BulkRegister’s account and extend their domain registration for one year, free of charge.

The lawsuits came just days after one of VeriSign’s top executives vowed the company would not lay down and just let competitor’s take customers away from their fold, prompting the start of what he called an “aggressive campaign” to keep customers.

According to BulkRegister, VeriSign sent out letters to domain owners, telling them they needed to renew their registration with VeriSign before the domain expired. In many cases, the domain wasn’t close to expiration and the people involved weren’t customers of VeriSign.

Thomas Cunningham, BulkRegister chief executive officer, said it’s important for customers to realize BulkRegister wasn’t at fault for VeriSign’s actions.

“Each of our members is important to BulkRegister, and we will continue to provide a high level of service and support to ensure their success,” he said. “A key component of that is our Brand Integrity Program, as now more than ever, protecting a company’s brand on the Internet has become a business critical issue.”