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Snapnames; dead man walking
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October 1st, 2007 by 
Jay Westerdal
This is not good news for Oversee.net. Oversee.net just purchased Snapnames for $35 Million and it looks like their investment is going to go south very quickly. Network Solutions has filed for a trademark on NameJet, a service that will feature that same services Network Solutions current partner Snapnames is providing. For the guys that cashed out of Snapnames they had perfect timing or perhaps they awoke the sleeping whale by not offering the company to them. Network Solutions may have been angry they were not consulted or offered the Snapnames sale. Since most of the value of Snapnames is locked up around Network Solutions expiring domains it will be interesting to see this play out.
The domain name NameJet.com was purchased off of Afternic a while ago and it stands to reason that purchase was by the first registrar, the almighty Network Solutions. While the domain is currently at eNom the chance that eNom is involved in the new service seems remote. I talked with a high level source at eNom and they had no idea what NameJet was. I would expect Network Solutions to make an announcement soon that all expiring domains inside Network Solutions will no longer Transfer-Fulfill through Snapnames.
Snapnames has a patent pending on what they do with Network Solutions, so I wonder if that will stop Network Solutions or if Network Solutions will fight the patent before it is finalized.
| Word Mark | NAMEJET |
| Goods and Services | IC 042. US 100 101. G & S: On-line auction services; on-line auction services featuring domain names; on-line auction services for businesses, consumers, domain name holders; domain name registration and sales services; on-line bidding services featuring domain names; domain name backorder request services; on-line proxy bidding services |
| Standard Characters Claimed | |
| Mark Drawing Code | (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK |
| Serial Number | 77287213 |
| Filing Date | September 24, 2007 |
| Current Filing Basis | 1B |
| Original Filing Basis | 1B |
| Owner | (APPLICANT) Network Solutions, LLC LTD LIAB CO DELAWARE Suite 300 13861 Sunrise Valley Drive Herndon VIRGINIA 20171 |
| Attorney of Record | Brian J. Winterfeldt |
| Type of Mark | SERVICE MARK |
| Register | PRINCIPAL |
| Live/Dead Indicator | LIVE |
This was first spotted by trademark watcher TradeMork.
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Posted in DomainSponsor & Oversee.net, NameJet, Network Solutions, Snapnames |
October 1st, 2007 at 10:24 am
Even without a deal with Network Solutions, Snapnames is still good at grabbing domains from other registrars, and they have a good wallet of clients, so they could be less strong, but not dead
Thank you for all these news. I’m a fan.
Nuno Oliveira
CatalogDomains.com
October 1st, 2007 at 11:03 am
The SnapNames reputation, platform, reliability, trust, professional staff, service level, massive customer base, etc will be hard for a juggernaut like networksolutions to immitate. Smaller companies are more nimble than giants, and snapnames has proven to be adept at making adjustments in the marketplace. . . this can not be said of NSI. They could of course hire away all the snapnames people.
October 1st, 2007 at 11:52 am
Something smells fishy to me….
If I were going to spend $30+ Million on a company, I think I would fully make sure that my main fish (NetSol) was hooked for a long time. I would think Oversee would very well know how long netsol would be under contract. I’m sure Oversee already had known this and that’s why it went for $30+ Million instead of $60 or $100 million etc.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Having just participated in a Snapnames auction (I lost–I had the good sense to stop bidding when the amount exceeded the domain’s true value), I have to wonder about shill bidding issues. I can’t say for sure because the process is totally non-transparent, but it looked very hinky to me. I do believe that ICANN needs to clean up the aftermarket situation, forcing registrars to delete ALL their expiring domains and not “cherry pick,” thus leveling the playing field a bit.
In addition, the domain in question never did delete (I know, because the minute I placed my backorder, I tracked it over several days right here), giving Snapnames an unfair advantage. The name sat in Netsol’s PendingRenewalDeletion servers until today (10/1), one day after the auction closed. I thought maybe it would “delete” at end of auction and that the auction results may be conditional on Snapnames actually snagging the domain.
Today, the domain was transferred, I presume, to the winner, who placed it on what looks like a future scam site, filled with ads sponsored by known scammers who operate just inside the law and at least one that has been placed on several warning lists in a certain field.
Meanwhile, Pool and GoDaddy (where I had backorders) are still showing my backorders as active (no failure notices). Hmmmm…I guess they just didn’t see that coming–
Anyway, I’m not ready to reveal the domain name, at least on a public blog, but, Jay, if you want to know specifics, email me at ducks_inc [at] yahoo.
Quite frankly, I believe that Snapnames was sold because the owners knew when to fold ‘em, and Oversee.net will soon see what a mess they have bought.
And Network Solutions needs to be spanked by ICANN with a huge fine.
Ms Domainer
October 1st, 2007 at 1:27 pm
fantastic story..thanks a ton for posting Jay!
-peter
October 1st, 2007 at 5:22 pm
As someone that has used Snapnames iv wondered alot recently about shills as well and in fact about many drop services because of no buyer/bidder transparency like EBAY. Auctions are supposed to be heavily regulated far as i knew in the USA.side note i was told by a source inside Snapnames that Network Solutions were the ones behind the recent almost 50 percent increase in certain domain names prices(based on some formula and that what was hapening was they were takinf Snapnames prerequest info and not allowing those names to delete hence no other drop service able to get them and that they were charging Snapnames the extra for example was $60 for preorder now 79-99 and 3 letter .coms are PRESHOWING starting bids of $10000 in most cases that are all letters thats correct $10k START so i think Network Solutions or somebody had this planned a while the extra over $60 i was told was going to NetSOl for the Priviledge of being able to buy one of their pending delete names nice racket i want one just like it where can i sign up
October 1st, 2007 at 5:32 pm
Jay i think many never realized that ALL Domains are Technically Renewed by the Registry and its up to the Registrar to Delete them to get the refund like you stated in a previous post so not all end up open to all the drop services if original registrar keeps it though i thought pending delete meant that,just too many technicalities for my brain to ponder past DOES NOT COMPUTE lol (sorry my spelling stinks)
October 1st, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I have hunted all over the web to find out just what the auction and delete/renewal protocols entail, but they seem to be shrouded in mystery–not a good way to do business. No one seems to know exactly how the process really works, although I have pretty much figured out that some premium names do NOT drop at all, and that this sleight of hand is done in such a sneaky way that a “Capture failed” will never appear on my Pool or GoDaddy accounts.
ICANN had better do something about that situation because if the government gets involved, this industry, at least with registrars and TLD administrators located in the states–vis a vis, the biggie dot-com–will be regulated to the gills, especially if enough people start squawking. You already saw the beginnings of US court interference with the bodog(dot)com brouhaha.
It’s not a matter of IF it will happen, just a matter of WHEN; one class action suit could wipe Snapnames (et al) right off the face of the earth, with the darling boy CEOs landing in jail–remember Enron?
In my opinion, the non-transparency of aftermarket auctions run by drop catching companies suggests something hinky; I have been around long enough to know that when a standard business practice is hidden, it’s time to head for the hills. Had I understood what I know now, I would have never participated in that auction; I want to be able to see exactly what is going on and be assured that there is no shill bidding going on. eBay has sophisticated software that roots out shill bidding, but even there, I am careful to set my absolute maximum and bid at the very last minute (I use a sniping service), but you can’t snipe with a domain auction because of the clock resetting with each bid.
While it’s free to preorder at Pool, I wasted $18.95 preordering the name from GoDaddy when it seems that Godaddy had absolutely no chance of snagging the name because of some “wink, wink” deal between Network Solutions and Snapnames.
The hell with that BS.
Ms Domainer
October 1st, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Ok Jennifer i think you misunderstood some of what i said,there is no wink wink deal that i could possibly think of between GoDaddy and SnapNames,GoDaddy wants all the marketshare it can get from what iv seen,ok and it was not a waste to backorder from godaddy as well it is like having an extra arm grabbing for the prize but the prize has to be let go for all to try and grab it.GoDaddys is cheapest of all that i know of (im far from the most knowledgable on the subject)they all have acquired names for me at one time or another remember also that these companies make money from the auctions which means selling the name if a name is at auction it was either dropped publicly for all to get a shot or privately like NetSol/Snap process but there is nothing wrong with that once a name is registered it may never drop im sorry to say again because there are redemption periods/extended redemption periods as well as some registries decide to KEEP the Domain from being Dropped for years in some cases possibly forever thats the registries choice not ours and court issue isnt as bad as you might think but the ensuing disruptions that could be caused by going around them would get really ugly.Domains drop randomly as far as i know and depending on how much and or how many bids a company recieves influences where on their list it goes for retrieval if joe is bidding 1000 for xwqfl.com and 20 people are bidding 60 dollars at Snapnames but only you are bidding your 18.95 they put more resources into acquiring GoDaddy only lets like 1 person backorder a domain name the others have no limit that i know of plus the others have agreements with many registrars giving more of a chance to get it.I dont think that any should be marked as bad with no proof i just was saying id like more transparency in the auctions to ease any possible apearance of impropriety so as to keep people like politicians with their own agendas to get involved.We all hate to lose auctions but if the Domain you wanted was really so good that you went to the trouble to backorder it in at least 3 places dont you think others might do the same ?Most of us are playing catchup looking to get a piece of the internet pie before it all gone there were lots of people here before us they have brains and CASH so we have to hope something slips through the cracks or we just get LUCKY Drops are like lotto ya need to be in it to win it and if you spend a million trying to get the winning ticket doesnt guarantee it but it does make it more likely.Try again or see if you can buy the name,rent co develop with the new owner? it may not be cheap as you like but how much is your idea for it worth to you?Not trying to be a jerk just offering my 2 cents i hope it works out for you.People who buy Domains to develop,park or to sell should not be automaticly considered a scammer do people consider others who buy sell amd develop land all scammers ?Some people have big DREAMS but dont always have all the answers make them a reality but dont knock them for trying.
October 2nd, 2007 at 3:58 am
Jay,
I think you are reading WAY too much into this trademark application.
First, I would bet lots of money on Snapnames success in the auction business than on Network Solutions. We all know how NS sucks and I would personally not run over to them for any service.
Also, you know how enom lets their names drop through snapnames even though they have auctiondrop? Also, Godaddy can’t even catch their own dropping names even though they have TDNAM.
I don’t understand why that is but I guess NS just wants to get in the auction game too to keep their investors/stockholders happy.
Really, the difference in Snapnames vs Network Solutions is like Donald Trump vs Mark Cuban.
The former is very successful and the later is just lucky but still a big loser.
October 2nd, 2007 at 9:06 am
Dreamdealer,
I have no doubt that GoDaddy shares NO blame here. What I’m saying: I doubt very much if the domain was ever released at all. And GoDaddy would have nothing to do with that.
rsequin, you’re right: goDaddy is awful when it comes to grabbing domains. Why should they care? They have little incentive to put resources into grabbing $18.95 domains. They couldn’t even grab a piddly domain had been reg’d in their own company, so I knew that my preorder was a long shot.
Of course, in this case, GoDaddy couldn’t possibly grab what had never been released.
Yeah, I’m disappointed, but it’s not something that’s going to define my life. I made the choice not to run up my bid.
I’m just going to tread carefully from now on and hope that ICANN decides to act on establishing some transparency, protocols, and ethics for aftermarket domains.
In the 1960’s, we had a saying, “Love everyone, but trust no one.” Over the years, that truism has serve me well, and that’s the way I’m going to approach any future domain auctions and deals.
Ms Domainer
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:04 am
Good article Jay -
Even without Net Solutions Snapnames still stands to make a bundle. I know what I have paid through the years.
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:31 am
I disagree GODADDY is the worst, nearly every service they offer over promises and under delivers. Their hosting stinks slowest damm hosting ever, I have used the domain snapback service Never ever worked total waste of money they can not even grap domains registered to themselves.
By contrast snapnames is excellent service, in terms of support and everything else. I dont believe they engage in shill bidding its just good domain names are in short supply so you get multiple bidders
sam
October 3rd, 2007 at 5:44 am
Since Godaddy, Tucows, etc. can already auction their expired domains, what’s to stop NSI from doing the same? As long as they were not privy to SnapNames proprietary rights, they can do whatever they please!
Wm.
October 3rd, 2007 at 7:38 am
Trademarks, Shmademarks.
SnapNames owns the PATENTS, Jay.
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:34 pm
How do you know that Snapnames is not engaged in shill bidding?
The point is, you don’t know because of the lack of transparency; under a veil of secrecy, they can do anything they want, and who would know?
Ms Domainer
October 4th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I just figured out how to download the bidder list for Snapnames–over five pages of bidding for the domain I didn’t win.
All I can say is
WOW!
At least I know I’m on the right track even if my pocketbook isn’t.
Ms Domainer
October 5th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
Greetings,
I tend to believe that everyone is missing one logical point here. Sure it definitely was good timing for original folks at SnapNames for their exit strategy to Oversee.net, however look at the long term outlook.
The folks behind eNom (Demand Media) are in direct competition with the Oversee folks in regard to acquisition strings, domain development and so forth.
Why would they wish to continue to fuel the fire at Oversee.net rather than forming a joint venture with NSI in this case and curbing the previous growth at Oversee.net that they have achieved in the past several years.
Let’s face it, ClubDrop needed a makeover (it wasn’t exactly pretty)and NSI maintains many of the legacy and premium domain drops in the business today.
Let’s look at other facts, NSI has worked aimlessly to turn the tide from their good-ole days and in all honesty, it has worked to their benefit. Sure, their prices remain pricey, but their transfer-out’s have declined, customer service has greatly improved and their cetified offer service is definitely a hit (even if the offers are reject they collect a fee).
NSI has successfully turned the ship around and appear to be heading in the right direction.
This will probably already hit the business at SnapNames from go, however what does the future look like? Will this NameJet service garner the business from other registrar’s as well? What if they sweeten the percentage deal that SnapNames currently provides registrar’s with? Who’s to say another ten, twenty or one-hundred or more registrars will jump on board in the coming months/years?
We all know the story how Pool snuck on and gave SnapNames a drop-catching wake-up call. Soon enough Pool.com stumbled and stumbled some more and SnapNames ate their business for lunch.
It will definitely be interesting in how this service (NameJet) plays out and the short/long-term impact it would have on SnapNames’ service.
Many companies (Marchex, NameMedia, IREIT, GeoSign and a pair of large firms in the BVI’s, etc) could have easily acquired the SnapNames brand if they say a great deal of long-term value that would benefit their organization(s). Rest assured they conducted talks over such an acquisition, however they did not elect to officiate such a move. Perhaps they condeucted their risk/reward strategy and decided it wasn’t in their best interest.
Obviously Oversee.net knew the risks and proceeded with the acquisition. Smart idea? Maybe? Did they see this coming? Maybe or maybe not. Sure it was a risky move on their part that could have produced mega-rewards if all else remain unchanged. Being 2007, we already know everything changes daily, therefore the ball is now in their court to see how they could continue to dominate the drops without legacy inventory powerhouse NSI in their corner.
It shall be interestingly enough how all plays out.
Jason