Domain name resellers shut up shop

A number of domain name resellers criticised for their sales tactics are to cease trading, according to Trading Standards.

Starhosts and Square Internet have told Swansea Trading Standards that they are to close after customer complaints that domain names they sold were inaccessible.

And uk-names.biz, which has also received a number of complaints, has told Trading Standards that it is to shut up shop as well.

UK-names, domainregistrarservices.biz (DRS) and businessman Scott Denny are due back in court next week to answer charges laid against them by Nominet at the end of last year.

The decision by Nominet to take action against DRS followed complaints about selling practices.

Several companies complained that DRS, a member of Nominet, had told them that it was acting under advice from the registry to warn them about other people trying to register domain names similar to theirs.

UK-names was also accused of using the 'mystery shopper' tactic.

DRS, UK-names and Denny agreed to be bound by an interim injunction in November 2002 stopping them from infringing Nominet's trademark.

They will now have to show that the charges against them are unfounded, or hand over or destroy any items, products or materials regarding the trademark infringement.

Nominet has also demanded the names and addresses of the companies to which DRS offered its services, and that it gets back costs incurred in the case.