This company, operated out of England is called TLD Networks and has been involved in several incidents involving false claims that they were authorized to take registrations for domains under several other TLDs, including ".GOD" and ".SEX".

"This company is operated by a man named Thomas Goolnik, who has a habit of "lifting" top-level domains from companies that are already operating them. This is just his latest adventure", Palmer said. In early November, TLD Networks launched a website purporting to be the "only place to register a .USA domain". Additionally, a large volume of  unsolicited email, known as SPAM has dumped into the email boxes of thousands of internet users inviting them to register a .USA domain for "only $59".  Palmer said that TLD Networks  appears to be attempting to capitalizing on the September 11 tragedy to enhance the success of the scam.

The TLD Networks website mentions an address in Newport Beach, California, which according to sources at the Orange County Register, is a mail drop.  On Tuesday, TLD Network's website went dark and ADNS was flooded with calls from irate people who had spent $59 to register a domain with TLD Networks and now had nothing to show for it. By mid-day on Wednesday, the website was back up again, hosted by another ISP. "We contacted his current ISP and filled them in on Mr. Goolnik's history and perhaps they dumped him rather than face liability", Palmer said.

ADNS has started preparing legal action against Goolnik and TLD Networks and has notified authorities about the website.

ADNS has been the registry for the ".USA" top-level domain since late 1995 and has registered the TLD as a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Palmer says that the only site on which people can register a ".USA" domain is the ADNS website (http://www.adns.net). All of ADNS's top level domains (EARTH, USA, Z and AMERICA) are part of the Inclusive Namespace and are not under the control of ICANN. These TLDs cannot be viewed by all of the internet, but only those that use an Inclusive Namespace DNS Server such as the ORSC Servers. (www.open-rsc.org). It is estimated that between 7 and 12 percent of the internet now sees the Inclusive Namespace, which contains several thousand TLDs. 

Palmer's advice to internet users: "Don't fall for SPAM that arrives in your Inbox. If you have been taken by TLD Networks, contact your credit card company and have them remove the charge from your credit card". Palmer added that ADNS does not advertise by way of unsolicited e-mail and does not sell its customer's data to marketers, and does not ever intend to do so. "If users would like to register a domain under .USA, the only place they can do so it www.adns.net, and the price is only $14.95 per year, not $59", said Palmer.

ADNS (www.adns.net) owns and operates the top-level domains AMERICA, EARTH, USA and Z and is part of the Inclusive Namespace. Contact John Palmer, jp@adns.net, 312-560-3934.

SOURCE: AGN Domain Name Service, Inc.

CONTACT: John Palmer, jp@adns.net /  312-560-3934