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0 pointscode_duck4y ago0 comments

It was worse than that. I recall domains being $70 for 2 years. This is confirmed in the Wikipedia page for Network Solutions, who held a monopoly on registration at the time.

“Following the acquisition by SAIC, the NSF gave Network Solutions authority to charge for domain name registrations. Network Solutions imposed a charge of $100 for two years registration. 30% of this revenue went to the NSF to create an "Internet Intellectual Infrastructure Fund." In 1997, a lawsuit was filed charging Network Solutions with antitrust violations with regard to domain names. The 30% of the registration fee that went to the NSF was ruled by a court to be an illegal tax. This led to a reduction in the domain name registration fee to $70 (for two years).”

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stevekemp4y ago

I paid something like $79/year to register steve.org.uk via network solutions. My memory is that I struggled for a while in registering it, and I had to find a local fax machine to send some kind of "proof" to them too.

warent4y ago

Wow! I never heard about this. It happened only a few years after I was born. Back in '97, probably only the nerdiest of nerds would have cared about it, so I'm surprised that the judge(s) over this case ruled correctly given how new the technology was. Is there an article about it? Seems like a fascinating topic

code_duckOP4y ago

I think the case was fairly straightforward as it was more about established business law than technology.

The internet was already getting rather important by 1997, but true that it was a couple years away from the general public’s consciousness.

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