VeriSign to Increase .com Prices

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — VeriSign has made a deal to increase the cost of .com registrations by seven percent a year for at least four years. The move will mean that the price registrars pay for .com addresses will rise to more than $7.85 each. Registrars often boost the wholesale price of domains to the public by as much as 50 percent, which means costs for .com addresses could hit close to $12.

ICANN agreed to the increase Tuesday, saying VeriSign could impose the bump during four of the next six years. However, the company also may be allowed to boost costs during the remaining two years if it can prove security threats necessitate further increases.

Although the deal still requires Commerce Department approval, it also gives VeriSign first dibs on renewing its contract with ICANN when it expires in 2012, something competing registrars have proclaimed to be unfair.

Earlier this month, top executives from more than half a dozen registrars wrote a letter to ICANN Chairman Vint Cerf asking him to reject the contract on the grounds that it would give VeriSign too much power and raise prices for Internet addresses.

“We are writing to express our deep concern,” the letter stated. “Even if this is VeriSign’s ‘last and best offer,’ it cannot be ICANN’s.”

Signed by the CEOs and presidents of Tucows, Register.com, Schlund+Partner, Network Solutions, Intercosmos, Melbourne IT, BulkRegister and GoDaddy, the letter goes on to warn Cerf that safeguards are needed to “uphold competition, transparency and accountability” in the registrar market.

With roughly 25 million addresses under their control, the aforementioned companies currently manage an estimated 57 percent of .com domains.

“The agreement harms the Internet community by allowing unjustified price increases in most future years at a time when fees for .com addresses should be decreasing, not rising,” the letter continues. “[It also] changes the ‘presumptive renewal’ provision to deny any competition when the contact ends in 2012, locking in VeriSign as the .com registry operator without the counterbalance of competitive bid process.”

The ICANN board clearly was divided on the contract, voting only 9 to 5 for its approval. No statements from the board have yet been released.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Show More