Marketo.com is the domain of global application creators Marketo, and they let that domain lapse.
On July 23rd the domain expired, taking the web site and its related content offline.
Realizing what had happened, self-professed computer geek, Travis Prebble, headed over to Network Solutions, registrars for the domain.
Just two days past expiration, Prebble had to fork out $73.98 dollars in renewal and reinstatement fees, without even owning that domain.
The service was eventually restored, for which Marketo was grateful, but the company had to switch the DNS back, something that did not happen automatically upon renewal.
Despite the positive outcome in this case, the real question is, why does Network Solutions permit such domain renewals. If anyone can pay for the renewal of domains they don’t own, this opens up a can of worms.
It’s not that everyone eager to renew random domains is willing to pay the exorbitant $37.99 dollar renewal fee for .com domains at Network Solutions, but the problem is that they actually can.
Imagine, wanting to drop that domain because you discovered it’s a trademark, and someone – perhaps a company lawyer – renews it for you to frame you. Or, renewing a domain everyone expects it to drop, in order to postpone its availability.
Network Solutions needs to rethink this process before some unfortunate incident takes place.
You too can renew Marketo.com for 100 years if you want to.
