What is an AGP

The ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), have an option of choosing a five-day “Grace Period” during registration of a domain. During this grace period, the registrant can test the domain or decide on keeping it. If the registrant chooses to cancel the domain, the payment would be fully refunded by the domain registry.

This privilege provided to registrars by ICANN has been under major controversy as millions of domains are being registered and discontinued everyday. Many domain registrars like Network Solutions have started using this option abusively acquiring domain names which are being searched in their domain search box.

Almost 80% - 95% of all domains registered with major domain registrars are being cancelled during this Grace Period.

This practice is being carried on for the past eight years with IAregistry and DotRegistrar registering many domain names and deleting them when they don’t need it. When they found this practice to be profitable, they started using various methods and technologies to find out the top domains searched for and all possible name options helping them figure out the best profitable domain names. They later started acquiring these domain names and then deleted them before the grace period was over if they found it not to be profitable.

Critics feel there is no actual need for this practice. ICANN should request the registrar to pay for any domain purchased and there should not be any refund or grace period. In January 2008, ICANN mentioned that they would withdraw this AGP offer.

However, VeriSign has been against this Domain Tasting from the early 2001 and has been preventing registrars use this method abusively.

If you are finding out domain name options and suggestions using Network Solutions website, BEWARE! You would end up losing the domain to Network Solutions. They would take a Client Hold of it for the next 4 days.

Network Solutions, a ICANN accredited register has been using a mean way to force users to register domain names with them. Domain tasting, as it is called, is used by domain name registrant to test the marketability of a domain. The registrant is given a five-day “grace period” in which he can cancel the registration and avail a full refund from the domain registry.

This type of Domain Tasting has come into wide spread critizisam as registars and PPC companies use these domains to force users use their company or to make some quick money using PPC.

The ICANN Board of Directors has come up with a decision to stop the practice of domain tasting. One of the main reasons for this resolution is due to the unethical hacking of domain searches by Network Solutions.

The Board of Directors informed that the practice of domain tasting during the Add Grace Period (AGP) has become high from 2005 and that millions of domains are registered and deleted because of this Add Grace Period option. Hence, the ICANN believes that the withdrawal of refunding transaction fee would end this abuse of Add Grace Period (AGP).

This will put an end to typo-squatting and the quick money making PPC domain tasting industry. This would also mean an end to Network Solutions and other registrars using the AGP feature in an abusive way.