New Report from NetNames Reveals that Two Thirds of Top Online Retailers Have Been...

New Report from NetNames Reveals that Two Thirds of Top Online Retailers Have Been Cybersquatted

NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--Top US retailers are leaving themselves at major risk of brand
damage online because of poor domain registration practices, the
American E-commerce Brands report from domain name management
specialist NetNames reveals. More than two thirds of leading online
retailers in the US currently have at least one domain suffix related
to their brand name that is held by a cybersquatter.

The American E-commerce Brands report analyses how well protected
the top 50 online retailers in the US are online both domestically and
internationally.

The American E-commerce Brands report alarmingly reveals that less
than half (49.6 per cent) of all domains relating to major online
retailers in the US have been registered by company officials, leaving
them wide open to attack online. This was demonstrated by the fact
that more than one in four (28 per cent) domains relating to these
online retailers were occupied by cybersquatters and more than one in
twenty (6 per cent) were available for purchase in the open market. Of
the top 50 online US retailers identified, 34 had left at least one
domain relating to the brand unprotected which was now occupied by
cybersquatters.

The report also underlined a disturbing general disregard for all
domain suffixes apart from .com. The report revealed that the most
registered domain by major online US retailers was .com which was 98
per cent registered. However, the report also revealed that other
domain suffixes were not nearly so well protected, with 44 per cent of
related .net and only 32 per cent of .us domains protected. It is
imperative that companies pay more attention to these domain names as
they look to expand their presence online and overseas.

Failing to register the domains of well known brands has in the
past proved a favored route in for cybersquatters, who are profiting
from these brands lack of online protection, and by leaving these
domains unprotected companies are leaving themselves vulnerable.
Cybersquatters register domain names relating to these brands, either
with malicious intentions or often posting Google-style pay-per-click
advertising to make money from people stumbling across their sites
looking for official information.

James Lambright, Chief Strategy Officer for NetNames, commented:
"Considering that these retailers rely on e-commerce as a significant
part of their business, it is alarming to see that so many do not seem
concerned about one of the most vital elements of online brand
protection. Not registering relevant domain names is the online
equivalent of leaving your storefront open overnight. The American
E-commerce Brands report reveals that other than .com a frightening
majority of the top US online retailers are not protecting domain
names relating to their brand and as such are putting their
reputations on the line unnecessarily."

NetNames will be exhibiting at booth KT1 at eTail 2008, Palm
Desert, California, 11-14 February 2008.

Research methodology

The American E-commerce Brands report evaluated the top 50 online
retailers in the US on company registration of the top level domain
names. The research is carried out by assessing whether a company has
registered their name plus .com, .org, .net, .biz, .info .us.

About NetNames

NetNames is part of London listed Group NBT plc (LSE: NBT).
Through its industry leading domain name management service, NetNames
Platinum Service, the company is responsible for managing and
protecting online brands for international corporates, including in
excess of 30% of the FTSE 100. Following the acquisition of Ascio
Technologies in January 2007 NetNames became Europe's largest domain
name management specialist.

NetNames is an ICANN Accredited Registrar with the ability to
register domain names in all available suffixes worldwide. The company
is headquartered in London, with offices in New York, Nice, Munich,
Madrid, Copenhagen, Zurich and Oslo. For further information, visit
www.netnames.com/platinum.

Hotwire
Ivan Ristic, +44 (0)20 7608 4647
ivan.ristic@hotwirepr.com
or
Jon White, +44 (0)20 7608 4677
jon.white@hotwirepr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008