Do you own a .com domain name? Verisign, the sole operator of the .com registry, may have overcharged consumers through an illegal monopoly. If you purchased a .com domain name since 2022, contact us today.
Case Caption: Kessler v. Veri Sign, Inc. et al.
U.S. District Court, Central District of California
Judge Assigned: Hon. Stanley Blumenfeld, Jr
Case Number: 2:26-cv-09960
Defendants: Veri Sign, Inc.; Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN")
WHAT'S THE ISSUE? Hagens Berman has filed a class-action lawsuit against Verisign Inc. and ICANN for allegedly maintaining an illegal monopoly over .com domain names — the most widely used domain extension, with over 160 million active registrations worldwide. Verisign is the sole operator of the .com registry, the authoritative database that makes every .com website and email address work. There is no alternative supplier. Consumers have no choice but to pay Verisign's price — no exceptions.
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST VERISIGN AND ICANN
The lawsuit alleges that Verisign’s prices stem from a contract with ICANN that entitles Verisign to a permanent monopoly over the .com registry, and that ICANN now shares in Verisign’s monopoly profits. Since 2021, Verisign’s price has risen more than 30%, from $7.85 to $10.26 per domain, even as the actual cost of providing registry services has fallen. Verisign’s financial filings indicate it costs approximately $3 per domain to operate .com domains, while comparable registries charge an average of $5 to $6. Verisign charges roughly double, generating operating margins above 67%. In 2025 alone, Verisign returned $1 billion to shareholders through stock buybacks and dividends, which attorneys allege is funded by fees from a captive customer base.
ANTITRUST CLAIMS
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has recognized similar antitrust claims as legally viable. The NTIA stated that "a reduction in .com prices would be in the best interest of the public." Bipartisan members of Congress, including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jerrold Nadler, have called for an antitrust investigation, warning that Verisign's monopolistic practices stifle online business.
WHO IS AFFECTED?
You may be affected if you registered or renewed a .com domain name since 2022, whether for personal or business use, through any registrar including Go Daddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Google Domains/Squarespace, Network Solutions, Porkbun or any other provider. Every .com registrant pays Verisign's fee, embedded in every transaction without exception. If you registered a .com domain name since 2022, contact us today.
HOW THE ALLEGED .COM MONOPOLY WORKS
Every .com domain registration or renewal passes through a two-tier system. Verisign operates the registry, or wholesale layer, and thousands of registrars compete at the retail level to sell domains. But every registrar must pay Verisign the same non-negotiable wholesale fee for every .com domain.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing