Denmark-based Net naming outfit Nodots has received a slap on the wrist from the UK's advertising watchdog for sending junk mail that resembles and invoice.

The company tried to get companies to cough up £500 to register for its "Qname" service by sending out misleading-looking letters that looked like invoices.

Only in the small print did it say: "Should you not want a Qname, please disregard the invoice."

No Dots told the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that it tried to ensure that all the mailings - which were sent to thousands of companies in several European countries - met all the necessary rules and regs.

However, the ASA said No Dots' defence was balderdash, deciding instead that the invoice section of the mailing "did not make clear enough that it was merely a marketing communication offering an Internet service".

And it seems the ASA isn't the only outfit to be suspicious of these not-so-great Danes. In September, trading standards officers warned businesses to be wary of No Dots following a flurry of complaints.

Elsewhere, the ASA also exposed another Internet business it reckons isn't playing fair. Cambridge-based EU Registry Services was caught spamming punters for its ".eu domain approved by the EU Commission".

But when challenged on whether it was accredited to offer .eu domain names, EU Registry Services was unable to substantiate its claims. In fact, it failed to reply to the ASA at all. ®

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