Domain name registrar NetBenefit has said it is prepared to "pursue negative campaigns" against its competitors unless they get their houses in order and start delivering transparent pricing information to consumers. The thinly veiled threat was delivered as NetBenefit warned businesses to be aware of the hidden costs of registering and owning a domain name. All too often services that claim to offer "free" domain name registration end up costing more since the true cost is concealed by "smoke and mirror" trickery. NetBenefit denies that its decision to take such a stand on cowboy operators has been done simply to protect its own revenue stream. It maintains it is acting out of a genuine desire to ensure that domain name owners receive a good service -- and to protect the industry as a whole. Indeed, recent high-profile cases such as Marie Curie and WebTechs highlight the importance of domain name management. When a multinational company can be wiped off the face of cyberspace thanks to an administrative oversight, the £100 or so it costs to register a domain name pales into insignificance. "It has never been our way to pursue negative campaigns against our competitors and we are hoping that the "softly-softly" approach will encourage other industry players to clean up their acts," said Jonathan Robinson CEO of NetBenefit. "Too often, the consumer sees the Internet industry as a wild frontier. "We believe that it is in the interests of the industry as a whole to move well beyond that phase," he said. ®