Today, buying a website domain costs money. But before 1995, what was the standard rule for claiming a dot-com name?

.com Names Were Registered for Free

Before 1995, the standard rule was that registering a domain name such as `example.com` cost nothing. An organization requested a name through the central registration service, which checked that it was available and added it to the directory computers used to route internet traffic. Each name had to be unique, but the applicant did not pay a registration fee.

That did not mean domain names were unimportant or that the system ran without expense. Staff maintained the records and equipment; the costs were covered through public support and government contracts rather than billed to each registrant.

The Fee Changed Who Paid

As the internet expanded, registering names became a larger administrative operation. In 1995, the service provider Network Solutions began charging for registrations under .com and several other popular endings. The shift made domain registration a direct expense for the organizations claiming names instead of a service funded through other means.

A domain was—and remains—more like a renewable registration than a piece of property purchased outright. The fee paid for the right to use a name under the registration system, while the central directory kept that name connected to the right internet address. Before 1995, the notable difference was simple: the registrant paid nothing at the point of registration.