<nettime> Missed Payment Shuts J.P. Morgan's Web Site

[David Mandl <dmandl@panix.com>]

               [The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition]
                               June 14, 2000

Money & Investing

Missed Payment Shuts
J.P. Morgan's Web Site

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- J.P. Morgan & Co.'s Web site was deactivated on Thursday
because it missed payment on a $35 annual renewal fee for its
"jpmorgan.com" domain name.

Network Solutions Inc., the Herndon, Va.-based registrar of Internet domain
names, said it reminded J.P. Morgan about the payment on four separate
occasions -- before and after the April 25 renewal deadline -- without
success.

"It appears that the contact at J.P. Morgan was either no longer with them
or somehow had not been able to respond," said Chris Clough, a Network
Solutions spokesman. "It was a clerical error."

While it is rare that a major company forgets to pay this nominal fee,
there is precedent.

In December 1999, Microsoft Corp.'s free Web-based e-mail system, Hotmail,
lost service for the same reason. Network Solutions reactivated Hotmail
after an independent computer consultant in Tennessee noticed the problem
and footed the $35 tab.

Network Solutions said J.P. Morgan made good on its payment on Thursday,
and that its Web site would be up and running again by Friday.

J.P. Morgan declined to comment.

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