Register Com Inc

In a sign that its dominance of the domain name registration market may be on the wane, Network Solutions Inc. was passed by two upstart registrars in one measure of the race to sign up consumers to new domain names, according to a report posted this week by the Web's premier naming authority. Executives at VeriSign Inc.

In a sign that its dominance of the domain name registration market may be on the wane, Network Solutions Inc. was passed by two upstart registrars in one measure of the race to sign up consumers to new domain names, according to a report posted this week by the Web's premier naming authority. Executives at VeriSign Inc.

* Microsoft Corp. warned users of its Windows operating system of three newly found "critical" security flaws in its software, including one that could allow attackers to take complete control of a computer. * A federal judge in New York dismissed claims that Microsoft Corp. and Softbank Corp., which sells high-speed Internet service in Japan, helped defraud investors in Global Crossing Ltd.

VeriSign Inc., the world's largest provider of Web addresses, has settled a second lawsuit filed against it over a controversial direct-mail campaign targeting rivals' customers, the company said Tuesday. Go Daddy Software of Scottsdale, Ariz., said it settled the lawsuit it filed in June accusing VeriSign, based in Mountain View, Calif., of false advertising. Neither company would discuss details of the deal. In August, VeriSign and domain name provider BulkRegister.com Inc.

Register.com Inc., the No. 2 reseller of Internet domain names, announced the launch of a service that allows individuals and companies to bid for any of the 20 million Web site addresses already taken. Afternic Virtual Broker will allow its customers to place anonymous bids on any Internet domain name ending in .com, .net or .org. Afternic Inc., which developed the service and was acquired by Register.

EBay Inc., the world's largest Internet auctioneer, and Bidder's Edge Inc. have agreed to settle lawsuits about accessing and copying information from Web sites. EBay said the settlement prohibits Bidder's Edge from combing its site for material and that Burlington, Mass.-based Bidder's Edge agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money, said Jay Monahan, EBay's intellectual property attorney.

Thomas Weisel Partners, a San Francisco investment bank, agreed to a $1.75-million settlement Wednesday with the NASD over its allocation of shares in initial public offerings. The payment, which consists of a $450,000 fine and repayment of $1.3 million in ill-gotten profits, settled allegations that Weisel received kickbacks in the form of unusually high trading commissions from its customers in exchange for the opportunity to acquire shares in hot IPOs.

Register.com Inc. shareholder Mark Cuban said Wednesday that he planned to vote against the company's proposed sale to Vector Capital Corp., saying the $200-million transaction would be disastrous to investors. Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, said last month that he held a 14% stake in Register.com and sought a seat on the board. Register.com, which manages 2.