George Kirikos wrote:
> 
> No it's not -- if NSI takes this "precedent" and stops deleting expired
> names (and instead does backroom deals to pass them to their preferred
> partners), it hurts a lot of people, including resellers and customers.
> It's not OpenSRS' name to be handing out -- it should be deleted to
> make the name available at any registrar.

Why?  Anyone can register with OpenSRS... why not try and grab some of the
pie instead of giving it all to SnapNames?

> Bad assumption. This changes the power balance between registrars and
> registrants. Ultimately, if registrars have total control over expired
> names, you can be sure that they'll milk them for all they're worth. If
> you don't believe this to be true, I'll make this public offer:

I believe that Tucows is interested in their resellers succeeding while
profiting on the side.  I don't believe that they would charge an
excessive premium, if a premium at all.

> -- I get personal access to all expired names from all registrars, for
> $10 name.
> 
> Would any registrar, if they had the power to make such a deal, take
> it? Of course not. Why should it be me, and not someone else that gets
> that privilege? $$$$$ will eventually decide it, unless one makes sure
> that the registrar has no part of it, except to force them all to
> delete expired names. I'm sure if NSI was doing this say with UltSearch
> or DomainCollection or another top drop market participant, folks would
> be up in arms.

I think that you're looking at this differently than I.  I think it would
be a FCFS system for all resellers... click a button and you get a list of
all Tucows domains coming up for deleting in the next 10 days.  Submit
your request now.

Or perhaps randomize all applications.  I don't know... I'm just saying we
shouldn't be judging a product that, as far as we know, is still just a
widget.

> No one, including the registrar, owns premium expired domains, although
> lots of people would want them. They need to be released to the open
> pool via a deletion, and then folks can compete for them at the 2 pm
> drops.

The registry, in theory owns (or at least manages for ICANN) all domain
names.

> It would be an anti-trust matter, I'm sure, if NSI tried such a thing,
> to take control over all expired names. Under your model, they need not
> even sell them to 3rd parties -- they can keep them for themselves if
> they so decided.

Sure, why not?  If they want to spend the money to pay the registry for
each one, that's their perogative.

> While we're giving registrars more power, under your model, why limit
> it to the above? Say you own abc.com, and are paying $35/yr. The
> registrar decides they won't let you renew any further and instead at
> expiry they "move in" to the vacant property themselves. This would
> lead to the dot-TV style of pricing for registrations. If they want to
> do that, fine, just don't do it with an established registry which has
> established rules and investments. Make a .greed TLD and let the
> registrars do whatever they want with it. Leave .com/net/org to those
> who are playing by the current rules.

I don't think that would be an issue with OpenSRS.  And given that other
registrars must allow transfers, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't affect other
facets of the business by this move.

-kb
--
Kris Benson
ABC Communications
+1 (250)612-5270 x14
+1 (888)235-1174 x14

Reply via email to