Tell ICANN to STOP REGISTRARS FROM WAREHOUSING AND SPECULATION

[Pat Quinn]

The ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement is up for public comment until August 4th. Every domainer needs to tell ICANN to add teeth to and enforce the prohibition from section 3.7.9 of the current RAA agreement:

http://www.icann.org/registrars/ra-a...-17may01.htm#3

Here are the proposed changes, but they don't add more explicit language prohibiting speculating and warehousing domain names.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/an...18jun08-en.htm

Send email to raa-consultation@icann.org and tell ICANN that language MUST be added to the RAA that ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITS REGISTRAR WAREHOUSING AND SPECULATION IN DOMAIN NAMES!!!

If you don't think this is a problem, you should know that Tucows, for one, has by their own admission been grabbing 6000 to 8000 expired names per month! Don't take my word for it, read this comment from their President/CEO from Feb 7th, 2008:

"We believe we are one of the leading portfolios in the world. Please remember we pick up 6000 to 8000 more names each month from expiring domains. We made the decision two years ago to acquire expiring names that we believe add value."

http://seekingalpha.com/article/636...e=yahoo&page=-1

So... figure 28 months, 6000 to 8000 names per month that never see the light of day. That's somewhere between 168,000 and 224,000 domain names that they have grabbed instead of sending to auction.

[jberryhill]

to add teeth to and enforce the prohibition from section 3.7.9 of the current RAA agreement:

What is it that you believe that section requires?

What it says is that the registrar will abide by any ICANN consensus policy on the subject.

There is no ICANN consensus policy on that subject, so the secton doesn't prohibit or require anything.

Go read it again, and explain this "prohibition".

[domaingenius]

The ICANN Registrar Accreditation Agreement is up for public comment until August 4th. Every domainer needs to tell ICANN to add teeth to and enforce the prohibition from section 3.7.9 of the current RAA agreement:

http://www.icann.org/registrars/ra-a...-17may01.htm#3

Here are the proposed changes, but they don't add more explicit language prohibiting speculating and warehousing domain names.
http://icann.org/en/announcements/an...18jun08-en.htm

Send email to raa-consultation@icann.org and tell ICANN that language MUST be added to the RAA that ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITS REGISTRAR WAREHOUSING AND SPECULATION IN DOMAIN NAMES!!!

If you don't think this is a problem, you should know that Tucows, for one, has by their own admission been grabbing 6000 to 8000 expired names per month! Don't take my word for it, read this comment from their President/CEO from Feb 7th, 2008:

"We believe we are one of the leading portfolios in the world. Please remember we pick up 6000 to 8000 more names each month from expiring domains. We made the decision two years ago to acquire expiring names that we believe add value."

http://seekingalpha.com/article/636...e=yahoo&page=-1

So... figure 28 months, 6000 to 8000 names per month that never see the light of day. That's somewhere between 168,000 and 224,000 domain names that they have grabbed instead of sending to auction.

I agree wholeheartedly, this practice is unethical and an abuse of the
position that Registrars are in. DomainDiscover is another vast abuser
of this modus operandi. Whether that is possible under the present
rules I dont know myself but I have written to them previously about this.

DG

[Dave Zan]

What it says is that the registrar will abide by any ICANN consensus policy on the subject.

There is no ICANN consensus policy on that subject, so the secton doesn't prohibit or require anything.

Ain't that section rather weird when there's still no definition of warehousing?
IIRC there's actually one recent consensus policy, something about that 10%
thing, but that's just about it and still didn't even define that "dirty" word.

[jberryhill]

there's actually one recent consensus policy,

Proposed... and directed to tasting. The board resolution on charging uniform fees appears to have pretty much killed tasting, so that GNSO proposal isn't going to go anywhere.

[Dave Zan]

Proposed... and directed to tasting. The board resolution on charging uniform fees appears to have pretty much killed tasting, so that GNSO proposal isn't going to go anywhere.

Yup, just read it again to make sure I understood it better. Thanks!

[handytraffic]

for example ENOM is currently buying all the domains in the drop pool ( more than 40.000 every day) and he is keeping for himself ( not for the auctions) 2000-3000 every day.

Andrea

[Crown]

Proposed... and directed to tasting. The board resolution on charging uniform fees appears to have pretty much killed tasting, so that GNSO proposal isn't going to go anywhere.

Tasting may be killed for the everyday domainer but its definately unfair that registrars exclusively get to taste expiring domains for free. GoDaddy even adjusts their domain starting sale prices on TDNAM based on a variety of things including the traffic.

I hardly believe the ability they have to control expiring domain names was intended to be given to them years ago before the value of this practice on such a massive scale was even imagined. Tucows and Enom mentioned above pretty much have to do what they are doing because they are allowed to. Can't even be upset at them for doing it because if they dont do it someone else will still continue to. Whats disappointing is they dont step up to the plate to stop this from happening today. I can see them do this in a few years only after the most valuable domain names have turned up on expiry.

[savegas]

What happen to the WLS waiting list thing

[Yofie]

Ok Folks (Ricks line) If you needed further proof with Specific, real time domains of Tucows Warehousing expired domain names, Here it is! http://www.dotweekly.com/2008/07/12/could-you-explain-tucows/

I wrote the post Knowing the certain domains were being warehoused and as clear as day in comment # 2 Ken Schafer of Tucows clearly states the certain domains that are not showing up on Afternic are: "WLF.com - expired 6-19-2008 - not on Afternic, chosen for Tucows Portfolio"

You have a very short time to let ICANN know that you are sick and tired of Registrar Warehousing of expired domain names. You can see more info here http://www.dotweekly.com/2008/07/12/my-letter-to-icann-on-registrar-warehousing-domain-names/ on how to let your voice be heard to stop this! All it takes is about 5 minutes of your time via email...

[Pat Quinn]

This is how ICANN should define these terms, IMHO...

Warehousing: Registrar re-registers expired names in the Registrar's name rather than releasing them to either the available pool or auction.

Speculation: Profiting by the sale of a domain name in any other way than registration fee or auction of expired name.

Only a few more days to let ICANN know what you guys think. If you don't speak up, don't complain that you're bidding on leftover, pre-tasted crap.