<snip> > >If the string is > >desirable, it has value, but that is not a judgement call the Registry > >or Registrars should be making. > > Again, I agree -- I don't think the registry or registars should be > setting a fixed price. That's why auctions are the way to go; the free > market will then decide what the real value of a domain is. > > Realistically, some domains *are* worth more than others. Why should they > be sold all for the same price? Even I can't see the justification, and > I'm virtually a socialist.
I completely disagree. The cost to register the domain, should be based on how much it costs to maintain the tld manangement system. There is no way that a name like Microsoft.com should be worth more than Macrosoft.com just because Microsoft has invested in it's brand. Maybe that's worded incorrectly, it is worth more, should be worth more, but not worth more to the registrar, only to Microsoft. It doesn't cost the registrar any more to maintain one over the other. The registrar shouldn't benefit because of work that another individual or company has done. And they shouldn't benefit because one word is in the dictionary and another isn't. Ie money.tld shouldn't be worth more than lkadjflakj.tld, to the registrar that is. It comes down to ownership. Who actually owns an unregistered domain.tld? If the registrar does, then they can charge whatever the market will bare and that sucks. But I don't believe the registrar has ownership over individual domains, they only own the management system. Of course, all of us discussing it here probably won't make a lick of difference. The only group that can solve this issue is ICANN, since they're supposed to set the rules. (I believe anyway). Also, if it's determined that the registrar owns their .tld, then the only way to make it a fair system is for anyone to be able to register a .tld. I hate New.Net for circumventing the system and creating an alternate root, but they've got the idea of having so many tld's available that it's at least a little more fair. (They should still be punished for their alt root thing, but that's another issue). Another idea that's in my head that I'll through out here for possible discussion, or whatever is this. What about a system where a expired domain is owned by the original purchaser, at least for a certain length of time. So if it expires, any cost over the cost of registering the domain name if it hadn't been registered yet, would go to the original leasee. Obviously the logistics of how to get the payment to the person would need to be worked out, but ignore that part for now. Anyway, that was just in my head, I haven't really even thought about whether it would work or not, just wanted to get it down before I forgot about it. Dave
