Solving the Domain Name squatting problem like warehousing,
is not all that difficult to solve.  If any registrant is not actually
using a registered Domain name, his registration is revoked by
the registrar and/or registry after some period of time, and the
registrant is credited for the original cost of that registration.
Pretty simple really.  Proper names or sir names should never
be valid domain names unless they are directly related to
a Trade marked company name or other association, commercial
of non-commercial.  BTW, we have been over this ground many
times before in the GA.  Some if this may be predicated
on rule changes at the USPTO however....

Evan Leibovitch wrote:

Hi Danny,

> Does the ALAC intend to launch a policy-development process on whether and how to restrict GTLD registries
> or registrars or both from engaging in warehousing of and/or speculating in domain names?
>
> http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/02-20-2008/0004758927&EDATE=

I am in complete agreement that the warehousing of domain names is an
issue of public concern; however I am personally not sure how to
adequately address this in a way that actually serves the public good.
If a registrar isn't warehousing popular names (or near-misspellings or
popular names, etc), then someone else is. From the public POV, I can't
see how the "wild west" character of .COM (and possibly other TLDs)
would be any better if all these domains were in the hands of a private
squatter rather than a registrar.

Did the registrar have special access to search domains? Only to the
point that it's cheaper for them to register, and they probably
developed automated tools before private registrants did. In any case,
Tucows has been around this field for a very long time; the size and
"quality" of its stable of names owes more to its early involvement than
the fact it's a registrar.

Would policies that force registrants out of the domain-warehousing
business help? Not if the result is simply the sale/auction of domains
to warehouses run by non-registrar squatters.

The bigger problem of public perception and confidence, at least from my
view, is the treatment of domain names as chattel/commodity rather than
identification. And simply regulating registry/registrant ownership of
domains does not change that. I would argue, for instance, that domain
names should be subject to the same "use it or lose it" regimen as
trademarks, for much the same reasons. (IMO, parking does not constitute
"use").

As a counter-example: When one registers a domain with CIRA (under .ca),
there needs to be some kind of demonstrated link between the owner and
the requested domain. I'm sure the process isn't perfect, but it
demonstrates how, at the registry level, abuses can be minimized through
core allocation policy.

Thus, the problem is at the registry level with .COM allowing -- indeed
encouraging -- a free-for-all. Rather than retroactively trying to fix
that, perhaps the answer is to encourage gTLD alternatives that will
offer the public greater confidence. One would hope that with a
more-open, more competitive approach to gTLDs the world's dependence on
.com -- and especially its perception as the 'global default TLD' -- may
diminish. That would IMO be the biggest blow to squatters and
warehousers -- registrants and otherwise.

Having said this, I would welcome any process to produce policy
initiatives that might (realistically) improve the status quo -- to
advance to the GNSO or anywhere else. If ALAC isn't interested in your
offer we can certainly accommodate you within NARALO and advance
resulting policy initiatives within ALAC that way. At that point our
challenge is finding people who care about the issue, have the time to
be well grounded in it, and are articulate enough to advance policy change.

Evan Leibovitch
Chair, NARALO

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