<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">Nicolas, et. al.,<br>
<br>
From an economists vantage point there is an interesting wrinkle
here. Domain names are (ARE) property once one owns them (or
rather has a lease on them) and as property they can become
subject to what a municipality would call zoning regulations,
i.e., two of them might look alike but there are different
regulations as to how they can be used. The registries are just
beginning to figure out that whereas municipal zoning regulations
depend on some democratic process and accountability, domain name
zoning regulations are completely up to the registry and are
another cash cow. The .sucks registry is a case in point. <br>
<br>
The .sucks registry is offering a "Consumer Advocate" subsidized
price, reserved apparently specifically for individuals and not
for civil society groups or not-for-profit organizations. The
price looks reasonable at $9.95 per domain. They will be for
purchase in September. But, big BUT, such domains cannot point to
an owner's own website. The can only be used to redirect traffic
for that domain to a discussion forum on the everything.sucks
website (free or for a fee?). Here "use zoning' includes the
redirect and who knows what restrictions .sucks might decide to
place on what is posted to everything.sucks, who controls that, or
whether this will eventually involve additional fees. There will
apparently be a standard price of $249 for a domain name that does
not involves these restrictions. <br>
<br>
Apart from this specific case, I would expect registrars to
exploit both their ability to ration names and segment markets,
and discover more and more ways to subject domain names to "zoning
restrictions", usually in the name of profits, and probably
frequently clothed in the language of liability. If there is
falling marginal revenue from the extensive margin (more gtld's)
there is still money to be made from the intensive margin, from
segmenting the domain name markets within a gTLD.<br>
<br>
Sam L. . <br>
<br>
<br>
On 16/03/2015 1:32 PM, Nicolas Adam wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:550713B3.7070709@gmail.com" type="cite">
<meta content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
Let's say one critic waits out a brand owner's first few moves to
buy some of the obvious names with which they are afraid to be
criticized with (which is not something I would do right off the
bat if I was on of them, mind you, and even if i would be inclined
to do it I'd wait for the price to go way down), does anybody know
if the critics will be able to know the price he will end up
paying <b>before</b> he divulge to the .sucks team what is the
string he covets?<br>
<br>
For example, let's say McDonald.sucks is registered by the fast
food chain. Do you guys think that the critic will be able to buy
thatyellowandredclown.sucks for an eventually specified/advertised
price for various alphanumeric strings under .sucks or do you guys
think the .sucks strategic pricing will be able to look at his
string request and put forth a specific price for the string?<br>
<br>
Please forgive my ignorance of those domaining details.<br>
<br>
Nicolas<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
</body>
</html>