ICANN OKs Tiered Pricing for .org/.biz/.info 182
wayne writes "As reported on CircleID, Vint Cerf has confirmed that ICANN's new contracts for the .org/.biz/.info domain prices can be tiered, so that google.biz could cost $1 million per year, while sex.biz could cost $100,000/year. This is very similar to how the .tv TLD already works. The domain registrar could also could also use pricing for political purposes, claiming that pricing sex.biz high would be to 'protect the children,' while icann.org could be priced at $1/year. Verisign's contract for .com and .net have recently been renewed, so those domains are safe for now, but I'm sure they would want similar treatment."
Shouldn't these basic domains be non-profit? (Score:5, Insightful)
from the article... (Score:5, Insightful)
Let the
Re:Shouldn't these basic domains be non-profit? (Score:1, Insightful)
Why? (Score:5, Insightful)
1. To push the price of unregistered domains up
2.
Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Besides, the registrar doesn't actually do any more work registering sex.org than registering IwantApurpleMonkey.biz
Mapping is the answer (Score:5, Insightful)
Keys to Success (Score:4, Insightful)
Because they can! They own the TLDs uncontested, they can charge whatever they think the market will bear for service that had been decently regulated until that time.
Pretty much the same thing threatens net neutrality: because they can claim to be a part of it, telcos have a justification to charge for cross-traffic. It flies in the face of the equal-peerage internet that was the original intent, but there it is.
So? That's what makes their plan so brilliant. Companies are always seeking to increase profits and eliminate costs, to the point where they can spend nothing and do nothing but rake in the dough and brainstorm how to rake in more dough. It's morally bankrupt and ethically bereft, but as long as the actions are legal, such things are of little concern to the successful modern businessman.
Re:Google created that value (Score:5, Insightful)
My biggest concern is that ICANN knows that Google et al are going to buy the google name for every TLD simply to prevent confusion and domain squatting, so what is to stop ICANN just making a new TLD every couple of years and then charging through the nose for the right to take a name on that TLD? it would be like a license to print money. I never think that the regulator should also be the body that profits from that system it regulates.
Re:Market rates... Choose your poison (Score:5, Insightful)
The effectively squat *ALL* of the TLD that they administer, and run -ZERO- risk of investing in domains that they are then unable to sell, aswell as -ZERO- risk of being convicted for abusing others trademarks etc.
Re:Shouldn't these basic domains be non-profit? (Score:5, Insightful)
Alternate DNS (Score:3, Insightful)
I can see the death of ICANN as a result, with the governments of the world uniting to create an alternate DNS and making whan ICANN does irrelevant forever.
ok, maybe not. But I can dream can't I? How do I get a job at ICANN?
should be public service, not a license to print $ (Score:3, Insightful)
And I thought it was worse already (Score:4, Insightful)
So now ICANN has legalised domain name extortion.
What the hell happened to the fundamentals of a domain name representing a company or organisation, or even an individual?
Google isn't going to rule the world... (Score:3, Insightful)
Whats happenning to this world? (Score:3, Insightful)
These incompetents dont see how to make money by innovation and thus they resort to bullying.
Taxing businesses unnecessarily is the surest way to kill the market place.
utter bullshit (Score:5, Insightful)
Slippery Slope (Score:3, Insightful)
Democrats vs Republicans? (Score:5, Insightful)
What about the political parties? What's to keep a registrar from saying Republican domains can be registered for $10/year, but Democrat domains will cost $100/year? We might think that no shareholders would stand for this, but rogue corporate management is no longer rare. (They have to have annual meetings? Sure, on the second week in January in Fargo, North Dakota, and stockholder questions will only be accepted for two hours. Answers not guaranteed.)
That might be too naked, but you could easily have subtle biases. The two major parties get "preferred rates" since they buy so many domains. Third-parties and upstart challengers get higher rates. BushSucks type sites get the highest rates. Subtle, but real, pressure against change.