Re: [Membership] Structure of 'at large' membership

[K S LIM <ks_lim@logchina.com.sg>]

a@help.org wrote:
> 
> Your argument is vague.  This type of reaction comes from a gut feeling
> rather than any factual or legal argument.  What about people who speculate
> and buy gold, silver, land, Furby's, etc.  Why is the domain situation any
> different?


Yes, it is , in my opinion , very different indeed!  Those who speculate
in gold, shares, silvers etc takes risks commensurate with the profits
they expect to gain.  If they make a mistake they can lose their pants. 
I can't imagine any body losing their pants by hoarding a few domain
names.  Further, items such as godl,silver, land etc are general items
available to the public.  They become more valuable when they become
scarce.  However, a domain name very often become valuable when the
company or companies who are easily connected to that name(or may have
the same name)become established or well known to the market.  The
speculator usually try to sell the domain name back to them for large
sum of money.  This is what I believe to be wrong as the value of the
name was , very often, created by the companies who are targets of the
speculation!
This is just my personal opinion.  I don't pretend to be almighty or
always correct and am always ready to be enlighened.
Best regards.


    Why do you think the Post Office puts out all kinds of different
> stamps ... so people will buy them for speculation/collecting.  There are
> also places like the Franklin Mint or small countries that print all these
> Elvis stamps.  Their entire business is based on this type of speculation.
> 
> I admit I have been mad when I see a domain I wanted for sale by a domain
> broker.  I also never planned on selling any domains until I started looking
> at the system and I saw how easy it was to get 'good' domain names.  There
> are only about 5 people buying a vast majority of the good domains that
> become available from 'on hold' now.  If I don't get it one of these other
> people will.  I would be nuts not to grab them.  Good or bad in any specific
> situation, this is how the free market works.
> 
> As a practical matter I also do not see how there could be any such rules
> anyway.  I could buy a domain just to resell or, as most of my domains, I
> put up web sites related to the domain.  What if I decide to sell my web
> site/business including the domain name?  Do you think ICANN would, or
> should, try to stop this?  How would ICANN even know if a domain was sold or
> simply transferred?  As was stated before, who would police it?  I don't
> think it would be possible to set up any such rules.  For example, AOL just
> 'bought' Netscape, should they have to give back Netscape.com to Internic?
> 
> What I think should be done now is to provide a fair method of getting
> domains when they are released from hold.  the vast majority of domains that
> would be bought for speculation are already registered.  At this point in
> time the 'good' domains that become available are released from hold.  I
> think this will change within the next year or two as people realize the
> value of the 'good' names.  I also expect the majority of transfers, at
> least for desirable names, in the future will be domain sales from one party
> to another rather than registration via Internic or whomever is registering
> domains in the future.

Well, in the situation of Singapore(and I do not pretend that our system
is the best), when one person or company wants to register a domain name
it has to prove that the name used is the name of the person or the name
of the company or business or trademark or logo etc used by the
person/company in the past, else the person/company has to substantiate
why he/it is entitled to the domain name.  No body can just go in and
apply for abc.com.sg just because he/it feels like it.  I findthis
practice very effective in stopping speculations.


> 
> Russ Smith
> http://consumer.net
> 
>  >HOwever, I am deadly against
> >profiteering and speculation in domain names as it is distruptive ,
> >harmful and non productive for any business.  Thus as long as we have
> >rules that disallow any sales of domain names

-- 
KS LIM
LOGIC GROUP OF COMPANIES
180 Cecil Street, #15-03
Bangkok Bank Building
SINGAPORE 069546
TEL:65-2211208,FAX:65-2221170
E-MAIL: ks_lim@logchina.com.sg
        kslim@singnet.com.sg