Registries want to remove all pricing controls on new top level domain names.
ICANN’s Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) has submitted comments regarding the Proposed Final Applicant Guidebook for new top level domain names. One proposed change sticks out: requesting no notice requirements for price changes on top level domain names.
As it stands in the guidebook right now, a registry for new TLDs must give 30 days notice prior to changing the cost of a new domain name registration and 180 days notice for renewals.
The latter is particularly important; it ensures that you have time to renew your domain names prior to any price increase.
For example, say you register a domain name for $10. Later, the registry decides to increase annual prices to $100. The notice requirements would give you plenty of time to renew the domain name for $10 per year (say, for the next 10 years) rather than having to suddenly fork out ten times as much for your domain.
In its comments to ICANN, RySG wrote that “These rules would create a disparity between new TLD and existing TLD pricing policy and practices.”
I’m not sure that this would provide must disparity, at least that would hurt registries. Most gTLDs today require about a six month notice period to raise prices for both new and renewal registrations. If anything, the new rules give registries more leeway.
RySG continued:
In any event, ICANN has established that there will be no price caps for new TLD contracts and has decided to allow full vertical integration of registries and registrars, absent market power and a determination by a competition authority in instances where market power may be a factor. As such, ICANN’s framework provides no basis for ICANN to dictate registry pricing policies and practices.
Members of RySG include Public Interest Registry (.org), Neustar (.biz), Afilias (.info, .mobi) and VeriSign (.com, .net). Of the 13 members of RySG, 11 voted in favor of the comments submitted and 2 did not vote.
Meyer says
Here comes another fleecing of domain
owners.
The registries are hiding behind their
organization so they can say
“we (registry) didn’t ask for it but we will
follow Icann’s rules about pricing.”
Initially, it will only apply to ‘new’ tlds
but the ‘old line’ tlds will require the
language in their revised contracts with Icann.
Eventually, it will be a way for the registry
to pull back a premium domain, warehouse it
for a couple years. And then re-auction it
or lease it out yearly.
I wonder what the registry could get for –
World,com USA,com Porn,com Shoppers,com
Banking,org Casino,org Oil,org Local,org
Car,info Drugs,info Cat,info Travel,info
Hotels,us Gas,us Donate,us Loan,us
Naturally, they will pick on the low hanging
fruit which would be domains owned by
domainers. I’m sure they wouldn’t take on
large corporations.
In this way, they can pick and choice.
We are becoming more like sharecroppers
subject to the whims of the land owner.
George Kirikos says
And via the “equitable treatment” clause, if this happened it would affect domain registrants in existing gTLDs. This is deja vu all over again, given they tried to eliminate price caps on the .biz/info/org contracts years ago, which would have allowed for tiered/differential .tv-style pricing. Registrants were outraged then, and they should be outraged now.
Louise says
With the ability of Registrars to buy, sell and trade sponsorships of dot coms and dot nets among themselves through Verisign’s BTAPPA, the little guy with one or two domains around which his business evolves – not just domainers! – will be targeted to be aquired, so that the rates and terms of the Winning Registrar apply.
jp says
Of course they are going to ask for this. No harm
in asking right?
Ridiculous if they get it, and the way thugs are going it seems they could.
If they get it things could get ugly for awhile but alas these market powers they speak of should eventually set things straight after everything is screwed up royally.