Bill probably meant to regulate .uk but could ensnare .tel.
A bill introduced in the United Kingdom Parliament would have potentially adverse effects on domain name registries operating out of the United Kingdom.
The Digital Economy Bill includes clauses that would allow the government to essentially nationalize a domain name registry that met certain qualifications of “failing”. Although the bill was probably meant to target .uk registry Nominet, it was written broadly enough to ensnare any other registry operating out of Britain, including .Tel registry Telnic.
A fact sheet from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the department responsible for the Digital Economy Bill, explains its rationale for adding oversight to the domain name registry Nominet:
The domain name system is a crucial element in the Internet economy. It is the addressing system for the Internet. For years, the domain name industry in the UK has been self-regulated and this has largely worked well. However, there have been reported abuses of the domain name system in the UK, largely regarding the .uk country code Top Level Domain, such as cybersquatting (registering and occupying a domain name that might reasonably belong to somebody else in the hope of making a profit when selling that address), drop-catching (waiting for ownership of a domain name to expire and quickly re-registering it, sometimes before the current owner realises it), pressure sales of domain names, domain names used for phishing and distributing malware, and instances where foreign owned (and hosted) web sites with a .uk domain name dupe people into believing they are British.
Consumers and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises are particularly vulnerable. Also, following disruptions at Board level at Nominet (the .uk registry), the Government has publicly questioned how Nominet’s present constitution and structure could protect the interests of all of its stakeholders in different possible
scenarios.
Although it’s clear the intent is to exert control over Nominet, the wording would also apply to Telnic.
Clause 2, section 18-20 defines how the government could insert a new board and effectively take control of a “failed” registry under the bill’s definition.
George Kirikos says
I think you meant “nationalize”, instead of “privatize.”
Andrew Allemann says
You’re correct, George. Thanks
Ace says
This seems a bit scary. I think the UK government has cast a wide net in hope of preventing anyone from making money out domaining.
jp says
So what’s wrong with drop catching (in general) sounds like sore loser syndrome.
Andrew Allemann says
jp – I did notice that. UK gov’t seems to think buying expired domains is wrong.
Andy Chantrill says
I draw your attention to Telnic’s official response to the Bill:
http://prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=272545
It beggars belief.
Adam Strong says
OK so what happens to expired domains then if buying them is wrong? Maybe they should they just be “retired” forever or better yet why don’t we just let the registrars hoard them like they are already.
Marg says
What do they mean by this? “registering and occupying a domain name that might reasonably belong to somebody else”? Who decides who names might or might not “belong” to? If that name “belonged” to someone else, why didn’t they register it in the first place?
The only part of this announcement I have any sympathy with, is the stated wish not to have innocent UK citizens suckered into thinking a site is UK-based when it is not. If that is a genuine concern, then surely this can be alleviated by residency requirements to register co.uk domains.
pitbullstew says
I keep thinking about the lines in Black Cross…
“You don’t b’lieve nothin’,” roared the white man’s preacher.
“Oh yes Ah does,” said old Hezikiah,
“Ah b’lieve that a man’s beholden to his neighbahs
Widout de hope of Heaven or de fear o’ hell’s fiah.”
There’s a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked…
They hung Hezikiah as high as a pidgeon,
And the nice folks around said, “He had it comin’
‘Cause the son-of-a-bitch didn’t have no religion!”
And how in domaining there are lots of off color business going on and in place of religion as referenced above?
We substitute it with law when it comes to the out of control conduct we know is going on?
To be sure this represents a new age revenue source for gvt, the jig is up.
Pay the piper.
chandan says
may be they want to auction expired domains soon after seeing responses :p
stu says
Ahh ther good old corupt U.K goverment back again,lets just hope there is a revolution sooner rather than later.
Ed says
The bill is worse than that. It allows the government to take over and regulate any ISP which offers domain name services. Read it carefully.