Uniregistry (the registrar) will roll out to the public on Monday.
Frank Schilling’s domain name registrar Uniregistry is due to launch this week (likely Monday) and Domain Name Wire took an early look over the weekend.
Although officially named Uniregistrar with ICANN, the registrar will be known as Uniregistry to customers. That’s the same name as the registry that Schilling is using to offer potentially dozens of new top level domain names. The registrar will operate at Uniregistry.com and the registry will move to Uniregistry.link.
Year after year when I run the Domain Name Wire survey, domain name owners consistently rank security and price as the two most important considerations they make when choosing a registrar.
It’s difficult to judge a registrar’s back end security, but on the front end Uniregistry has what I consider is a must for registrars these days: two-factor authentication.
Uniregistry’s two-factor authentication uses existing authentication apps. You don’t have to wait for a text message code or download a new app to get your single use codes. I was able to use my existing Google Authenticator app that I used to access Gmail to access Uniregistry as well:
That’s convenient.
On the price side, it remains to be seen how competitive Uniregistry is. The list price for .com is $12.88 per year, which is more than what most domainers pay their registrar. However, it’s in line with what most domain registrars advertise to their typical customer.
Schilling told Domain Name Wire that bulk and domain industry professionals will be able to register domains a “market rates”.
Domain registrations will also come with free privacy offered by privacy.link.
There’s one other key feature that domain investors consider when choosing a registrar that I haven’t included on my survey in the past: integration with domain name sales channels.
Schilling says that Uniregistry will connect with his own sales platform DomainNameSales.com shortly after launch. He’s working on GoDaddy/Afternic and Sedo as well, but indicated that might be a longer process.
Uniregistry will also offer easy Gmail integration and forwarding to social media sites. These are features targeted to non-techies. Schilling has been evangelizing the need to make using a domain name dead-simple, and these features seem targeted to this goal. The simplicity of Uniregistry reminds me a lot of Tucows’ Hover.
Will domainers flock to Uniregistry? My guess is not at first. Registrar services are not sticky, but they’re stickier than domain parking and sales. There are switching costs in both time and money to move your domain portfolio to a different registrar.
While Uniregistry has the requisite features at launch, it is missing some of the features I’ve come to appreciate at other registrars. Uniregistry can certainly win over people like me, but I’ll personally take a wait-and-see approach until the registrar beefs up its domainer-centric offerings including sales distribution.
Frank Schilling says
Would love to hear what features you think are missing. Thanks sincerely.
Andrew Allemann says
Hi Frank,
My main one is sales distribution. While I use your DNS service, I also list most of my domains with fixed prices on GoDaddy Premium and Afternic. That’s key to my business, although everyone has a different model and needs.
cybertonic says
Andrew,
I am not sure this is a feature registrars must have. If you want to list your domains in a specific marketplace than visit it and submit your domains there.
There are dozen of domain marketplaces (each one with his own specificity and interest), why Uniregistry should have a gateway to list domains at Afternic. It’s not the job of a registar to do that, and I will be certainly jaleous to see Frank adding a gateway to Afternic and not add one to CAX for example.
I tried the new registrar and found all the basic features one may expect from a registrar are present and are easy of use. You can for sure add more options but is not the main idea to offer something different than your daddy’s registrar?
The site is fast and simple and go to the point.
Andrew Allemann says
Francois, I’m referring to the syndicated sales listings. If I list a domain on Afternic’s extended network then it shows up whenever someone searches for the domain at GoDaddy, NetSol, etc. It shows up right in the registration path and people can buy it in their shopping cart.
This is mostly important to people that list and sell their domains at fixed prices. That might not apply to you, in which case this wouldn’t be a feature you’re looking for. I know a handful of people that keep all of their domains at GoDaddy just to access the sales network there.
cybertonic says
Andrew,
Not sure to understand, you don’t need to have your names registered in a specific registrar to can use Afternic, no?
So what is the relationship with Uniregistry then?
Andrew Allemann says
In order to sell your domains through Afternic’s biggest network with “fast transfer” (in which domains can be instantly purchased and transferred to the buyer) you have to use one of the registrars in the network. There’s a bit of integration between Afternic and the registrar in order to make it work.
HowieCrosby says
I agree Andrew, for me, the premium auction/fixed is a very beneficial reason I am with GD.
HowieCrosby says
“Would love to hear what features you think are missing. Thanks sincerely”
Hi Frank, not sure whether you’re implementing an auctions service at anytime? but I think this could work for your company.
Doug Mehus says
It might be nice to see you start offering ccTLD registrations. Have you thought of forming essentially wholly-owned, non-operating subsidiaries (i.e., Uniregistrar Canada Corp. for .ca) to offer certain popular ccTLD registrations?
That’s one key thing missing, for those looking to consolidate their portfolios.
Tommy says
$12.88 no domainer can afford this, any idea what the discount price is?
Andrew Allemann says
He said market prices, which for most people would mean under $10. Not sure how the free privacy weighs in the equation. Although we all think of privacy services as being easy for a registrar, they actually end up costing the registrar a bit fielding legal complaints.
S says
Congrat’s to Frank. Will the registry be based out of the Cayman’s? That may be a good reason to move premium names there. If you make a sale then you may be able to keep the funds there?? If they can get the reg fees under $9 each with the free privacy for say more than 100 names I think many will transfer.
HowieCrosby says
I wonder if they are going to offer an auction service at any point?
Joe Esquir says
We are excited over at (removed link)
Always been huge Frank Schilling /uniregistry fans.
Ryan says
Shameless plug, have some class before you start spamming comments of someones blog namecrotch
milan says
still looking for basel.tattoo -.-
SadBeerStories says
didn’t receive a newsletter from uni telling us about the site … disapponiting
Andrew Allemann says
It’s not live yet.
Kassey says
“The registrar will operate at Uniregistry.com and the registry will move to Uniregistry.link.” Sorry, I don’t understand why Uniregistrar is using Uniregistry.com when Uniregistrar.com is live right now. Is Frank going to consolidate all registry and registrar functions on Uniregistry.com?
Any point is, in this virtual world, is there still a need for a middleman (registrar) when consumers can go directly to the registry (if it can provide the same registrar functions)? Will a major player come in and offer a one-stop solution managing the whole life cycle of registering name and developing website?
Andrew Allemann says
” in this virtual world, is there still a need for a middleman (registrar) when consumers can go directly to the registry (if it can provide the same registrar functions)?”
That’s what is happening here. Technically if you go to Uniregistry as your registrar for a Uniregistry domain such as .sexy, you’re “cutting out the middleman”. You still need to register through the registrar, but the company is owned by the registry.
John Berryhill says
” is there still a need for a middleman (registrar) when consumers can go directly to the registry”
One could ask if there is a need for supermarkets, when consumers can go directly to a bakery, a dairy, and a butcher to buy bread, milk, and meat. The answer is that consumers prefer the convenience of going to one place to buy those three things, unless they are looking for a specialty item which is not generally in supermarkets.
There are two different views of the situation here. While you are likely to hear “the end of registrars” from a good many registries, the increase in the number of registries almost guarantees a market role for registrars which can offer a selection of TLD’s available from different registries. The registries are required to provide equal terms of access to all registrars who choose to be accredited for the various TLDs, so it is not as if a registry can lock out any registrar who wants to carry a TLD on the same terms as any other registrar, including one in which the registry has an ownership interest.
Nat Cohen says
One question is what, if any, laws there are in the Caymans related to domain names. Under the UDRP, the agreed jurisdiction where the domain owner can file to contest a bad transfer order is where the registrar is located.
Domain owners can’t rely on UDRP panels to always produce a fair result. We need to be able to file in court as a backup plan if the UDRP panel issues a bad decision. Under the ACPA, the US has a well-developed case history. In some countries – apparently Australia is one – there are no laws on the books that enable a domain owner to file to overturn a bad UDRP decision.
It would be helpful to hear from Frank what the legal situation is in the Caymans.
John Berryhill says
Nat, as you know, Name Administration Inc. has registered its domain names exclusively through Cayman-based iRegistry.com for quite some time and has had occasion to proceed through preliminary stages of litigation there. So if the question is “can you file”, there is at least one instance of which I am directly aware. And, yes, Name Administration Inc. will likely be moving its domains to Uniregistrar d/b/a Uniregistry
Nat Cohen says
John – thanks for the reply.
John Berryhill says
I should also note that the UDRP permits the Complainant to choose between the jurisdiction of the registrar or the registrant. Now, the Complainant may make a strategic decision to choose the registrar’s jurisdiction if the Complainant believes the registrant may be less likely to pursue litigation there. The balancing consideration for the Complainant is, in the event the registrant does pursue litigation in the chosen UDRP Mutual Jurisdiction, whether or not the Complainant would want to litigate there, even if that is seen as an unlikely course of events.
Since Name Administration and iRegistry.com are both located in the same jurisdiction, I do not know whether, say, a US Complainant proceeding against a US Respondent would be more, or less, likely to choose Cayman as the Mutual Jurisdiction. As you might expect from its prominence in the financial industry, and from the local economic importance of resort real estate development, Cayman is not some sort of “file and forget it” jurisdiction in relation to moving a docket forward.
Nat Cohen says
John – isn’t it the registrant’s choice where to file in an attempt to overturn a UDRP transfer decision? Since the Complainant consents to accepting Mutual Jurisdiction in the jurisdiction of the registrar when it files a UDRP complaint, the registrant does not have to worry about a legal battle over appropriate jurisdiction if it files in the registrar’s jurisdiction when the registrant seeks to overturn a UDRP transfer decision – which would be Cayman for Uniregistry.
John Berryhill says
@Nat “John – isn’t it the registrant’s choice where to file in an attempt to overturn a UDRP transfer decision?”
The simple answer is “no”. The UDRP requires the complainant to admit to jurisdiction in one of (a) the registrar’s location, or (b) the registrant’s location.
The point was to provide at least one jurisdiction to which the complainant has admitted, and which can reasonably be considered to have been chosen by the registrant, since the registrant (a) has chosen the registrar and (b) is located wherever the registrant is located.
The more complicated answer is more complicated. For example, consider a situation in which a complainant has chosen the registrant’s jurisdiction, but the registrant obtains an injunction in the registrar’s jurisdiction against that registrar transferring the domain name.
Is the registrar going to violate an injunction from their local court by transferring the domain name? Probably not.
Is ICANN going to lean on the registrar to transfer the domain name, because the injunction did not issue from the specified Mutual Jurisdiction? Probably.
Unfortunately, the principle behind the Mutual Jurisdiction provision of the UDRP – i.e. that there be at least one jurisdiction available to the registrant – is completely lost on folks who believe that it somehow disqualifies any other court with competent jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter.
But, again, the simple answer is that the UDRP requires the complainant to admit to one of those two choices.
Sidney Downs says
Is it in yet?