http://forum.icann.org/lists/raa-consultation/

I’m baffled that more domainers are not chiming in on this, all it takes a 2 minute email to raa-consultation@icann.org to potentially put an end to this garbage.

People screamed about the 60 day rule, and ICANN put an end to it, so don’t think that they won’t respond given enough public outcry.

I for one appreciate all of your reporting on this situation.

Now if we can get more people to express their outrage to ICANN maybe something will change.

Jamie Zoch
DotWeekly.com

I respectfully request that ICANN fulfill its obligations under the RAA section 2.3.2:

2.3.2 not unreasonably restrain competition and to the extent feasible promote and encourage robust competition

Registrar Tucows Inc. is currently in violation of the RAA sections 3.7.5 and 3.7.9

By their own admission they are appropriating for their own portfolio 6000 to 8000 expired names PER MONTH instead of cancelling them and releasing them to the available pool as specified in section 3.7.5 of the RAA.

The link below is a transcript of a Tucows Inc. investor conference call with their CEO/President Elliot Noss in which he states:

“We believe we are one of the leading portfolios in the world. Please remember we pick up 6000 to 8000 more names each month from expiring domains. We made the decision two years ago to acquire expiring names that we believe add value.”

http://seekingalpha.com/article/63693-tucows-inc-q4-2007-earnings-call-transcriptsource=yahoo&page=-1

Further, they are engaged in Warehousing and Speculation as prohibited by section 3.7.9 of the RAA

For further evidence see this comment by Tucows Domain Portfolio General Manager, Bill Sweetman:

Q. Does being a registrar give you the right to keep domains that its customers fail to renew?
A. Yes.

Full context here:
http://namebio.com/NameBioBlog/2008/04/17/tucows-admits-to-warehousing-domains/

ICANN recently passed a resolution designed to discourage domain tasting but Tucows Inc. is not only engaged in tasting expired names they are then appropriating the most profitable and valuable expired names for their portfolio instead of cancelling them and releasing them to the available pool as specified in the RAA.

Presumably they are paying ICANN .20 per name for these extremely valuable assets and thats their entire cost for the domain name in perpetuity since they are their own Registrar.

This is clearly a fox in charge of the henhouse scenario which is anti-competitive, unethical, and grossly unfair to both other registrars which are abiding by the terms of the RAA and the general public. Registrars are duly compensated for their efforts by registration fees, to allow them to speculate in the resource they are charged with managing is a breach of ICANN’s mandate under section 2.3.2.

Please perform your enforcement role with regard to the RAA by forcing these unethical Registrars to cease this anti-competitive activity immediately, and return ill-gotten names to the available pool.

Thank You,

Patrick Quinn

InterNIC Complainant Form

http://reports.internic.net/cgi/registrars/problem-report.cgi

“By completing this form, Internet users can initiate help from ICANN’s Support Services in filing a grievance concerning a nonresponsive registrar or about enforcement of an alleged violation of the terms listed in the Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA). ”

I believe that Tucows is clearly violating the current RAA. We should all let ICANN know that they should hold Tucows to the terms of the RAA regarding Warehousing and Speculating (3.7.9) and Cancelling Expired Names (3.7.5).

Saw your post.

Good job

Registrars can own all the domains they want.They have to do you like or me go out and buy them.

They cannot however just take the expired domains from their customers.

Domain names should NOT be allowed to be stored by a particular accredited register as they do NOT belong to them.

Including their branded domain names, I guess? What if they have products or services to launch as well?

However, I do agree whoever is interested in this ought to speak up.

argh – it went through with html formatting.

Hopefully they’ll remove that and post the version I just sent without formatting.

Anyway… Now’s the time to speak up folks!

If you derive any income from domaining, and particularly if you’re bidding on dropped names – this sleazy, unfair practice is hurting YOU.