Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ebay Suspends Phone Number Sales

Posted by timothy on from the all-sixes-would-be-good dept.

wellingt writes "According to the Jackson Sun, the attention brought by the sale of Jenny's famous 867-5309 has led Ebay to evaluate whether or not phone numbers are the property of their owner, and whether they can be sold. Verizon has made the claim otherwise."

2 of 349 comments (clear)

  1. what's the problem eBay? by ghettoboy22 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yes, you do not "own" the number, but what's different here than all the auctions for domain names? You don't "own" the domain - you lease it from the registrars/ICANN/whatever. The phone companies let you transfer phone numbers just like you can transfer a domain, so what's the difference?

    Maybe eBay just realized they're losing more in bandwidth charges from being /.'d than they'd make in commission.

  2. Rights by somethinghollow · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While I think people are clearly renting the phone numbers (if you don't pay the phone company, they take it away and can re-issue it), it seems you own the rights to use that number while paying for it. So, that people can sell "the right to use the number while paying for it" seems fair enough.

    On the other hand, if we look at phone numbers in the same light as domain names (e.g. identifiers to get a query to a place that information can be retrieved), a whole new can of worms is opened. People say they own a domain name, but it may be more like renting than owning outright. Same as with phone numbers. If you don't pay the fee every year, it is taken away and can be re-issued to someone else.

    The only thing that throws the analogy is that there are certain numbers "given" to the phone companies, if I understand correctly, whereas domains, the company has no claim to the letters.