ICANN Takes a Step Toward Ending Domain Tasting

An anonymous reader writes "For years, domain squatters have exploited an ICANN loophole: whenever a domain name is registered, ICANN collects a 20-cent fee from the registrar. To allow for non-paying customers, the registrar can return it five days later for a full refund. The loophole has let unscrupulous registrars constantly create and refund domain-squatting websites, selling 'what you need when you need it' advertising. The problem has grown so bad that every month the world's top three domain squatters, all located in Miami with the same address and represented by the same lawyer, recycle 11 million domain names. After years of complaints, ICANN has finally begun moving on the problem. On April 17 ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organization voted to make the ICANN 20-cent fee non-refundable. If the ICANN board ratifies this position in June, those top three squatters will be getting a monthly bill for $2.2M. News of the ICANN changes has been applauded by legitimate Internet businesses, tired of having to choose nonsense names because all the good ones have been squatted. ICANN has published an analysis of the economics of ending domain squatting."

Comments

Don't taste me, bro!

[sm62704]

"Is this thing on? Tasting, tasting, 1, 2, 3... SLURP!" -Tommy Smothers, Smothers Brothers LIVE at the Purple Onion

"In a nation-wide taste test, ICAAN's hamburgers were named the best in the country. Tasters said the burger had a certain "je ne sais quoi." In other news, scientists have identified "je ne sais quoi" as a lack of rat feces"
-Misquoted from Alex Fossella

"How does your Domain Taste??" -Digg on domain tasting

"But I don't LIKE spam!" -'Woman' in Monty python skit about the taste of spam.com

"A domain is the place that someone has people who work for them take care of. There's four kinds of domains: Domain of the King, Domain of the [insert name of some kind of Lord of the Rings monster here], Domain of the Public, and Domain of the Name. They have long been sought after by those in positions of power, such as kings or wiki creators. When it comes to domains, it's pretty much like this: in the right hands, everything is peachy. But in the wrong hands, vampires crawl from the bowels of the Earth and feast at our eyeballs." -Uncyclopedia on Domains

"Taste is the Greek god of individual preference. Inbred son of Zeus and Apollo, Taste usually governs endless and pointless debates between retarded entities on internet forums. In sculptures and various other artworks he is depicted wearing a bean flavoured cape and ice-cream shoes, holding a banana-like sceptre." -Uncyclopedia on taste

"Absolute catholicity of taste is not without its dangers. It is only an auctioneer who should admire all schools of art." -Oscar Wilde on taste

"Domain tasting is the practice of a domain name registrant using the five-day "grace period" at the beginning of the registration of an ICANN-regulated second level domain to test the marketability of the domain." - Wikipedia on Domain Tasting

"On the streets these days, a dime bag of kittens costs a pretty penny." - Oscar Wilde on slashdot's Offtopic moderation