Slashdot Mirror
Ron Paul Asks UN For Help Geting Control of RonPaul.com Domain From Fans
First time accepted submitter thoughtfulbloke writes "Ron Paul has gone to the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization to seize control of the RonPaul.com domain from the fans that built it up, rather than purchase it. From the article: 'The proprietors of RonPaul.com say they reached out to the retired politicain and offered him RonPaul.org as a free gift, but if he "insisted" on owning RonPaul.com then they would sell it to him. There was a catch, though. It would be part of a "liberty package" with the site's 170,000 person mailing list for... wait for it... $250,000. They think the price is totally worth it: '"
There was a catch, though. It would be part of a "liberty package" with the site's 170,000 person mailing list for... wait for it... $250,000. They think the price is totally worth it
That's the funny thing about Capitalism ... wait for it ... the market decides what the price should be. And right now, they have a very unique piece of property that will cost whatever they want to sell it for because they ... wait for it ... own it! But, you know, let's clamor and argue for the defunding and dissolution of the UN right up until it benefits us personally. This is a very surprising and disappointing action from Paul -- a politician who once rarely (if ever) contradicted himself.
From the horse's mouth:
We must stop special interests from violating property rights and literally driving families from their homes, farms and ranches. Today, we face a new threat of widespread eminent domain actions as a result of powerful interests who want to build a NAFTA superhighway through the United States from Mexico to Canada.
We also face another danger in regulatory takings: Through excess regulation, governments deprive property owners of significant value and use of their properties – all without paying ”just compensation.”
Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society. Without the right to own a printing press, for example, freedom of the press becomes meaningless. Congress must work to get federal agencies out of these schemes to deny property owners their constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property.
Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society unless the property we're talking about are domain names that you feel are yours, right Senator Paul?
My work here is dung.
They're all for "free market" economics until it actually impacts them personally. Then suddenly they want government intervention and special treatment.
What a hypocrite.
Beta sux! Join the Slashcott! http://hardware.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=4760465&cid=46173047
I actually liked Ron Paul right up to the point of reading this. Anyone who preaches smaller government, less control, more personal freedom, and a truly free economy and does this...Well that person is a hypocritical 2 faced..politician.
You have 170,000 people that are known suckers. Hell you would probably have a hit rate of 40-50% on even a 419 scam with those people.
Whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles.
-Ayn Rand
[ regardless, she is still a horses ass ]
Where does RuPaul fit in this family? Older brother/sister to Rand? ;)
Property rights are the foundation of all rights in a free society unless the property we're talking about are domain names that you feel are yours
I think this is unintentionally very funny because the domain name is his name, which is presumably his property. Now if he was trying to steal "campaignforliberty.com" that would be an interesting argument assuming they weren't just domain squatters who registered well after the PR campaign started.
If there is a lesson, don't start up a 3rd party site with a name consisting of nothing but the 1st party name. Even "unofficialsupportforronpaul.com" would have been more morally justifiable than just taking the dude's name and slapping a dotcom on the end.
So you're saying there's only one person named Ron Paul in the entire world?
Fans: I dont see your name on.... ... ..oh.
The irony is thick in Ron Paul going to the UN for anything. Personally I feel he should probably get the domain but everything in it is the property of those who Built It, so he should get a domain with no mailing list and no content.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Let's put politics aside for a bit. Why should _THIS_ particular Ron Paul be allowed to "claim" ronpaul.com over some other person named Ron Paul. That combination of first and last name is not unique (http://howmanyofme.com/people/Ron_Paul/). Why should one person have a stronger claim to a domain name simply because they are more recognized by the public? I could understand the fight for MyBusinessName.com if your business is named MyBusinessName and said name is not some generic word/phrase. But whether it's Ron Paul or Michael Jordan or Joe Schmoe, I just don't see how it would be fair to all the other Ron Paul, Michael Jordan, or Joe Shmoe people.
This is ironic.
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
With friends like that who needs enemies.
This is nothing but a $250,000 shakedown by his alleged "supporters".
"Back in 2007 we put our lives on hold for you, Ron, and we invested close to 10,000 hours of tears, sweat and hard work into this site at great personal sacrifice."(emphasis mine).
They are actually quite honest: they invested in him(after all, altruism would have been unethical), and now they want their ROI. This isn't a 'friendship' thing, this is a 'VCs fighting with their start-up's CEO over stock options' thing.
He needs to control his brand, and to own it outright. Thus, he benefits not only from having ownership, but having his legal right made clear.
Of course he benefits from having ownership...but that doesn't necessarily give him the right to take it away from the current owners. They bought the domain name, they built the site, they generated the traffic, and now he wants it arbitrarily transferred to him? That doesn't seem right.
Please. 250K, for over 4 years of effort by multiple people is hardly 'shakedown' levels. They built something themselves and would like some compensation to turn it over.
People in cars cause accidents....accidents in cars cause people
It would be foolish to judge the truths a man believes in by the apparent weakness or hypocrisy of that man.
If a man claimed monogamy in marriage was good for society, but due to his own moral failure, had multiple partners, would we then conclude that adultery was best for all men?
It would be best that we use our minds and experience to find truth and not look for the man who looks the best to decide what truth is best for us. Otherwise, we will just be sheep for the media to direct.
"With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone."
A Libertarian refusing to pay the price borne by the market and instead appealing to regulators, no less than the villainous UNITED NATIONS, for an intervention? How can he not see that this lays waste to his entire political philosophy?
(%i1) factor(777353);
(%o1) 777353
No, first because the issue wasn't bare "names" but Microsoft asserting its right to its trademark within the commercial domain (computer software) to which that trademark applies. Trademarks are names, but not all names are trademarks.
But more importantly, Microsoft didn't win the case, they reached an out of court settlement where they paid the high school student for the domain name with a combination of cash covering all of his expenses related to building the domain and a variety of other goods and services.
For example
So the UN is trying to destroy the US. This is not alarmist, simple the facts
If we follow the UN, we are not being faithful to the constitution of the US
Even if the UN says the domain is his, the UN has no legal authority to make it his, at least in the US.
So by going to the UN, he might as well be asking Al Qaeda for help. He is hob nobbing with terrorist who are against America.
Ron Paul is the worst kind of Texas Politicians. He will do whatever his friends want, no matter what it does to the budget. His friends wanted a million dollar bus stop so he gave it to them. His friends wanted a million dollar game room so their kids could play video games instead of train for the military like they promised, so he gave it them. His fishing buddies wanted the government to pay to advertise their seafood products, so, you guessed it, he passed a billed transferring tax money directly into their pockets. And of course when the nuclear energy lobby come a courtin', he is there to give them as much as they want, even though Texas ratepayers end up paying for everything all over again.
As far as the free market, instead of letting firms decide what infrastructure is best for them, he mandates from washington what they need. He spent 2.5 redeveloping one the small towns in his district, instead of letting the free market decide if it was vialble. He spent 8 million redeveloping fishing pier instead of letting private firms take the risk and reap the reward. He spent 18 million on commercial waterways, instead of letting the private sector decide and pay for what it needed. And of course I believe an empty terminal for cruise lines is in his district.
The reality is that if he were not such a crackpot none of this would matter. Just like everyone else he greedy and does not want to pay a reasonable price for property he considers to be already his. But he is a person who has used extreme language to win election and raise funds, over $40 million in 2012. That he would now validate the authority of UN is quite troubling.
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black