The rules that apply to physical property don't have to apply here; domain space that isn't being used isn't the same as unused land unless we can't figure out some more intelligent way to make use of the thought space that the internet represents. Admittedly, this is a optomistic view of how the net could be. Now that control of the net is moving to the courts it is probably doomed anyway; property rights have a lot of intellectual inertia in this culture.
That having been said, I am not neccesarily opposed to ownership of domains for the purpose of selling them, althought it would be nice if folks that had domains for this purpose could hold onto them in an undeveloped state (pointing to a coming soon page or whatever) for a limited amount of time. There is nothing worse than seeing a good domain name that you have a cool idea for sit around waiting for a $10,000 check.
Slashdot Mirror
The rules that apply to physical property don't have to apply here; domain space that isn't being used isn't the same as unused land unless we can't figure out some more intelligent way to make use of the thought space that the internet represents.
Admittedly, this is a optomistic view of how the net could be. Now that control of the net is moving to the courts it is probably doomed anyway; property rights have a lot of intellectual inertia in this culture.
That having been said, I am not neccesarily opposed to ownership of domains for the purpose of selling them, althought it would be nice if folks that had domains for this purpose could hold onto them in an undeveloped state (pointing to a coming soon page or whatever) for a limited amount of time. There is nothing worse than seeing a good domain name that you have a cool idea for sit around waiting for a $10,000 check.