ICANN complaint - about domain tasting and auctions

[modartis]

I wanted to pick up a domain name which was being deleted so I ended up reading through this and other forums. I back ordered the domain through the biggies; snapnames, pool, club drop.

The domain is now in an auction.

The whole process has left a bad taste in my mouth. It seems nuts that a company like snapnames can get a domain for free (for five days) and then auction it pocketing $172,000 (dreamlife.com).

Domain tasters are 'juggling' hundreds of thousands of domains in free five day periods.

It seems like the system is broken as far as the public interest goes. Does anyone know if ICANN are doing anything about it?

[Dave Zan]

Do you mean the domain name was in pending delete, then got released, then
it got caught by SnapNames? If yes, then they did what they're expected to
do by their customers.

On the side, ICANN has a task force working on the issue. But even if they do
come up with specific guidelines addressing this, it's not going to stop some of
them from still being able to carry out what they want (although it might be a
bit more limited and costly).

As far as public interest, that depends on what public interest is being talked
about here. It's not just end users like you and me as many want to believe.

[modartis]

ICANN are so ineffective that I wonder if they are taking kickbacks (bribes). Aside from believing that an idiocracy reigns in ICANN I can't see any other explanation than corruption for them allowing snapnames et al to prejudice individual internet user’s interests.

[Dave Zan]

The reason SnapNames exists is because many people wanted a service to do
exactly what they do: try to capture a domain name before someone beats
them to it. Even if they're forced out of business (which is highly unlikely), it's
not going to stop others from developing their own automated solutions and
still beat you to the punch.

That's something neither ICANN nor any force on earth can stop...unless you
can hunt down each and every one of those people who try that.

[modartis]

It would be better for ICANN to introduce a transparrent process for selling or auctioning expiring domains. At least we would know what is going on.

[mplswifi]

I found that out when i wanted to try to reg a name soon to be dropped then saw that one of the "good guys-lol" had it up for auction. It also left a really bad taste... Maybe strilke a deal with ICANN? Do as they do maybe. I think it really stinks!

[Dave Zan]

It would be better for ICANN to introduce a transparrent process for selling or auctioning expiring domains. At least we would know what is going on.

Define transparency.

Show who are bidding on the domain name in real time?

Display their IP addresses and locations? (which potentially infringe on privacy
concerns...)

Able to determine which 2 users or so are bidding for this entity? (and who's
gonna bother checking them out?)

Good luck working out the devil in the details. :p

[kohashi]

Im guessing the bad taste is because he couldnt afford it...

[tobycoke]

Nothing wrong with drop services but a small re-stock fee would help limit the other issue of domain tasting.