I can buy a .com for a little under $AU 20 a year. That system works 
fine so why should I pay $AU 50 (plus GST)

Perhaps we should think about that one a little. Underlying causes, 
smoke screens etc......

A few opinions:

* The current thread seems to support more hand holding for the poor 
uneducated public.

* Domains are what ever you want to make of them. For profit or 
pleasure wright or wrong. Be it for ego email addresses 
matthew§king.com.au for instance ;-) or obvious services like 
insurance.com.au

* If you got the cash and you want something bad enough you buy it. 
Be it a fast car or a cold drink on a hot day. Domains should be no 
different.

I saw a T shirt the other day that could be adapted (some US Marine 
copy I think)

Sell em all
let Cash sort them out

* But there is no hard or fast rule nor should there be.

* As to trade marks what an exercise in futility. Are we talking 
Australian trade marks or US or EU.  Do we give US companies with 
expansive legal resources the right to claim trade makes on US 
products for instance.

Plus what about existing rights?

I will take my last name for instance.

1 We have been called King (an old Scottish name it seems) for ever.
2 I also sell things under my name as a sole trader so I have a 
technical right to this domain.
3 Plus I got in early '-)

So there are three very good reasons that I have "a right" to this 
domain (the latter should be enough in my book by the way). Does some 
companies trade mark (or derivative to complicate things) have a 
better right to it? Mels cry in Brave Heart sums it up for me on that 
one.

* Also

All rules you try to impose on allocation will be subjective unless 
it is graven in stone ie you can not have a .au domain name if it can 
be linked to a post code for instance. Because strange things WILL 
happen which are unfair and possible ethically questionable.

* Why can't adults buy naughty words (morality police anyone)?

* All this talk of regulation.... Don't people who constantly grumble 
about this have better things to do. Like actually supervising their 
kids on-line activities or TV watching instead of trying to tell 
other adults how to run their businesses or what gets their little 
boat going...

IT SEEMS THAT THE LINE OF INCREASED REGULATION ONLY PROFITS EXISTING 
COMPANIES THAT JUSTIFY CHARGING A PREMIUM FOR DOMAINS.

Again

I can buy a .com for a little under $AU 20 a year. That system works 
fine so why should I pay $AU 50 (plus GST)

Oh but I can't buy a .au per year can I? Gee why is that???

Matthew King

(Have had a %$%#^^## of a day which may explain the forceful opinions somewhat)


>There has been alot of discussion in the group about the rights and wrongs
>of acquiring domain names.
>
>What seems to have been neglected is the real purpose of domain names. This
>is for "end users" to locate information via the web. The success of the
>"end users" doing this will provide the real value to domain names. If there
>are alot of cyber squatting and descriptive domain names out there, the
>value of domain names will be diminished as end users are turned off.
>
>To ensure that the needs of end users are address, I would suggest that the
>auDA draft a "Users Guide" to DNS which explains how to use DNS to find the
>service / company they want.
>
>This should be workshopped until we have a scheme that will really meet the
>end user need.
>
>Some suggests:
>
>1. No domain name should be able to registered where the name is a trade
>mark (no maker the punctuation) by a party other than the trade mark holder.
>This is regardless of whether the trade mark holder has registered a domain
>name.
>
>2. High level domains that represent trade mark categories (or some morphing
>) can be used to better target requests - eg coke.bev.au where bev is for
>beverages, holden.auto.au. One could argue that the .com.au domain should be
>phased out.
>
>3. No descriptive domains should not be allowed except for directory
>services authorised by auDA. For example: cars.au should point to a
>directory service where car dealers and manufacturers can be listed. This
>can be refined geographically - cars.nsw.au, cars.sydney.nsw.au. Industry
>associations could run these directories or departments of finance or
>industry in the government space. The directory "portals" would need to be
>regulated in some way.
>
>(Trademarks can not be registered for descriptive names. The descriptions
>must be misspelt)
>
>4. There should be a well known service "tree" for government and utility
>services - power.vic.au should be a directory of power utilities in
>Victoria. roads.nsw.au should point to RTA in NSW, roads.qld.au should point
>to Department Of Main Roads in Queensland.
>
>The "user guide" could be published and taught in schools.
>
>
>Note:
>The principle with trade marks is to ensure that there is not "confusion in
>the market place". In other words that a Holden is a Holden is a Holden if
>it is a car. There can be another Holden that is not a car that doesn't have
>to be General Motors Holden. But if its a car, Holden should refer to
>General Motors Holden. If it has to do with cars, the domains "gmh" and
>"holden" should be protected regardless of whether GMH has registered the
>domains. Although requiring a registered business name works part of the way
>to this, it is NOT equivalent.
>
>The trade mark principle should be apply to domain names.