[jdcfsu]

How do you acquire those domains that don't really exist but are just a filler page (shown below)? They seem like they are in internet limbo, owned by a registrar but not a person... Anyone have any experience or idea?

[ghoti]

If they're interested in selling them, there's usually contact information at the bottom of the page. But don't think you can get them for cheap, they generate tons of income with their spam links. There's also a domain aftermarket (look at godaddy's websites, for example) where domain names are auctioned off - also for ridiculously high sums, IMHO.

[jdcfsu]

There is no link on the page itself, but I found the registrar through a whois search. The registar that owns the domain charges $30 a year for registration which is nuts. According to whois the domain expires in November. I assume they'll automatically renew it? If not is there any way to pry it out of their hands any other way?

[ghoti]

Only if they use a name that you have a trademark on or where you can somehow show that you should be its owner. It doesn't matter which registrar it is on right now, because you can always transfer it somewhere else once you own it. But they will certainly renew the domain, so forget about waiting for it to expire. I've been watching a domain for over a year now that should have expired, and no luck. It'll be easier and cheaper to just think of something else.

[jdcfsu]

So really, the only option is to purchase the domain from them for their ludicrous $30 and then transfer it to my normal register for next year?

I'm curious as to what you mean by "somehow showing that you should be it's owner." I don't have a trademark but have been using the term as the title of my website since roughly 2002.

[ghoti]

If you think $30 is ludicrous, wait until you see what they actually want to charge you for. If it's only $30, just buy it. But I doubt that's the price to get the domain from them.

ICANN has a domain name dispute resolution policy. I doubt using the title for your website will help you, you have to have documentation and a business interest, IIRC.

[jdcfsu]

Your right. They give you a place to "make an offer" for the domain of at least $200. You can register .net, .org, etc for their $30 price, but .com goes to this auction thing. So basically the whole domain registration business is a racket. Great.

[chucker]

$200 is still very low. A good domain easily goes for tens of thousands.

[PKIDelirium]

I wish it was illegal to sell a domain name for more than what they paid for it in registration...

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by chucker $200 is still very low. A good domain easily goes for tens of thousands.

Are you kidding? No way. Unless Apple forgot to renew apple.com and someone scooped it up, there's no way a domain is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Originally Posted by PKIDelirium I wish it was illegal to sell a domain name for more than what they paid for it in registration...

I'd agree. If you can register a domain for around $9 what makes it worth any more. Especially all these "filler" pages like I threw up above. It obviously doesn't do anything, it's not a common name or anything. I think I'm managed to stumble onto the dark heart of the internet and I don't really like it...

[noleli2]

Originally Posted by PKIDelirium I wish it was illegal to sell a domain name for more than what they paid for it in registration...

I think of it like real estate. You buy a domain like a piece of investment property. Why should that be illegal? My gf's dad makes a killing dealing in 800-numbers. Same idea.

[Ebby]

First, there are anti-cybersquatting laws you should look at. Many places do not have purchase information because that actually works against them in court.

I would say document the use of your name and save everything printed on paper. That is what I have been doing when a cybersquater tracked my DNS query and bought a domain out from under me. (I have been using that name since 1999 and can prove it.) If you want them to pay court costs, you have to own the trademark and that is where I sit right now. Mind you, a lawsuit costs more than $200.

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by Ebby Mind you, a lawsuit costs more than $200.

Yeah, which is why they can charge such stupid prices. The whole thing kind of rubs me the wrong way. I mean, I can see nolei2's point but at the same time I think that the internet is mainly a means of free communication... so it doesn't really work together.

[709]

Originally Posted by jdcfsu Are you kidding? No way. Unless Apple forgot to renew apple.com and someone scooped it up, there's no way a domain is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

business.com

1997: $150,000.00
1999: $7,500,000.00
2007: $345,000,000.00

Obviously they bought a lot more than just the domain name in this last go-round, but it's not uncommon for a domain name (especially the short and sweet ones) to go for big cash. Hell, sex.com went for $14M and even beer.com went for a frothy $7M.

[Wyatt]

Originally Posted by PKIDelirium I wish it was illegal to sell a domain name for more than what they paid for it in registration...

It's an open market, and I think it's fine that way. If someone is dumb enough to pay millions of dollars for a domain, then someone should be able to profit from that.

[ghoti]

In the meantime, millions of great domain names can't be used because some asshole is sitting on them. They can do that pretty much forever, because the costs are minimal and the income from spam links more than pays for the hosting. And like spam (which also costs next to nothing), these squatted domains just ruin the spirit and experience of the web.

Cybersquatters are scum.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by ghoti Cybersquatters are scum.

Indeed. Unfortunately, like many components of the Internet (SMTP anyone?*), the Domain Name System assumes good faith, to use a Wikipedia phrasing. It doesn't take scammers, spammers and other lowlives into account in the least. It would have to be redesigned from scratch to fix that, and that ain't gon' happen.

*) From today's perspective, not double-checking whether a user account actually exists (much less whether it belongs to you) would be considered ludicrous. Imagine a web app that lets you log in with a made-up account! And yet, we do this every single day with e-mail; there are no protocol provisions for validation at all.

[jdcfsu]

Originally Posted by chucker Unfortunately, like many components of the Internet (SMTP anyone?*), the Domain Name System assumes good faith, to use a Wikipedia phrasing.

It's really too bad that all it takes are a handful of people who don't practice "good faith" to make the whole thing an utter disappointment or to bring a bad name/reputation onto something. Likewise it's sad that there isn't any way to prevent such things from happening either.