Regulating Cybersquatting (Domain Sharks)
1. Currently there are tons of startups out there that found a name, want to start their startup and then they get hold back because a domain shark just bought their name. These sharks then ask a huge amount of money just to annoy everyone out there.
2. .com domains are getting rarer each day and harder to come by. Because of these sharks there a lot of rare domains are out there just to be sold for a ridiculous amount of money, therefor these domains just stay "parked" until they expire again.
3. This Cybersquatting is exactly the same as selling drugs, only this time they sell domains. They pick them up cheap, get addicted to doing it so they keep doing it. With the sole purpose off making money with it. This is completely done in bad faith and does not contribute to this society.
Because of these simple points we are currently looking at a world that is stopping it's own growth. People will not have the chance anymore to "try" a startup idea and will get discouraged because of it. The .com tld and soon the .io tld will also become extinct in the years to come because of the huge growth of the internet and it's domains. Cybersquatting
I think that a possible solution to this would be to let the registrars put limits on the amount of domains you can buy. When buying a domain people should also provide their ID too ensure this limit gets followed.
I posted this here to ask other people's opinion about this matter and hope this gets resolved in the years to come.
2. They've invested money and are sitting on that. Don't you have money in the bank? That money gets invested on other things and that's why you get an interest on it. Why is this something bad? I even might agree with you, but again you fail to show why is this a bad thing at all.
3. That's just plain stupid. What you call cybersquatting is just people buying goods, sitting on them until they've got some more value and then selling them for a profit. It sounds like any other legal business to me.
And the rest of your rant doesn't get any better. Are you seriously stopped because you couldn't get the domain you wanted? Then my advice is to work for someone else, don't even try to start a business if you give up so early for the smallest of the reasons.
1. IMO, a startup who's being held back by a domain shark is already in the wrong mindset and is probably going to fail. Successful startups work with what's available to them and pick up the domain they truly want when they have the capital to do so. Facebook for example, started as thefacebook.com; they purchased facebook.com in 2005 for $200k
2. Yes, .coms are becoming a rarity, but again - free economy; it's all about supply and demand. While .coms may be the ideal domain, it's not like there aren't other completely feasible choices out there. If the .com isn't available, why not .io? .ninja?
3. The drug analogy is incorrect and improper. A better analogy is to think of domains as land. Both are finite in what's usable; and in both cases owners are entitled to deciding what they want to do with the property - whether that's building something, letting it sit there, or selling it for profit.
Don't get mad at people because they thought of your name before you did; accept it as a reality and embrace the practice yourself. A certain founder I know of a publicly traded deals website is sitting on over 100+ domains. Why? The opportunity to use them in the future. I myself am sitting on 20+ for the same exact reason, I recommend you do the same.
As for how exactly domain registration could successfully be regulated for the greater good of society, that is a tricky one. Perhaps a limit on the number of unimproved domains concurrently held by one party would be an effective start. Or perhaps a track record whereby a certain minimum proportion of purchased domains must end up being used legitimately, with a certain allowance for newcomers.
I agree with others that the drug analogy was a poor fit.
> This Cybersquatting is exactly the same as selling drugs
Please, give me a break.
The drugs reference might be a bit overdone, I just want to make a statement here to find a regulation for this.