Domain Squatting? Should it be legal?

[Matt]

I have a good question, should domain squating be legal? Domain squatting is when a company buys good domain names that people WILL want to register and holding them hostage until someone wants to buy it. Sometimes domains that are squatted go for thousands of dollars.

Should this activity be legal? Whats your view?

 

[Akkarin]

Yes I do think this should be illegal, as you are not doing anything useful with it whilst the person who wants it would put it to much better use.

But how would it be regulated?

 

[Matt]

ICANN could start fining squatters, but probably only if there is a bill/ law passed that would let them fine the squatters.

I should get a trademark, so that i can legally get http://ehumor.com

Right now you must have a trademark to get someone to stop squatting.

 

[Wai_Wai]

It is a rip-off.
I think it should be legalised.

As to how to regulate, it can do in similar ways.
Take me as an example, it is illegal to participate in arbitrage, ie buy tickets (eg football tickets) and resell it at a high price. You will break the law if you are selling domain names at higher prices.
There are ways to regulate this altohugh you may say it may not be effective.

One problem is domain sales are worldwide while laws are localized.

 

[chitwa]

Basically, Its selfish for someone to just sit on domain names. However, Who said you simply have to have a certain name? what if someone else was using it? Won't you have to get another? If we all were a bit creative in naming, the domain squatters would simply fizzle out.

 

[saachi]

I think it should only be illegal to buy a domain with the intent to sell on profit if a trademark existed before you purchased the domain.

 

[Alejandro]

Yes, i think the same, they shoul be illegal, but if they buy the domain, what can someone do about it. Besides, they're sold in very very high prices, this isn't fair.

 

[Brandon]

True, but you are very lucky to get the domain you have now!

 

[Matthews255]

whats with HUNDREDS of domains that have this strange search page in them

Like I like Killing monkeys.com

Search the web.

It just dont go.

 

[elite1percent]

No I dont think it should. People patent things all the time just so they can sell rights to use it when someone finds a use for it. Just more people are likely to start a website than to invent something so people don't complain about patents. Reguardless in the matrial world its ok so in cyber world its ok.

 

[randomtr]

Squatting Domains should be illegal everywhere around the world! It is not fair to people who wnat to use domains. People who do squat should be fined!

 

[dsfreak]

I think it should be illegal. It is stupid and wrong. They are only using it to make money off "popular" names, which is wrong. It SHOULD be ILLEGAL.

 

[Mikek]

I think it should be illiegal to squat on domains for trademarks, company names, etc

However if the name is not copyrighted or a trademark then its just like people buying a house and selling it for a profit

 

[elite1percent]

Exactly. Plenty of people by realty just to run the price up and resell it. There are families that could of used that house before the price leap. This is a dead issue. This is what makes america what it is. You have the right to think ahead and to buy things because you know someone else will want it and they will pay you for it.

 

[Wai_Wai]

In fact, is it better to free up domain names (with some restrictions)?
Domain names should be made public and allow people to freely choose without any charge.

 

[03moscropl]

i also think it should be banned beacuse i would would like the domain name dragongamer.com but there is a domian Squatting.

 

[Wai_Wai]

i also think it should be banned beacuse i would would like the domain name dragongamer.com but there is a domian Squatting.

How about alternatives like:
dragongamers.com
dragonsgamer.com
dragongame.com
dragongames.com
dragon-gamer.com
and so on

And how about consider other top domain name:
.net, .org, .info, ...
.co.uk, .us...

 

[Wai_Wai]

Actually do you think whether we can have good measures to stop these things (if it is legalised finally)?