auDA complaints tallied in annual report

[FirstPageResults]

Contained within auDA's Annual Report for 2010-11 are some statistics about the number of complaints recieved during that peroid:

auDA recorded only six months of complaints in the 2009-10 financial year and did not publicly disclose the statistics before 2010.

In total, auDA reported 626 formal complaints were received in 2010-11. Of those, 480 were about .au domain names or registrants and the rest were about "industry participants".

Although not an exact comparison, the result was proportionally better than half-year statistics released the prior year.

In those six months to June 2010, auDA saw 368 complaints about domain names or registrants and 120 about "industry issues such as the services provided by registrars or resellers".

http://www.itnews.com.au/News/276539,auda-fields-146-complaints-about-aussie-domain-industry.aspx
http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auDA_Annual_Report_2011_web.pdf


480 complaints directed at registrants in 6 months. What does everyone think of that number?

 

[DomainNames]

Contained within auDA's Annual Report for 2010-11 are some statistics about the number of complaints recieved during that peroid:



http://www.itnews.com.au/News/276539,auda-fields-146-complaints-about-aussie-domain-industry.aspx
http://www.auda.org.au/pdf/auDA_Annual_Report_2011_web.pdf


480 complaints directed at registrants in 6 months. What does everyone think of that number?

Most complaints are sour grapes.. people wanting a name and complaining etc. Also many complainants dont understand the rules etc so they lodge a complaint. To back up this statement numbers show very few complaints ever get to the audrp most are not pursued by auDA and of those less and less go in favour of the complainant... auDRP Panelists have also become more aware of world domain law and rulings it seems and finally respondants are winning their fair share of defences to keep their names.

There are still some registrars with issues. auDA seems fully aware of them and does what it can it seems.

Sometimes it seems over the years the confusion in auDA policy means too many complaints have been lodged by people who may have not understood the rights of the registrant and lets be honest the policy is fairly confusing even now still! far more confusing than when you want to register a .com name.

 

[brettf]

Most complaints are sour grapes.. people wanting a name and complaining etc. Also many complainants dont understand the rules etc so they lodge a complaint. To back up this statement numbers show very few complaints ever get to the audrp most are not pursued by auDA

Umm no.

auDRP is about who has more right under law to hold a domain.

The complaints more likely to be about the eligibility and allocation policy. ie I'm complaining that X doesn't meet the published eligibility criteria. That's not something that will ever go to auDRP. Same for prohibited misspellings etc and a few other policies.

As a registrar we take a handful of complaints a week from auDA (for each registrar we have), which I'm sure that registrants on this forum would know the format of. auDA instructs us to get more info from the registrant by a set date. They review what comes back and make a decision (or if nothing comes back they instruct the domain go into policy delete).

A far more interesting statistic were it to be published, would be the number of policy deletes, broken down by specific policy, versus the gross number of complaints received, versus the gross number of complaints auDA forward to a registrar for further action (against those that aren't actioned at all).

I don't really know about other registrars, but we process quite a few of these - and as Erhan has noted, there is no appeals process, auDA's decision is final.

 

[DavidL]

I would like to see out of those complaint driven policy deletes, how many are then registered by the complainant. I'd imagine this would be high. I've had two complaints this year:

burt.com.au
sydneymagician.net.au

both of which were then registered by the respective complainants. Obviously both these complaints were driven by someone coveting the domain rather than a genuine desire to ensure the integrity of the .au namespace.

This is not what auDA policy is meant to be about is it?

 

[brettf]

This is not what auDA policy is meant to be about is it?

Yes and no. If you weren't eligible to hold them, you you weren't eligible regardless of who made the complaint.

But I take your point that making a complaint on the basis of simply wanting the domain for yourself isn't a great outcome for .au

I've previously proposed to auDA that complaints shouldn't be free. If you want to submit a policy based complaint, then it should cost say $50. That stops the people with nothing better to do than scour the internet looking to make complaints, and for the most part the speculative complaints of what's essentially reverse hijacking under the guise of policy.

 

[neddy]

I've previously proposed to auDA that complaints shouldn't be free. If you want to submit a policy based complaint, then it should cost say $50. That stops the people with nothing better to do than scour the internet looking to make complaints, and for the most part the speculative complaints of what's essentially reverse hijacking under the guise of policy.

That's not a bad idea at all!

I wonder if we will see an increase in complaints once the 6 month rule is abolished?

I know that policy states that domains must not be purchased for the sole purpose of resale, but I imagine there will still be quite a few additional sales
for one reason or another.

 

[Cooper Mills DomainLawyer]

If you want to submit a policy based complaint, then it should cost say $50. That stops the people with nothing better to do than scour the internet looking to make complaints, and for the most part the speculative complaints of what's essentially reverse hijacking under the guise of policy.

I agree Brett - auDA should also provide a registrant with a copy of the complaint and the identity of the complainant. That will stop the scum of the world making malicious and vexatious complaints - as they wont be able to hide behind their keyboards anonymously.

As auDA policy compliance is largely complaint based, these types of measures would enhance confidence in the system by stamping out the frivolous and vexatious complaints.

 

[brettf]

auDA should also provide a registrant with a copy of the complaint and the identity of the complainant.

Yes, absolutely. Registrar should also receive a copy of the original complaint.

 

[DomainNames]

so how and when can the policy and processes be fixed exactly. Why after 10 years managing the .au namespace as auDA ( and past board members and policy panels) not fixed it already?