1st Jul 2018 Drop catching changes

[DomainNames]

From 1st July 2018 there will be the new option of registering / renewing names from 1 year up to 5 years.

Will the drop catchers set their systems to automatically register the winning bidders domain names at 1 year from 1st July 2018?

 

[snoopy]

Might be a lot more drops (and lawsuits) with auDA thinking it is a good idea to scrap the monetisation policy on a retrospective basis.

Good for Netfleet/MelbourneIT who will be able to catch and resell those hundreds of thousands of names that become non compliant.

 

[findtim]

no doubt this has been considered but who is to say 1 year is every ones preference? not mine

although i have rarelyyyyyyyyyyyyyy purchased on drops for a few years now what i will be doing in my business in maintaining the 2 year rego, even though i do support the move to 1-5years i think i'll wait a while before offering that variable to clients simply from an account management view.

so for me, i'm happy for drop catches change or not change however i would feel bad if they insisted on a 5 year term.

if they drop to a 1 year term it would be a potentially huge drop in income for them as many people "catch and move" and we should consider that we need/want a drop catch system.

tim

 

[DomainNames]

no doubt this has been considered but who is to say 1 year is every ones preference? not mine

although i have rarelyyyyyyyyyyyyyy purchased on drops for a few years now what i will be doing in my business in maintaining the 2 year rego, even though i do support the move to 1-5years i think i'll wait a while before offering that variable to clients simply from an account management view.

so for me, i'm happy for drop catches change or not change however i would feel bad if they insisted on a 5 year term.

if they drop to a 1 year term it would be a potentially huge drop in income for them as many people "catch and move" and we should consider that we need/want a drop catch system.

tim

Hi Tim,

The option needs to be in their systems so .au domain name Consumers can choose from 1 - 5 year registration option or it needs to be set at the minimum period.

This is an important aspect of the .au domain name registrant owner Consumer rights and legislation plus the auDA Constitution. The Goverment review also makes it clear things like this need to be addressed.

Overseas drop catchers use the minimum time frame by default.

As an auDA Director you may need to pass this onto other Board members so they understand it more fully and make sure also the relevant Supply parties do the right thing avoiding issues for both them and auDA as current managers of the .au namespace.

https://www.auda.org.au/about-auda/our-org/constitution/

3.2 Activities
Without reducing the effect of clause 4, auDA will see to achieve its principal purposes as set out in clause 3.1 through:
a. ensuring the continued operational stability of the domain name system in Australia;
b. establishing mechanisms to ensure it is responsive and accountable to the supply and demand sides of the Australian Internet Community;
c. the promotion of competition in the provision of domain name services;
d. the promotion of fair trading;
e. the promotion of consumer protection;
f. adopting open and transparent procedures which are inclusive of all parties having an interest in use of the domain name system in Australia;
g. ensuring its operations produce timely outputs which are relevant to the needs of the Australian Internet Community.
(Amended by Special Resolution, 14 August 2006)​

 

[DomainNames]

The other option is the Government endorsed entity which manages the .au namespace runs an official daily drop system themselves and keeps all the revenue..... Would drop catchers want that to happen by not doing such an easy thing as giving Consumers the options of 1 - 5 years or the minimum 1 year by default?

If I was a I would make sure to get this set up for the minimum 1 year period by default ( like overseas drop catchers do) , promote it and then they may see a large increase of bidding from many more potential .au registrants on a lot more names possibly of less quality.

Do the maths 100 - 500+ lower quality .au domain names drop each day and people can register them for the 1 year registration at less cost and risk.. Everyone wins... auDA gets their cut $, Afilias gets their cut $, Drop Catchers get their cut $, Australian Taxation Office gets their cut from the GST $ helping fund Australia infrastructure, and the .au domain name Consumers get their names which would otherwise not probably have even been bid on or registered.

So by a smart drop catcher using a 1 year default price that could see a drop catccher, auDA, Afilias, ATO, be getting 100 - 500+ ( however many are dropping) more new registrations and that revenue per day!

If the pricing stays higher the less quality names will not be even by bid on or registered which means NO revenue for the drop catcher. No revenue for auDA, No revenue for Afilias etc.

If the other drop catchers did not do it of course they would not be as market competitive..somone else will set up a drop catcher system..in the end the Consumers need the right to choose how long they want to register their name for.

 

[findtim]

i will be bringing this up to the board, i am also mindful of the consequences of every decision made by the board, and even as a demand class elected director i do see that how decisions about 1-5yr, cor, monetisation etc affect both sides of the coin.

which part of 3.2 would you like me to ignore? ignore B and just go with D ?
i suppose the real answer starts with drop and NF, with very few days to go i'd be making sure the ship stays floating rather then changing a perfectly good yardarm.
tim

 

[DomainNames]

i will be bringing this up to the board, i am also mindful of the consequences of every decision made by the board, and even as a demand class elected director i do see that how decisions about 1-5yr, cor, monetisation etc affect both sides of the coin.

which part of 3.2 would you like me to ignore? ignore B and just go with D ?
i suppose the real answer starts with drop and NF, with very few days to go i'd be making sure the ship stays floating rather then changing a perfectly good yardarm.
tim

Lets hope we see it on the public auDA Board agenda and public minutes Tim.. Can you guarantee this?

When will you "be bringing this up with the board" exactly and we want to see it actually publicly minuted thanks.

You seem to not be understanding this fully especially the Consumer rights, the highlighted Constitution clauses auDA and others have so often ignored, how it works overseas with other drop catchers etc aspects.

The benefit is for Supply, auDA, Afilias and .au domain name Consumers.

As a demand class Director I want to see you more engaged again with demand class members and making sure these items and others raised are on the auDA Board agendas and public minutes so we can see what actually is actioned, who votes for what if anything etc.

People have very low confidence auDA or the Board is listening or providing back proper responses or making items ever discussed or actioned on the auDA Board Agenda and Minutes.

The auDA Board spending time talking about their vote for $170,000 a year for this auDA "not for profits" Directors and not fixing issues and questions such as this shows the focus of auDA Management and the Board is still not right.

1 year by default will see far more of the dropping names bid on and registered...auDA, Afilias, Supply benefits.

 

[trellian]

Hi,

At drop.com.au as a Registrar and a Drop catcher, we want to offer the 1 - 5 year terms, and definitely we see the new default term as 1 year instead of the 2 years for most of our clients. So we are in favour of offering the 1 year terms as soon as we are given the green light by auDA to do so.

Cheers
David

 

[DomainNames]

Hi,

At drop.com.au as a Registrar and a Drop catcher, we want to offer the 1 - 5 year terms, and definitely we see the new default term as 1 year instead of the 2 years for most of our clients. So we are in favour of offering the 1 year terms as soon as we are given the green light by auDA to do so.

Cheers
David

Excellent. That is how to run a business, gain more growth and support.

With 1 year you could get hundreds of new bidders per day and you will see revenue increases plus obviously have a growing database of customers for other possible profitable products you could sell / refer them to.

This is why auDA, the PRP need to understand the power and value the aftermarket offers to the whole .au namespace and Consumers.

Stimulating new registrations of names which otherwise would have been dropped and not been reregistered is a goldmine. The bulk of dropping .au names are not reregistered ever. Who wins from that? auDA, Afilias and the Registrars / drop catchers won't.

The 1 year period will see many more people jump in and pay the 1 year cost if it is done right. Everyone wins..and yes some of those names will probably go on to be built out / developed generating more revenue and benefits for the .au namespace. economy, internet ecosystem.

 

[findtim]

the next meeting is monday

 

[DomainNames]

the next meeting is monday

Ok Tim,

Will you also commit and guarantee to putting this and the COR Issue on the Agenda for your Monday Board meeting?;

1. Board to vote on the recommendation of the PRP that the domain name license period will be transferred to the new registrant for Change Of Registrant.

This is especially important due to the 1 - 5 year period coming in.

auDA Board failing to have this voted on in time has a direct detrimental affect on .au domain name Consumers.

By not doing it most people will go back to a 1 year registration. Very few would be risking paying out 5 years in advance plus any future transfer COR costs again who knows when etc.

2. That the Board votes this will be implemented 1st July 2018.

3. That Supply and Demand be notified via an auDA Public announcement on the auDA website and via member newsletter

4. That this is on the public agenda and minutes within 1 month so we all know it in fact was on the Agenda and who voted for what exactly. We want to see which Directors are doing and not doing.

Also please encourage auDA to make sure people can vote and have their votes on the public record. If they do a unanimous vote NO and give no valid reasons why they voted that way then we can always do another SGM and call for a complete Board spill and vote of no confidence again bringing it to the attention of the Government etc.

 

[findtim]

domainnames, please don't try to take advantage of my interaction here, the process is you write to the board.
I understand the current concerns but there is process, in one sentence you ask a question and then the next you make a claim that speaks for everyone? how can you do that?

i think auda has the governments attention.

tim

 

[snoopy]

if they drop to a 1 year term it would be a potentially huge drop in income for them as many people "catch and move" and we should consider that we need/want a drop catch system.

I wouldn't say it is needed or wanted, it exists to make money for MelbourneIT/Netfleet. Nothing wrong with having it because that is market forces. Without it people would just chase names themselves like they used to in the past. I don't remember anyone cheering when registrar drop catchers started up.

It is a bit like property flippers and people quickly buying and selling artwork where they just hope to be briefly in the middle of transactions so they can make a mark-up. It is tolerated because that is what capitalism is about, buying and selling stuff.

However if auDA is in a mood to try remove money from the system by scrapping monetization rules to prevent speculation or big markups maybe they should look at drop catching where MelbourneIt is auctioning off domains daily to the highest bidder, and maybe crack down on people who charge $154 for a registration?

Sorry for the rant!

 

[DomainNames]

domainnames, please don't try to take advantage of my interaction here, the process is you write to the board.
I understand the current concerns but there is process, in one sentence you ask a question and then the next you make a claim that speaks for everyone? how can you do that?

i think auda has the governments attention.

tim

You said you will raise it...

Will we see it on the public agenda and public minutes or not for this coming Monday 18th June 2018 auDA Board meeting?
+ the other points.

Very simple. No spin or excuses needed.

 

[DomainNames]

Tim, Please confirm you will be having this put onto the auDA Board meeting agenda for 18th June 2018 and minuted so we can read it on the public minutes with full and transparent detail.

 

[findtim]

+ the other points.

i've mention the procedure, you KNOW the procedure, don't take what i say i will do and extend it to your wishlist.
the agenda has been set so it won't appear on the agenda, i will bring it up in "other business" as you have not written to the board, but these topics are off course presently being considered anyway amongst a gamut of other important issues.

right now i think everyone agrees the most important thing is the stability of the new registry. please let me know if you can think of something more important then that !

tim

 

[DomainNames]

i've mention the procedure, you KNOW the procedure, don't take what i say i will do and extend it to your wishlist.
the agenda has been set so it won't appear on the agenda, i will bring it up in "other business" as you have not written to the board, but these topics are off course presently being considered anyway amongst a gamut of other important issues.

right now i think everyone agrees the most important thing is the stability of the new registry. please let me know if you can think of something more important then that !

tim

Actually Tim,

You said in this thread where where going to raise it? Was that just B.S again?

The constant excuses from auDA and Board are they do not think it is worth their time to discuss or address member and stakeholder concerns or communications. That is 1 reason why another SGM will be held in 5 weeks. www.Grumpier.com.au

Resolution 1 – Vote of no confidence in Cameron Boardman (CEO)
Resolution 2 – Removal of Chris Leptos as a Director
Resolution 3 – Removal of Sandra Hook as a Director
Resolution 4 – Removal of Suzanne Ewart as a Director
​

I have written to the Board and so have many other stakeholders and members over the years and we do not see it ever on the minutes nor listed as "other business" nor do we get any responses. You know this is a fact yet you always come up with excuses. This is why the Government listed 29 points why auDA Management and auDA Board is not for for purpose and every board member needs to wake up to them.

How exactly are you involved in ensuring the stability of the new .au wholesale registry at this next Board meeting? If there is a problem with Afilias and the stablity that is very worrying...

If this is all you will be discussing on Monday 18th June auDA Board meeting then lets see that on the public minutes.

1. Discuss stability of the new registry.

• Is it a problem?
• What is the problem and risk?
• Who is fixing the risk?
• What can the Board do as part of this?
• Are stakeholders and Government aware there is a problem with the stability of the the new Wholesale Registry Subcontractor?

2. Next item
3. Incoming correspondence and items requested for auDA Board response

 

[trellian]

Hi Tim,

For most domain owners, the new registry transition will never be noticed. It it however noticed a lot by us Registrars and drop catchers as there was a bit more to change than we initially anticipated, especially making changes to support 1 year registrations.

So the most important things as I see them right now is auDA actully make some policy changes and quickly, it needs to remove red tape, lots of inconsistencies in the policies that just needs some common sense decisions made. Such as if you now register for 1 year and later decide I want my domian registered for 5 years instead, well right now you can't as you can not renew a domain at anytime, only when you are 90 days away from your expiry. So you will need to wait 9 months before you can then renew of 4 or 5 years. Renewals should be able to be done at any time. If a domain owners wans the peace of mind to renew early then there really is not reason why they should not be able to.

Silly things like, and there are many like that, that just need to be removed from policy so that we can get to business.

As for Drop catchers looks like we will have a little break from 1 July till everything is working smoothly as there will be no drops for upto 14 days. We will be advised when the actual date that drops will start as it could be 1 day later or upto 14 days.

In either case get ready for one of the the biggest drops in history as when it starts all the names will be dropped that day.

Cheers
David

 

[findtim]

If this is all you will be discussing.........

don't mix or extend my words.
tim

 

[Scott.L]

Hi Tim,

For most domain owners, the new registry transition will never be noticed. It it however noticed a lot by us Registrars and drop catchers as there was a bit more to change than we initially anticipated, especially making changes to support 1 year registrations.

So the most important things as I see them right now is auDA actully make some policy changes and quickly, it needs to remove red tape, lots of inconsistencies in the policies that just needs some common sense decisions made. Such as if you now register for 1 year and later decide I want my domian registered for 5 years instead, well right now you can't as you can not renew a domain at anytime, only when you are 90 days away from your expiry. So you will need to wait 9 months before you can then renew of 4 or 5 years. Renewals should be able to be done at any time. If a domain owners wans the peace of mind to renew early then there really is not reason why they should not be able to.

Silly things like, and there are many like that, that just need to be removed from policy so that we can get to business.

As for Drop catchers looks like we will have a little break from 1 July till everything is working smoothly as there will be no drops for upto 14 days. We will be advised when the actual date that drops will start as it could be 1 day later or upto 14 days.

In either case get ready for one of the the biggest drops in history as when it starts all the names will be dropped that day.

Cheers
David

Bloody Hell.