Direct .au domain rights for com.au owners
- Thread starter Christopher
- Start date
ttfan
Top Contributor
Was there any consideration on the requirements for .au registration? Would the person need an ABN, like they do for .com.au, or can anyone register, like .id.au.
If the new .au domains are meant for business use and require an ABN, then it makes sense to offer preferential treatment to .com.au or .net.au owners. However if an ABN is not required, than all 2nd level .au owners should be given the opportunity to register the .au, perhaps based on who registered the 2nd level domain first.
If the new .au domains are meant for business use and require an ABN, then it makes sense to offer preferential treatment to .com.au or .net.au owners. However if an ABN is not required, than all 2nd level .au owners should be given the opportunity to register the .au, perhaps based on who registered the 2nd level domain first.
neddy
Top Contributor
I'd certainly like to know - as would many others.
I actually wrote to auDA about having some public disclosure - and got what I considered to be a "dismal" response. Check my post today on Domainer.
DomainNames
Top Contributor
If you do not want to see the new .au brought in by stealth in 2016 or 2017 Don't be afraid to complain to your local MP, state MP and Federal MP NOW. There must be some who do not go to Auda Christmas parties willing to look into it a bit further.
The Federal Government should maybe take over administration of the Australian domain name system and then there will be full accountability and perhaps some good complaint procedures about disclosures.
Why it is in a private not for profit bodies hands is beyond me. The industry has evolved and the domain name registration industry is too important to not be in the hands of the government.
The Fed Government could easily manage Australian domain name administration and perhaps then people will have less interest to push the new .au extension for their own profits.
Department of Communications has been asleep at the wheel for 16 years on this one. Time they woke up to what will be a massive mistake. The government does have overall rights to run the system themselves, they have just let Auda do it for many years. Bye now the Government should be more up on whats involved and can do it themselves.
The Federal Government should maybe take over administration of the Australian domain name system and then there will be full accountability and perhaps some good complaint procedures about disclosures.
Why it is in a private not for profit bodies hands is beyond me. The industry has evolved and the domain name registration industry is too important to not be in the hands of the government.
The Fed Government could easily manage Australian domain name administration and perhaps then people will have less interest to push the new .au extension for their own profits.
Department of Communications has been asleep at the wheel for 16 years on this one. Time they woke up to what will be a massive mistake. The government does have overall rights to run the system themselves, they have just let Auda do it for many years. Bye now the Government should be more up on whats involved and can do it themselves.
snoopy
Top Contributor
They are the ones pushing for it! Would be even worse with the government in charge, we'd probably already have it.
neddy
Top Contributor
I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall at the last two auDA Board meetings.
We all have to remember that there are some potential conflicts of interests out there in "Director" land! Plenty of pressure being applied from the "supply side" for direct registrations. I also know from speaking to a few people that there is some intense lobbying going on in the background.
It would be a shame (imho) if decisions are based on the political abilities of a few.
Given the importance of the potential change, I'd much prefer to see auDA first make the effort made to harvest a representative sample of the 1.7 million individual registrants out there (the majority of whom haven't even got an inkling that this is in the wind). I've blogged on this; I've written to auDA about this; I've raised it at the Names Panel; and I even got up and said it at the last AGM.
It's certainly not too late to do this.
We all have to remember that there are some potential conflicts of interests out there in "Director" land! Plenty of pressure being applied from the "supply side" for direct registrations. I also know from speaking to a few people that there is some intense lobbying going on in the background.
It would be a shame (imho) if decisions are based on the political abilities of a few.
Given the importance of the potential change, I'd much prefer to see auDA first make the effort made to harvest a representative sample of the 1.7 million individual registrants out there (the majority of whom haven't even got an inkling that this is in the wind). I've blogged on this; I've written to auDA about this; I've raised it at the Names Panel; and I even got up and said it at the last AGM.
It's certainly not too late to do this.
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
That reminds me, now that Ziphosting are closing and putting up their prices via NR, I need to transfer some domains.
Scott.L
Top Contributor
it would be interesting to know the percentage of shareholders within the .com.au marketplace - 3 million registrations doesnt mean 3 million people registered domains, the top 10 portfolio holders probably manage 70% of registrations. More needs to be done to advertise and convert current business owners, start ups and big business to buy / invest / develop the huge range of undeveloped high value domains in those portfolios - how? perhaps the AUDA should be thinking about the how.
The intrinsic value of .com.au is closely associated to our business image onshore and importantly beyond our shores, its our professional image and value. Overseas views the .com.au space as trusted to the onshore presence and not to an offshore pretension. Also, the .com.au space is Australia's brand name in the online world, buggering it up into a mess of confusion means the AUDA is not considering the full image of our market and its meaning beyond our shores. offering .com.au and .au only creates a schism in the market which IMHO splinters the image and reduces the value and meaning of such a trusted brand. The AUDA cant sell out to registrars needing to make money from a short term extension, the AUDA policies made the .com.au a trusted Australian brand which is worth more than a couple of greedy self interest driven registrars.
The intrinsic value of .com.au is closely associated to our business image onshore and importantly beyond our shores, its our professional image and value. Overseas views the .com.au space as trusted to the onshore presence and not to an offshore pretension. Also, the .com.au space is Australia's brand name in the online world, buggering it up into a mess of confusion means the AUDA is not considering the full image of our market and its meaning beyond our shores. offering .com.au and .au only creates a schism in the market which IMHO splinters the image and reduces the value and meaning of such a trusted brand. The AUDA cant sell out to registrars needing to make money from a short term extension, the AUDA policies made the .com.au a trusted Australian brand which is worth more than a couple of greedy self interest driven registrars.
neddy
Top Contributor
Scott, as I said above, my understanding is that there are approximately 1.7 million registrants that hold the 3 million domain names in Australia.
This figure was supplied by AusRegistry.
I concur with your other comments.
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
I just saw a survey sent to a domain owner that sent to them by auDA, asking just one pertinent question. Basically it was;
"Would you register a .au if you could?
How poor is that?
Obviously the powers to be are going to use this very narrow line of questioning to further the cause of direct registrations without informing current owners of the ramifications. That's pretty piss poor. Reminds me of the crappy netregistry effort.
"Would you register a .au if you could?
How poor is that?
Obviously the powers to be are going to use this very narrow line of questioning to further the cause of direct registrations without informing current owners of the ramifications. That's pretty piss poor. Reminds me of the crappy netregistry effort.
findtim
Top Contributor
i think that is pushing illegal? i know when i was selling door to door foxtel 18 yrs ago the rule was " what you don't tell them is illegal" you have to disclose the options and commitments.
Thats really weak work by auda, who authorises this? can you post the letter without disclosing the owner? as i haven't seen any.
this is why 99% of my clients domains have my email address on them, so i can vet this crap, if its not spam and something they should know i send them it + my opinion + the official other side of the coin.
tim
edit: was the owner an auda member?
findtim
Top Contributor
Never going to happen, they see no value in that unless they create a rule that a developed domain has to pay a fee like in the monopoly game
as for the .au, seems like we are talking to deaf ears, proves self monitoring sucks, x,xxx,xxx domains and xxx members !
what are they doing about membership? as i monitor my clients domains rego email the answer is NOTHING.
tim
Bacon Farmer
Top Contributor
Ned has more details of the "survey” here http://www.domainer.com.au/you-cant-be-serious-auda/
A random question without context is pretty shonky.
A random question without context is pretty shonky.
Shane
Top Contributor
I have domains registered with three different entities and email addresses, but only received one email, which was sent to the email address with the fewest domains associated with it...
My auDA membership is on another email address which did not receive the survey.
Who knows how it's being run...
