Fairer dropcatch

[mart1n19]

Hi Folks,

Just wanted people's views on the UK dropcatching. Always interesting to hear views.

Currently when a .co.uk domain drops it will release the .uk version aswell.. Which often ends up going to a different person/company.

Do you think it should be just the .co.uk that drops, with the winner get the matching .uk rights until xx date in the future? Or do you think it's fair how it currently is?

Just thinking of the short/long term value of the UK market? & the fairest way.

Cheers

 

[Skinner]

You're thinking of them as pre-release rights.

Nominet see them as totally different entities.

In just under 4 yrs time, there will be no linking, and no connection, so the question is, why would nominet change the rules for a few yrs ?

In nominet and 90% of the publics eyes, what you are asking is akin to saying if I catch the .co.uk, do I get rights to register .org.uk or me.uk for a certain period.

 

[mart1n19]

Yes that's pretty much it, guess what I'm trying to say is should the pre-release still be in place for .co.uk drops until the date in 4 years time.

Guess it's down to opinion. Im a bit mixed myself.

Can see why it must be frustrating in certain drops hence the question. Getting just the .co.uk or just the .uk ( at this early stage with the .uk version, I would really be wanting both ) haha


Then again, it can possibly have other benefits with say. Xxx.co.uk & xxx.uk having different owners

 

[monaghan]

Nominet have always stated .uk is standalone so if the current reserved owner doesn't renew then both are free game whether registered by hand months later or seconds later by a drop catch system, anything else is not first come first served.

 

[martin-s]

When .uk launched, lots of us worried about the potential for public confusion. I'm still in that camp, so I'd rather see them paired - and sod the profit potential

 

[anthony]

Looking at things as they stand now, i'm tempted to say that the 5 year rule was far too long. The sector is dead, it could do with chopping up a bit.

 

[ian]

The .uk has been a mess from start to finish compounded by all these splits on catching, but Nominet of course don't care about this and us. My suggestion to them that the .uk rights should remain with the .co.uk fell on death ears unfortunately. I recommended that whether a new domain is registered, or an existing domain expires and is caught, rights should remain with the .co.uk for 72 hours and an automatic prompt from Nominet sent to encourage the new owner to register the .uk - help improve sales for them and ensures domains remain paired. As it stands, it has in my view damaged catching for domainers.

 

[monaghan]

When .uk launched, lots of us worried about the potential for public confusion. I'm still in that camp, so I'd rather see them paired - and sod the profit potential

I do agree with you, I really didn't see what .uk gave us, I'm still trying to see what benefit it has for anyone other than those making from selling both the .uk and .co.uk.

The general public really doesn't understand the difference between them and allowing onlineshop.co.uk to be owned by a different company to onlineshop.uk so it really does seem to be adding more confusion and holding the .co.uk owner to ransom to also purchase the .uk just to avoid this public confusion.

As the owner of a drop catch system, then of course, I'd love to be able to guarantee getting both if my customer wants it (not everyone actually wants to go for the .uk)

 

[Edwin]

.uk was an unnecessary extension launched badly, and the follow-up ad campaigns haven't improved the situation.

However, given that it's now been in existence for 13 months, my guess is that it is extremely unlikely Nominet would (could?) consider changing how the .uk relates to the .co.uk.

Bottom line is: .uk exists and that's the new reality we all have to work with, no matter how unpleasant that reality may seem.

 

[diablo]

...and ensures domains remain paired.

Nominet never intended for the domains to remain paired. .uk is its own entity. That is the reality we have to work with and will have to increasingly work with going forward (not least after 2019).

 

[diablo]

.uk was an unnecessary extension launched badly, and the follow-up ad campaigns haven't improved the situation.

However, given that it's now been in existence for 13 months, my guess is that it is extremely unlikely Nominet would (could?) consider changing how the .uk relates to the .co.uk.

Bottom line is: .uk exists and that's the new reality we all have to work with, no matter how unpleasant that reality may seem.

+1 to all of above.

 

[tifosi]

You're under the impression that Nominet gives a shit about dropcatchers & the process of dropcatching. Nope, never has, never will.

The DAC was never a 'solution for dropcatchers', it was a high throughput solution for registrars to get the minimum required data for domains. I remember back far enough to be part of the beta test team.

.uk was/is a strategic move to bring the ccTLD in line with the vast majority of other ccTLDs and the existing & new gTLD's. That it was always going to be problematic was expected. We ( including many now no longer on AD ) went through a long process to 'steer' Nominet towards a best-case outcome, which many accept is what it is.

My short answer. Suck it up.

 

[spiderspider]

As Edwin says, its been out 13 months now, Nom won't change a thing about the set up.

It does open up the market a bit more, and I'm looking forward for the 5 years to be up, as I have a sneak feeling that many of those normal folk with generic .co.uk won't get the .uk, or think they have to wait a few days after the 5 years, and will give us all time to hoover a few up (unless by then everyone has worked out its worth as much as .me.uk).

 

[anthony]

The reality is, in just under 4 years time there is going to be a feeding frenzy like we haven't seen in a decade or more. We'll have Nominet to thank for that!