The Release of NON Registered .uk

[SF]

Hi Guys,

How long do we have to wait before we can start bashing out for the .uk domains which have not been registered by thier respective owners?

I think it was a 5 year wait if I remember corrrectly?

Many thanks,
Sean

 

[monaghan]

It was 5 years so no immediate rush to bag the best ones, however, if the domain drops, then the 5 year no longer applies

 

[Edwin]

a .uk domain name may already have been reserved especially for you until 10 June 2019

http://www.theukdomain.uk/advice/do-i-have-uk-rights/

So you've still got a fair amount of time to wait (just over 3 years)

 

[SF]

Thanks guys, I do wonder as invincibe suggests that Nominet will allow a "free for all" I suppose that would be the fairest way?

 

[RobM]

I would expect the main registrars to register anything of value before drop.

 

[monaghan]

Thanks guys, I do wonder as invincibe suggests that Nominet will allow a "free for all" I suppose that would be the fairest way?

Free for all would be the only way to keep first come first served, however, wouldn't surprise me if there was another process designed to make more revenue in place by the time it happens. I guess it depends on the perceived value of these domains and how many are left, but I'd guess there will be a big push by Nominet / big registrars to get them purchased by the current registrants.

Will be interesting to see if the market picks up or dies by then.

 

[Edwin]

If I remember correctly there is going to be another Member Engagement Webinar in July 2016 and the topic is to discuss .uk and the ROFR/what happens in June 2019.

Sounds like a strangely early time to be having that discussion, given that the .uk take-up in the next 2.5 years will dictate to a large extent the best approach to take. If the registration % starts to climb then a very different approach will be warranted compared to if the collective "meh" continues as it is playing out at the moment...

 

[Edwin]

Given that just about every new GTLD seems to be reserving "premium" domains and dishing them out in various milk-every-penny ways, it's certainly easy to see how tempting it would be for a revenue-driven Nominet (which they now seem to be) to hold auctions for the juiciest .uk prizes that have not already been taken up by June 2019, and/or stick premium prices on them.

They would presumably make the argument that the .uk would have been available at standard reg fee for a whole 5 years to the prior rights holder, who fumbled the chance to take those rights up.

I am not saying that the above is fair/desirable/a good way to proceed - I am merely suggesting that we should not be surprised if Nominet head down that route, since it matches their new hyper-commercial drive to perfection.

 

[martin-s]

As I've been saying for a fairly long time, I will be surprised if come June 2019 there's simply one huge free for all for those .uk ROFR left remaining unclaimed.

I'll be surprised if there's any sort of rush at all! By then it may well be completely obvious that .uk is a lame duck.

 

[spiderspider]

As I've been saying for a fairly long time, I will be surprised if come June 2019 there's simply one huge free for all for those .uk ROFR left remaining unclaimed.

Is this something that you are campaigning on the inside to prevent?

Just seems odd that ever time it comes up, you say that. There are more than enough for there to be a free for all, and indeed any unregistered will be in that category. There will be a free for all on all the unregistered, as that is the way the rules are set up.

Unless you know something totally different of course............

 

[martin-s]

Let's be positive and try to see the benefits of the extension, shall we?

I can't think of any!

 

[Skinner]

I asked nominet what percentage of the total names drop on average for a rolling 5 yr period, they just referred me the already existing stats, but they don't really show a way to predict what percentage is dropped as they are collective numbers..

Once the zf is released and we can snap shot it, should be able to work out the fall out and get an idea of how many will be left.

Given approx 4,000 out of approx 15,000 per day drop, it would suggested a daily retention of 11,000, giving 8m per year retention, with 2 yrs worth of data, I think we'll have a solid idea before the big day. This doesn't allow for those renewed beyond 2 yrs or other adjustments.

 

[martin-s]

Given it's here now and we are no longer campaigning against it, factually it is shorter and therefore probably sharper for a start.

So it's shorter, but really, who cares? There are plenty of technically better products which never gain traction because they were too late to the market.

.uk might just be one of them. Nominet have a MASSIVE task ahead of 2019 to prove that the web is migrating towards the .uk extension. Right now I don't know any major credible website using it.

And that's already 2 of the 5 years gone.

 

[Admin]

Let's be positive and try to see the benefits of the extension, shall we?

It's not easy to be positive about this mess. It was a bad idea, badly executed and it continues to pain me to watch the mess unfolding with ownership splits on .co.uk and .uk.

 

[monaghan]

.uk might just be one of them. Nominet have a MASSIVE task ahead of 2019 to prove that the web is migrating towards the .uk extension.

Wasn't the "benefit" of .uk that it was a standalone domain and not a migration?

 

[martin-s]

That you've wrapped "benefit" in quote marks says it all!

 

[ian]

Fight to the death seems to fairest way; lets get ready to rumble!

 

[martin-s]

Who clammered for Nominet to do this?

This isn't a domainer mindset issue, it's a public one.

The fact is that a great portion of the public confuse .com and .uk (mostly people 40/50+ in my experience). If you think that they'll find it easy to understand .co.uk vs .uk then you're bonkers.

And largely because of that, brands are going to be wary of making the switch. They'll be forced to hold both extensions just in case, but there won't be any incentive to switch.

And if they don't make the switch, .uk will never take off.

 

[anthony]

If I remember correctly there is going to be another Member Engagement Webinar in July 2016 and the topic is to discuss .uk and the ROFR/what happens in June 2019.

So is it a meeting to discuss what the fook they're going to do on 10th June 2019 when thousands of current .co.uk businesses realise what has happened, and are looking to point the finger of blame at whoever is responsible for this fiasco?

 

[Admin]

If Nominet hadn't released .uk at the second level I strongly believe people would have been clammering for them to do it until they did.

It seems obvious to me that there could never have been any question of matching .co.uk and .uk domain names being permanently linked or an eventual forced migration from .co.uk to .uk either. No other 2LD introduction has worked that way and I've seen several.

The ROFR could have been shorter, but it was decided that five years was considered the right amount at the time. Some wanted longer. Would people prefer it if the ROFR was cut short? Obviously I wouldn't.

The concern about ownership splits is, in my opinion, domainer types finding it difficult to cope with the change from a rigid structure (.co.uk > .org.uk > .me.uk) and the break away from that logic. In my opinion domainer types are logical thinkers and like to understand where things belong and don't belong. Typical collectors. The .uk introduction went against that. In my opinion those types should try to stop feeling they have to understand everything and be aware of everything. It will naturally resolve itself.

In my opinion the key to the success of any domain name is good marketing. Obviously using something that's more familiar is easier but using something new can sometimes ultimate be more groundbreaking.

It astounds me how far off the mark you are with your opinions, you are a NED at Nominet and you seem to have no idea of the reality for over 90% of the population, I think 'you are too close to it' and perhaps your circle of friends and colleagues are closer to the internet/domain space than most and so you have a skewed perception of the real state of awareness on this matter.

People (including those with small businesses and websites) do not know what .uk is. To stress this point, in addition to not knowing the difference between .co.uk and .uk they don't actually know that .uk exists.

I'm selling domains that are are listed on SEDO and people are only buying the .co.uk, they are unaware of the confusing and competitive .uk alternative.

The original cock up was starting with .co.uk and not .uk like all other countries (except US) and the solution was not then to throw it into the mix, it was to live with what everyone had come to know. Nobody wanted it, nobody was clammering for it and never would have done because outside of a tiny minority of domainers nobody would even think of it. I am so sure of these claims because most of the people I know don't have anything to do with domains, they just work / run businesses.