illegal warehousing

["Lawrence Muller" <vircorp1@xxxxxxxxx>]

*"Our strategy to acquire expiring domain names differs from that of some
other large Registrars who have focused on domain name auctions. Tucows
believes that there is substantial value in holding on to these domain
names, both in terms of monetization through pay-per-click advertising, but
also in terms of the resale or lease of high-value domains to individuals
and businesses that understand the intrinsic value of a high-quality domain
name"*

The above quote from Tucows infuriates me. I cannot believe as an
organization we allow registrars to hold domains for pure profit. Isn't this
strictly against TOS? Auctions by a third party, and I do mean 3rd party,
are at least a level playing field. But witholding names for the sole
purpose to resell them privately is a pure slap in the face. And this is the
only public declaration by a company I have seen. Privately, many more must
be doing this as well!

I have supported ICANN, the registry and all the registrars through these 10
years, but this domain theft has spiraled out of control. We must put an end
to it and finalize what extremes are allowed and which are banned and
immediately actionable. To an extent I follow developments in the domain
field. The average public registrant does not. When they finally realize
that registrars are warehouses there will be a terrible backlash. And we all
know how unpredictable the average user and the media are. Ultimately this
practice will be stopped. Whether people wind up screaming for each other's
heads in a few years, or even months, is a matter for us to resolve
immediately and without hesitation.