[SGVLUG] flipping domain names - Re: sgvlug domain name

[Emerson, Tom (*IC)]

A little more follow-up -- closer reading of the ICANN policy indicates
that the COMPLAINANT [that would be us] must pay the "fees" for
registering a complaint.  Now, when I first heard of this and remembered
that there was an arbitration process in place, I was under the
impression that there were little or no fees, and if there was a fee, it
was relatively small.

According to the website I looked at, the "fee" for a single domain
complaint is $1,300.

Along with the "grace period" that someone mentioned, it sounds like
cyber-squatting is a rather low-risk/high-reward business to get into --
register a $1.99 domain at go-daddy or something, "extort" $100 to
$1,000, depending on what you think your "mark" will pay, and if they
pay -- PROFIT :)  [if they decline, go back to go-daddy and say "just
kidding -- I want my money back"]  Since "no one in their right mind"
would pay $1,300 or more to force arbitration when you're only asking
for $100, you're fairly well insulated from arbitration.  (of course,
when you run into someone who will pay $1300 "for the principle" of
this, well, then you're out the cost of the domain -- at $2, big
deal...)

I've sent an e-mail to the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) asking if
the fee can be "waived" for [effectively] a non-profit group.  I pointed
out that we'd like to reverse the trend and make the risk greater than
the reward, but as we don't collect any money, we have nothing to fight
with...

> -----Original Message----- of Emerson, Tom (*IC) 
> 
> I'm sure this will get some discussion tonight, but in the 
> mean time I'd suggest a look at this page:
> 
>      http://www.icann.org/en/udrp/udrp-policy-24oct99.htm
> 
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