Domain squatting - one of the lower business practices

[Audigy]

*pokes Octocrook* here you go -

This was pulled from a post I originally made in the testing forum (sorry 'bout that, but I couldn't contain myself. :x)

Anyway, my stance on domain squatting... is that it's morally undesirable to sit on a unique item (virtual or otherwise) that you have no use for, because you know you will be able to extort money from someone desperate enough to think they have to pay the higher price.

In response to

"If they don't want to pay extra for the less obfuscated domain, that's their choice. It's like getting a Kia because you don't want to pay for a Lexus."

This is a poor comparison. If domain squatters did not exist, the price on ALL (well, for each TLD) domains would be THE SAME. The squatters are what are forcing these higher prices.

The price on filet mignon is fixed at higher than that of ground round because it is a graded higher quality cut. It costs more money to prepare, and it comprises less of the cow than other standard cuts (as far as I know anyway). The first party distributors charge retailers a higher price because of the higher production costs, and then the retailers must reflect this in their store prices in order to make money.

Another standpoint that came to mind was... "well, what about people selling rare high-level items on eBay from games like Dark Age of Camelot and stuff? Isn't that just as morally wrong?" It's not. It takes usually months of playing for hours straight to get to a point in the game where these rare items are easier to produce/obtain. Domain purchasing does not take any extra effort at all; it just takes a knowledge of basic English vocabulary and a few minutes at your favorite register who happens to be offering domain registration at 2.99 per domain or whatever...

I'm having a hard time coming up with a logical real-world example that even compares to the matter at hand. I tried thinking of personalized license plates... but what word you get scrawled across one of those costs no more than any other word. The price for a personalized plate is fixed.

What do you guys think? Feel free to repost old comments before they get nuked if you want.

<P ID="signature">--
Disclaimer: The opinions displayed here are those of an asexual. Sex/relationship advice may be inaccurate.
--
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psf_rippers/</P>