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'Act of God' May Extend Expiring Domains
What happens if your domain is expiring and you can't reach the registrar's web site? There have been many stories about connectivity problems in Asia due to the earthquake in Taiwan, which severed underground cables. The China International Network Information Center (CNNIC) is considering extensions for 10,000 domain owners who lost their expiring .com domains when the couldn't reach the registrar's web site to renew them.
"Because the domain names are lost due to an act of God, enterprises and individuals involved may be appropriately compensated by the domain name server, but the scheme is still under discussion," the Xinhua new service quoted a source close to the CNNIC.
Posted by RichM 
January 5, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
January 2, 2007
The History of Domain Tasting
The practice of "domain" tasting" dates back to 20001, when DotRegistrar and IAregistry began using the five-day add-drop period to test drive domain names for their commercial potential. That's the introduction to The Closing Window: A Historical Analysis of Domain Tasting, an informative article by Frank Schilling at CircleID. Schilling, who prepared the analysis for members of the the ICANN Business Constituency, notes that VeriSign initially resisted domain tasting, and sought to discourage the registrars who were engaging in the practice. His analysis concludes:
VeriSign will have to close the window, just as it did in 2002. Only it may be harder this time because they have permitted the practice for so long. The best solution would likely be for VeriSign to send an email to all registrars announcing a restocking fee effective next-week. Even a 2 cent restocking fee (trivial for real errors) would be enough to curb tasting dramatically.
Posted by RichM January 2, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter