[ga] Pool.com in strategy to re-sell domains before they delete

["Richard Henderson" <richardhenderson@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pool.com have taken steps to contest Verisign's idea of auctioning off deleting domains at Registry level. Pool are now asking registrars to sign up for their Open Listing service, which basically says: forget Redemption period process and the pending delete phase that follows and the deletion at registry level that follows that (the model ICANN created).

Instead, Pool is proposing that they and participating registrars will simply auction off domain names to the highest bidder BEFORE they delete, and then RENEW the domian name for the new owner before it has time to delete.

Now I see this leading to a big argument: will the registry like Verisign say "Fine that's OK" or will they say: "No, all domains that are deleting will be auctioned by us at Registry level, because the domains belong to OUR Registry when a registrant abandons them" which, in effect, they do. If Verisign just insisted on auctioning all domains that had expired and banned all names from being transferred or auctioned after the Renewal date, then Pool's new strategy would presumably fail.

This one will be fascinating to watch, and ICANN - as ever - seems to be powerless to intervene because of the inefficacy of their Agreements.

The official notice from POOL, on there website this evening, reads as follows:

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Open Listing Service domains are now being listed for sale in the Domain Marketplace.

Pool.com's Open Listing Service (OLS) provides an open, back-end technology platform to registrars and resellers to support resale, auctioning and re-registration of domain names. By using this service, Pool.com's OLS partners will have access to a centralized location where they can list their domains and obtain domains for sale through their own customized interface. 

The OLS gives every registrar the opportunity to deliver real value to its customers and its shareholders without any loss of control. At the present time, there is a redemption grace period (RGP) that gives trademark and TLD rights holders the opportunity to maintain a domain that may expire. The Pool.com OLS encourages participating registrars to commit to a 30-day hold on re-sale and thereby emulate the protections afforded by the RGP.

The move towards the OLS comes in response to what we call "a changed competitive landscape." The Open Listing Service meets the needs of an increasingly sophisticated market, and leads the domain industry in a new direction.

http://www.pool.com/OpenListingService.aspx?ia=OpenListingService

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Yrs,

Richard H