🚀 go-pugleaf

"David Bromage" <dbromage@fang.omni.com.au> wrote in message
news:3B451439.C2C2E22B@fang.omni.com.au...
> Does anybody know if the full regional domain names proposal is
> available to the public?

Under the .com.au domain the rules are (supposedly) quite clear. Technically
you can't have a domain name based on the name of a location unless you are
a local council etc. Like most of the .com.au naming policy, it's gots
inconsistencies and flaws that really need to be challenged. Just think
about how places are named, theoretically almost any word could be a place
name.

> The proposal is that locality names should be
> available free to local counsils and reflect their location by state.

Look for a court case regarding the domain brisbane.com.au. The city of
Brisbane were unable to get it from a company that had previously registered
it, which shows how the naming policy can be over-ridden by the courts (much
to MelbourneITs disgust).

> For example, newcastle.nsw.au could not be registered by anybody other
> than the City of Newcastle.

Theoretically but see above. What if I had a company name of Newcastle Pty
Ltd?

>
> The US has a similar system under the *.us domain.
>
> There has been a lot of concern about domains with locality names being
> sold by cybersquatters.

According to AUDA and MelbourneIT the sale of domain names is banned. The
only way in which you could buy an existing domain is to purchase the
company that holds it (which is being done).

Of course, you realise that there is a move towards "open competition" for
domain names. I suspect AUDA and/or Melbourne IT plan to act as the
auctioneer of names and take their cut.

The Raven