ICANN posted updates for it’s Proposed .BIZ, .INFO AND .ORG gTLD Registry Agreements. This update means that they could pursue variable domain pricing and that is determined by the current market value of the domain.
Fees Payable to ICANN. The proposed new .BIZ, .INFO and .ORG registry agreements provide for a sliding scale of transactional fees payable to ICANN per annual increment of a domain name, starting with $0.15 in 2007 and 2008, $0.20 in 2009 and 2010, and increasing to $0.25 in 2011 and 2012* (*the proposed new .ORG registry agreement has a fee schedule implementation date of July 2007, and will continue through June 2013). The per name transaction fees, however, are subject to adjustment depending on the average price of domain name registrations during each calendar quarter throughout the term of the agreement. Each of the proposed new agreements provide only for a transactional fee component payable to ICANN, with no fixed fee. This is a markedly different approach from the fixed fee established in the 2001 .BIZ and .INFO registry agreements, and 2003 .ORG registry agreement, and is intended to appropriately scale the fees payable by each registry to ICANN to the success or decline of the registry business.
If YOU happen to create a valueable business, its almost as though ICANN is fining you and your business for its success, as the success of your business may have (organically and quite rightly) improved value of your domain name.
Since ICANN may charge the market-value price for domain registration, rather than paying the $8 or $10 you’re used to, you might end up paying thousands of dollars.
This has tremoundously important implications for the business world, for large and small business alike.
Today was the last day to file an “e-opinion†regarding the proposed situation … time will tell if this sort of change will go through.
And if it does, you can bet your bottom dollar, it will finally be covered en masse by the other larger web2.0 news sites.
I can imagine this becoming a big net neutrality issue, with people saying: “See!?! We can’t trust the US!” The ICANN, if it pushes through with this, will show everyone just how much power it has.
I don’t get this, how can ICANN increase your registration fee? when they’re only charging minimal trans. fee which I think is just reasonable.
I believed ICANN just removed the price control (.net and .com already been lifted) and it’s up to the registrar if they want to raise the registration fee or stick to what’s the current SRP. Domain registrars are operating in very competitive and a small margin just to retain customers (godaddy) which I don’t think a registrar would rediculously charged you $1,000 because your website (business) became soo popular, it might backfire (remember we live in blogspher world) and instead of making more money they may end up loosing their clients and ultimately their business.
Net neutrality?