Nominet to flog short domains

BA wannabes face auction scrap

By Team Register, 3rd November 2010

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More than 2,800 very short UK domain names are to be auctioned for the first time, starting next month.

The sale will allow firms known by initials - such as BA - to acquire their most obvious .co.uk address.

Nominet, the non-profit that runs the .uk registry, has dropped its policy of witholding very short domains, which include single letters and numbers. Technical restrictions no longer apply, it said.

Beginning 1 December, trademark holders can apply for relevant addresses. The trademark must have been registered before 2008.

Where there is more than one applicant - "BA" is registered as a trademark to 42 organisations, for example - an auction will be held with profits going to the Nominet Trust, a charity.

Those very short domains not allocated to a trademark holder by 31 January 2011 will then go forward to an open "landrush" auction.

There is a full list of the addresses up for grabs here. ®

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Highly Rated

Posted Wednesday 3rd November 2010 14:14 GMT

Red Bren

Doing a lot for charidee

"Where there is more than one applicant...an auction will be held with profits going to the Nominet Trust, a charity."

After we've deducted our overheads of course. You wouldn't believe the cost of 1s and 0s these days. And we have to pay the staff who polish the domains names, those internets don't clean themselves you know. Plus trebles all round for the managers and marketeers that came up with this money making scheme.

If it looks like job creation and customer gouging, then it is job creation and customer gouging, regardless of the charitable donation at the end of it.

Posted Wednesday 3rd November 2010 14:25 GMT

Lockwood