John Q I like this : "...going into a small, remote town, buying the general store and then closing it and waiting until someone is willing to buy it at a high price so that it can be re-opened" There is no benefit to the community at large it's just greed, and it would be stamped on if it wasn't a global internet problem.

Not sure how you can stop it but maybe capping the amount a domain can be transfered for might deter a few as it would mean they'd need to justify some other value in the transaction.

RE: Kitty K

Please refrain from comparing this to farm animals. It is NOT a fair comparison. Nor do Cybersquatting and domain parking increase traffic to a domain name. They actually do the opposite, as 1.) Google filters out such sites, putting your SEO at a disadvantage from the get-go, which actually results in a situation opposite to what you've described, and 2.) anyone who has landed on the site has most likely found something quite different from what they were looking for.

And no one should have to pay $20,000.00 for a domain name, which is what these squatters ask for some of the most commonly thought of domains.

In short, it's not capitalism. Capitalism benefits the consumer and the economy - this does neither. Nor is paying ~$15 for a domain then trying to pull thousands for it hard work. It is, indeed, a form of extortion. It goes unchecked because there are still so many gray and undetermined areas in the ethics of intellectual property. So, instead of calling people whiners, why don't you learn something about the internet and e-commerce before you go crazy at the keyboard.

My girlfriend wants to start up a small business online. After starting the business already with a name she chose carefully we find that the related domain name is being squatted (no website, never has been one!!). This is ridiculous, if the registrant is not using the domain they should be forced to release it.

Thanks for listening.

S. Stevenson, Australia

I agree. Kathleen

There is a major flaw in this petition, as stated "which is to stop the continuation of domain parking as an extortionist means that cause legitimate businesses to pay high price for the domain name." The problem is that when you venture out in domain name speculation, domain parking is one of the few legitimate ways of building up traffic for domain names. When a domain name goes up for auction it is not just the domain name that makes it a big seller, it has to have a very high volume traffic ranking. Legitimate businesses that do not have time to build up traffic for their site, go to the domain name auctions to buy the high traffic sites.

If a farmer buys a sickly calf, then invests time and patience in building up that calf into prize bull, is it extortion when the prize bull fetches close to a half million dollars at auction?

Please, do not sign this petition, because it will change the ways of capitalism, which is the hard work that a person does to gain a profit, to communism, where the whiners and slackers live off the hard work of the top 30 percent of the hardest workers.

History has shown the the economics of communism do not work.

I am trying to start an online community on literally a shoe-string budget. The names I was searching I was sure were too unique to have been registered, but I was wrong. Overall I have exhausted a list of about 12 names. And what makes it worse is that only 2 of the 12 are actually developed, the rest are parked, and that is the real crime here.

I've heard domain names are the new real estate, and having a real estate license, I have to agree. But there are some significant differences in that there are government bodies and regulations set up to encourage development so that land is put to the best and most efficient use. I don't see anything similar when it comes to domain names.

Call me crazy, but I don't think having the internet crammed with premium, parked domains that exist solely to sell advertising is the most effective use of the internet.

Signed

Squatting domains with no intention to use them is stifling companies that want to start businesses. I recently researched 5 variations of a name and was shocked to find every one, even grammatically incorrect variations were taken. Now I'm forced to come up with some random name like hulu, which will require my company to spend tons of money into marketing this name to associate it with the product.

I have worked in the entertainment internet world for a long time and was in charge of securing names for new shows and was appalled at how fast people would steal the names for movies they obviously were not going to produce... particularly those registered days after the film was announced. One of these squatters even had the audacity to offer it back for a premium sum.

The .com extension should be reserved for active businesses. Not pages with adsense all over them (which incidentally according to adsense rules is against the TOS). I think if you buy a .com name you will need to show intent to use the name appropriately within 6 months or forced to give it back.

It's speculation which is just a form of capitalism. Why not go after big money speculators who buy up houses that have been foreclosed on and resell them? Most domainers I know are just small business people, trying to earn a little extra money.