UK domainers start up industry association
By Kieren McCarthy
Published Wednesday 31st January 2007

A new association representing UK domain name resellers is due to be launched this Friday. The association will be officially unveiled at the Domain Channel conference this Friday in London. The conference pitches itself as the "first globally marketed conference dedicated entirely to the UK domain market". The UK's internet registry, run by Nominet, is the fourth largest internet address space in the world, behind .com, .net and Germany's .de, with over four million domains.

It is also, according to Domain Channel's organisers, "potentially the world's highest paying PPC [pay-per-click] market". Speakers at the event include Toth, Nominet CEO Lesley Cowley, the well-known Angus Hanton, and old Reg favourite Tommy Butler - the man who stared down the Law Society of Scotland. It is unclear what Domain Name Associates' plans are, although it is well known that domainers feel harshly treated by the internet establishment and are seeking greater representation and influence.

In an attempt to gain ground, domainer Andrew Bennett and several others recently stood for Nominet's board but were defeated by the two incumbent directors. The domainers' main complaint is that their activities - mostly registering UK domain names shortly after they expire in order to sell them on at a profit - are viewed as illegitimate. They argue that they have built a useful business model around a scarce resource.