As well as social costs, I see the trading of domain names as involving some 
considerable benefits. I also believe that trading is inevitable, and needs 
not just to be recognised as such, but accomodated by our registration 
authorities. 

After all the supply of unique com.au domain names is limited, and so there 
will inevitably be competing demands for particular names. 

Trading resolves the competing demands by awarding a name to those willing to 
pay the highest price for it. 

Increasing the supply of unique names, by removing the current com.au 
prohibitions on generic/dictionary names will not obviate the need for 
trading, but may help to alleviate unsatisifed demand pressure for names in 
general. 

The creation of alternative sources of supply of domain names for businesses, 
such as the proposed biz.au would also help in that regard. But the advent of 
new second level domains is also problematic in many respects, a goodly number
of which have already been outlined in discussions on this list. 

My inclination is to think that it would be better to encourage less 
restrictive com.au policies and to accomodate and facilitate trading in com.au
names, rather than to encourage the establishment of new second level domains,
such as biz.au. 

Similarly, where existing com.au domain name holders of Melbourne IT have 
difficulties/disagreements with their administrative policies ( such as in the
anniversary versus common renewal debate) I thought the current framework 
encouraged/allowed for alternative and competing com.au registration bodies to
be established. 

This might be academic, of course if biz.au is already up and running. So what
is the current status of biz.au? 

Stewart Carter,
ECA Messaging Group,
edireport§attmail.com 

Disclaimer: I'd be disappointed if someone, somewhere didn't share my views, 
but I'm not actually claiming anyone does.