New gTLDs according to Registrars

This article follows my previous article entitled “New gTLDs according to Registrants”: an article dedicated to providing a feed-back on the ICANN ne gTLD program from a Registrant perspective. This time voice is given to accredited Registrars, the service provider in charge of selling domain names to end users: The Registrants.

A Registrar?
I call a "Registrar", the company in charge of selling domain names. To do so, a Registrar needs to be “accredited” to the Registries of his choice. This way, website owners and law firms, webmasters and other IP departments can proceed to the registration of a domain name. There are resellers too but most of the time they are affiliated to a Registrar.

On the domain name pyramid, the Registrar sits o the second floor: above the Registrant and below the Registry. The Registrant buys to the Registrar and the Registrar buys to the Registry.

Feedback received from Registrars:

1. Early in the ICANN new gTLD program, a question was raised and as aperson involved in launching the .EU Registry (long before the ICANN new gTLD program), I admit it was a very sensitive one: “if it cost me €10,000.00 to accredit myself to become a “.EU” accredited Registrar, where shall I find the mony to become accredited to all new gTLDs?” It is lucky that this problem was solved a long ago because I cannot imagine any Retail or Corporate Registrar not being ble to offer all new domains because of a treasury problem.
2. Good: “new domain names offer an opportunity to reach out to my clients with new offers”.
3. The average price for new domain names is much higher than a “.com”: it is going to cost more to my clients: ma margin is going to be very low.
4. “We must block Registries from selling domain names” Remember the “Vertical Integration”?
5. “High priced new domain names will never sell!”
6. Good for business, Registrants will have to buy more domain names or they will increase their chances to be cybersquatted...and actually, I am not responsible for that: it is ICANN’s fault for allowing so many new domian name extensions.
7. More domain names to monitor means more monitoring to sell…
8. Aren’t we, Corporate Registrars, becoming the reselling network of the Trademark Clearinghouse? Just for the note, the Trademark Clearinghouse allows Trademark owners to participate in Sunrise Periods.
9. Becoming a Trademark Clearinghouse’s agent is an excellent service to offer for Corporate Registrars.
10. Shall I buy my “.domains” domain name?
11. More coming...

Coming next:

1. "New gTLDs according to Registrars";
2. "New gTLDs according to Registries";
3. Updated: "New gTLDs according to Backend Registries";
4. "New gTLDs according to ICANN" .