Does anyone think it will ever happen, that domain names could be owned outright?

[Adrigan]

I have often thought about this topic and I just wanted to see if other people have thought about this too.

Would this be a good thing, a bad thing? If you think either or both, why?

Plus, what would need to happen to make this is a reality.?

 

[internext]

Not a chance. No one would give up the control or the revenue. Not to mention, names would never get back into circulation since there would be no way of knowing if the owner died or lost interest in the name

 

[MKA]

You are the legal owner of your domain.

If you're talking about the annual renewal fee, that's just there to cover the costs of operating the registrar...or at the very least that's what it's supposed to be.

 

[bmugford]

Not a chance. No one would give up the control or the revenue. Not to mention, names would never get back into circulation since there would be no way of knowing if the owner died or lost interest in the name

That's a good point. There really needs to be some type of cycle, otherwise you are kind of blackholing domains from ever being used again.

Brad

 

[Adrigan]

Not a chance. No one would give up the control or the revenue. Not to mention, names would never get back into circulation since there would be no way of knowing if the owner died or lost interest in the name

That's a good point. There really needs to be some type of cycle, otherwise you are kind of blackholing domains from ever being used again.

Brad

OK, but we allow people to own physical property outright and there's no fear that people will never relinquish ownership of most of those. True, domain names have a finite aspect that changes things but if ownership, as opposed to renting, was significantly more expensive for domains as it is for physical properties, then perhaps that problem would not occur?

Why do domains need to be out back into circulation?
Coca-cola, Ford, Google, Amazon, Tesla, Kellogg's, and lots of others, aren't ever going to relinquish their domain names while they trade. Yes, they could all go bankrupt, but then their assets would all be sold and anything worthless, or things that would become worthless, like their name and thus, domain names, would just never be used again and tossed into the dumpster.

 

[internext]

OK, but we allow people to own physical property outright and there's no fear that people will never relinquish ownership

I wish!! I pay $8,000/year in property tax to my town to "own" my home. Pay recurring registration and annual property tax on vehicles too. I pay insurance on my home annually and my cars every 6 months.

All for items I own "outright".

Miss any of the above payments and eventually kiss "your" property goodbye! Many seniors are forced to sell their homes after they retire because they can no longer afford the property tax! Ownership relinquished

 

[Adrigan]

I wish!! I pay $8,000/year in property tax to my town to "own" my home. Pay recurring registration and annual property tax on vehicles too. I pay insurance on my home annually and my cars every 6 months.

All for items I own "outright".

Miss any of the above payments and eventually kiss "your" property goodbye! Many seniors are forced to sell their homes after they retire because they can no longer afford the property tax! Ownership relinquished

I am with you on your points. There is more or less nothing that can be exploited and stolen that isn't. Tax is theft and the petty and vicious criminals in power, everywhere, do more or less what they want and are never taken to ask.

But if owning a home outright (no mortgage) and even with the exploitative charges levied for no reason wasn't worth it, perhaps most people just would rent long term as people did for centuries. In those times, people were beholden to the whims of the pier landlords who could do whatever they wanted. And so over time, owning property became a desirable thing and many people changed form being tenants to owners.
I am not a student if this subject so I am happy with being corrected.

Yes, the system found a ways to screw people still, but once you close your door, you can do more or less as you wish and in some countries, you are entitled to kill anyone who comes into/onto your property illegally/without your consent.

 

[pb]

I wish!! I pay $8,000/year in property tax to my town to "own" my home.

That's crazy. Just today I've paid my house+land property tax for 2025. $129. And no, I don't live in an pithouse.

 

[johnn]

That's crazy. Just today I've paid my house+land property tax for 2025. $129. And no, I don't live in an pithouse.

$129 for property taxes. Do you live on the water?

 

[johnn]

And why people always have weird questions here???

 

[pb]

$129 for property taxes. Do you live on the water?

I wish! Well, ok, I wish I lived *by* the water. But no, I live on a hill.

 

[internext]

I've paid my house+land property tax for 2025. $129.

I'd like to be able to retire someday. That's great!

 

[johnn]

Buy a boat and live in it

- You will never have to pay toll for highway
- No property taxes
- No sewer
- No water bill
- Free food in the water - there is no limit how much you can eat
- When you die you don't have to buy cemetery lot have your wife throw your body in the water

 

[Wesley S]

its like a lifetime tire they came out with and we never saw them, the tire and petroleum companies kept it from happening. Well, so will the registrars and verisign.

 

[Cannuck]

Plus, what would need to happen to make this is a reality?

That's the idea behind unstoppable domains, there are no renewal fees, besides being on the block-chain. I registered a handful (for crypto wallets and faucet) with matching .com.

As far as real estate goes, I found some rural property and live off-grid. Without the need for services, my annual property taxes are next to nothing. By downsizing, having a water supply, solar and wind power generator, and a mature forest for wood, helps too.

 

[forge]

And why people always have weird questions here???

There must be something in the water.

 

[Samer]

And why people always have weird questions here???

This question is one of my biggest dreams.

 

[eyedomainous]

In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the exclusive right to a domain name is protected as property under article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

https://eurolawyer.at/wp-content/uploads/pdf/EGMR-25379-04.pdf

 

[AniMeshorer]

In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the exclusive right to a domain name is protected as property under article 1 of Protocol 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights.

But what does that mean concretely then? I never heard about this court ruling, despite being in the EU. Most important decisions the EU makes are in media here in Europe, but this court ruling I never heard of.



To the OP: you do own your domain legally. As long as you pay your renewal fees, your domain is yours legally. You could choose to keep it your entire life.

The comparison with property is a good one, but there are some differences between owning a domain and owning a property. Imagine you go bankrupt, your property can be confiscated to pay off your debts. And while you can own your house or apartment legally for your entire life, when you die it mostly goes to an heir (in my country the heir, usually the spouse or children of the deceased person, pays taxes for this). If the deceased person has no heirs, I'm not sure what happens, but I would assume you can specify this in your testament. I actually never thought about the latter (yet).

 

[enterscope]

We'll see monthly renewals before they give up that revenue