According to the NSW Department of Fair Trading, registering a
business name in a dot com form doesn't add anything of value as the
dot com bit is disregarded anyway.  Probably the same in other States.

The registered owner of the domain name discount.com.au has the
registered business name Discount Computer Suppliers.  So the
registration  meets the normal policy requirements, no problem.

What is important to me, though, is that without any publicity, the
NSW Department of Fair Trading has increased their fees from 31 March
2000.  Business names have increased from $100 to $114 each.

With a nice laminated $5 certificate for your business name (needed
for display), the total cost of a dot au domain name based on a
business name in NSW is now $114 + $5 + $125 = $244.  The policy of
pre-requisite business name is starting to get very expensive.

Assuming they are available, the three US names will cost about A$110
each and net au another A$125.  A Trade Mark is about $500 just for a
single classification (hope you don't want more than one).  So to
secure a single name can be quite a financial burden even at cost.
Dot au names shouldn't be sold (another policy) but compensation may
be paid.

Personally I'm surprised at the size of the increase (14%) and the
timing before GST is introduced on 1 July 2000.  Especially as the
ACCC is beating the drum as a consumer watchdog to hold the line on
pre-GST price increases.

Does this mean the fees will go up again with the introduction of GST?

Believe me, it's a bureaucratic nightmare.  And the Dept of Fair
Trading in each State is full of people registering Business Names as
a prerequisite for registering domain names.  I have no doubt that the
Government's registration income has grown exponentially with the
internet.  And that's easy to check.

Why not just change registrants $200 or so and keep the extra hundred
dollars?   And then introduce, and monitor, a separate rule to prevent
cybersquatting if that's your intention?

Not do it indirectly by delegating the regulatory activity to the
Department of Fair Trading.


Patrick Corliss
patrick§quad.net.au
QUAD Quality Addressing Pty Ltd
Tel: 02-9740-9200