Vox Populi began accepting registrations
using ".sucks" on March 30 from trademark holders and celebrities before
it's released to public applicants. It has recommended charging $2,499 a
year for the privilege, and according to Vox Populi CEO John Berard,
most of the names have been sold by resellers for about $2,000 a year.
So far, purchased names include
Youtube.sucks, Bing.sucks, Visa.sucks, Bankofamerica.sucks, Yahoo.sucks,
Telusmobility.sucks and other major brand names.
Berard said Thursday that the domain name is
meant to create destinations for companies to interact with their
critics and called his company's business "well within the lines of
ICANN rules and the law."
Two weeks ago, the advisory body called the
Intellectual Property Constituency representing major companies and
industry groups asked ICANN in a letter to halt the rollout of ".sucks,"
calling it a "shakedown scheme" and "predatory."
Companies like GoDaddy.com register some
domain names for just $1 a year, and Vox Populi will offer consumers the
right to secure a ".sucks" address for just $10 a year starting in
September. The advisory body says that the threat of opening a ".sucks"
site to the average consumer later is "an essential element of Vox
Populi's coercive scheme."
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/5552592-internet-regulator-to-crack-down-of-sucks-domains/
