BBC stockpiling Internet domain names

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News [Internet]
Thursday 19th January 2006

BBC stockpiling Internet domain names 4:13PM
The BBC has stockpiled hundreds of Internet domain names apparently unrelated to its programmes or business.
The MediaGuardian discovered that the corporation has registered the likes of pcforpeanuts.co.uk, plantx.co.uk and theslate.co.uk.

The BBC said that the names had been registered in case of possible future use and to prevent other websites taking domains that

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relate to BBC projects. But, as the Guardian notes, that does not explain the registration of internationalunit.com or collinsshaw.co.uk. (This could be construed as an obtuse form of cybersquatting, since Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw were the stars of seventies ITV drama The Professionals.)

The British Internet Publishers Alliance called for the names to be released.

'The BBC ought to use this opportunity to do something positive by releasing those domain names - certainly there is no justification in paying out licence money to hang on to them,' said BIPA secretary, Angela Mills Wade.

Around 200 such domains have been registered, some of which relate to current research projects or are designed to prevent anyone else using them - bbcawards.com example. The BBC also owns multiple names relating to specific programmes. None of the domains appear to be in use.

The cost of registering the domains has not been disclosed.

Simon Aughton
From pcpro news.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/82378/b...main-names.html

I found this an interesting article and thought that y'all might