For the purpose of this article it is not necessary to concentrate too much on defining what a Premium domain name is and what it is useful for: all that we need to know is simple, a premium domain name is often a memorable generic name, short or medium in length and highly valuable due to its relevance in search. However, when it comes to finding out how to register a premium domain name then it becomes much more difficult because you won't necessarily know where to go. I decided to focus on one Registry to demystify the premium names conundrum.
"My Registrar does not know"
Some Registrars do their job and will guide you in the right direction but it is important to note that it is not necessarily in their remit to provide consultancy services to help you in registering a Premium domain name. The reason for this is that often a Registrar won't actually make any money by registering a Premium Domain on your behalf. It will once, and once only, when the name has been transferred to it. A Premium Domain name costs more than the Registrar's standard price because it is desirable and it is because is not bought or sold via the registrar. Instead, an external service provider will offer that service and receive a percentage, in return of the sale.
An example with a "Portfolio Registry Operator" named Famous Four Media
Famous Four Media is a Registry Operator responsible for overseeing Premium Domain names of fifty seven new domain name extensions. Some domains like .BID, .TRADE and .WEBCAM are already available for sunrise and pre-registrations at Registrars like GoDaddy but their Premium domains are also available to register, if you follow one of these two different procedures.
When interested in finding a Premium Domain in one of the Domain name extensions managed by Famous Four Media, I discovered two main ways to do it:
1. Contact the Premium Names Manager: The larger registry operators will have someone who is in charge of the high value names. In Famous Four Media's case the Premium Names Manager is Ola Alli, and he was of great assistance when it came to finding out how or where to register their Premium Domain names. Securing one of these names often means spending substantial amounts of money, so Ola and his team are the right people to ease you through the process, and answer whatever questions you might have regarding the Famous Four Media Premium program.
Note: Registry Operators are not permitted to sell domain names directly to the end user (Registrant) but can help you find the best place to get one.
2. The .WEBCAM example: If you want to register the highly valuable premium domain name sexy.webcam you will need to go to a place named "Sedo", where the world's largest inventory of premium domains is offered. There is a page dedicated to this specific domain name extension and from there the procedure is pretty simple.
Additionally some Registrars who are integrated with Sedo's Premium platform will have access to and be able to sell Famous Four Media's Premium Name offerings to you. This means that customers at any participating registrar can buy the Premium Domain Names listed with Sedo in the respective registrars shopping cart and immediately get control of them.
It is worth noting that the pricing of Famous Four Media's Premium Names are not made publicly available until General Availability opens (June 9th). At this point prices can be obtained directly through FFM, Sedo, a Sedo integrated registrar or via an FFM appointed broker who has been assigned the premium name.
A fair and straightforward Fee Structure
The standard term for registering a Premium Domain with Famous Four Media is that there won't be any buyer requirements such as "no parking page". Basically, once acquired, the Registrant is free to do what they want with the domain name. We are not following a Pioneer Program here where the buyer has to follow strict rules to use his domain name.
The pricing structure is also straightforward and, I think, fair in that the premium cost will be a one-time acquisition fee which will be followed only by the standard renewal fee.
"Fair" is the key word here as some other Registries are maintaining the Premium domain name renewal fee the same as the original acquisition price!
A fictional example of this pricing structure based a .WEBCAM domain name could be to register www.space.webcam for the price of $112,000 but to renew it at the standard renewal rate; less than $30 per year.
As the number of Famous Four Media's domain name extensions continues to grow, with .DATE, .FAITH, .PARTY, .REVIEW and .SCIENCE set to be launched later this year, interested parties should keep an eye out for them and their respective Premium names via this page at Sedo. Furthermore, Famous Four Media is also growing their premium sales channel and developing innovative ways to further enhance their premium program and the various procedures it entails. So make sure to keep posted for announcements on this in the near future.
Written by Jean Guillon, New generic Top-Level Domain specialist
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