www.33.com - domain name may be for sale

As it was informed early on in this blog, there are seven web sites pending applications regarding the well known case of the 33 Chilean miners at the Nic (Institution in charge of registering web domains in Chile). I was wondering why I did not hear anything about one of the most common and traditional gTLD, namely .com.

Today, this matter was clarified. I was reading the newspaper El Mercurio and I came across an article regarding this issue. The web address www.33.com is already owned by an English firm and it could be yours for between $ 100 thousand and $ 500 thousand Chilean pesos. However, note the following: to register a name at the Nic will cost $ 18.900 for the first two years.

Is this a type of cybersquatting or hijacking? It is said that the site was purchased back in 2007, and clearly there was no intention to block the registration of the domain name (unless they were psychics). Yet, it is my understanding that domain piracy implies this act – a person who register several domain names at a time which are or will be considered necessary two others. Why registering two numerals? If I consider the offer (price) I cannot draw a conclusion that may indicate good faith.
After all, I am not surprise that people back in Chile is trying to register a more convenient name and after all, a regional one with the ccTLD (country code) .cl.

You can check www.33.com here, and coincidently (or not) it contains a link regarding news of the 33 Chilean miners rescued.