The case for Web sites ending in ‘.sucks’

[Commentary] Should people be banned from registering domain names that end in ".sucks"? It's easy to see how this could get out of hand.

A politician might take out his opponent's name and put .sucks at the end. Cyberbullies might use the suffix to torment teens and young children. In the wrong hands, a .sucks domain could do real damage. But maybe clamping down isn't the best move.

The .sucks domain isn't available yet; ICANN still needs to decide whether to approve the pending application. But that hasn't stopped three companies from asking for permission to sell the rights to .sucks domains.

In the case of one registrar, Vox Populi, trademark holders would have to pay as much as $25,000 a year just to hang onto their own domain. Most reasonable people would probably agree the .sucks domain doesn't "serve the public interest," as Sen Rockefeller put it. Yet at the same time, the case for banning the domain doesn't seem all that strong, either.