I am a domainer.
You call me a cybersquatter.
Apparently, owning a domain that someone else suddenly wants is enough to turn an investor into a villain.
The transformation can happen very quickly.
Yesterday, nobody cared about the domain.
Today, someone has a business idea.
Tomorrow, I am accused of standing in the way of progress.
Words do not always describe reality. Sometimes they are used to diminish a person and devalue work that others do not understand.
A businessman may be called a fraud simply because he wants to make a profit. A trader may be called a profiteer before anyone examines whether his activity is honest. A shop owner may be called a speculator because the selling price is higher than the purchase price.
The same happens in the domain industry.
A person buys, manages, develops, holds, or sells domain names, and someone immediately calls that person a cybersquatter. No one checks whether a trademark was targeted, whether the domain was registered in bad faith, or whether any law was broken.
The accusation is based only on the fact that the domain may eventually be sold for a profit.
That is not analysis. It is labeling.
A Profession Is Not Evidence of Wrongdoing
Every profession includes honest people and people who break rules.
Some business owners commit fraud, but that does not make every business owner a fraud.
Some judges accept bribes, but that does not make every judge corrupt.
Some domain owners register names in bad faith, but that does not make every domain investor a cybersquatter.
A profession, source of income, or business model cannot prove wrongdoing. What matters is the person’s specific conduct.
Was someone deceived?
Was a legal right violated?
Was there bad faith?
Is there evidence?
Without facts, a serious accusation becomes little more than an insult.
The Same Pattern Appears Everywhere
A businessman is called a fraud because he seeks profit.
A trader is called a profiteer because he resells goods.
A shop owner is called a speculator because he applies a retail markup.
A wholesaler is called a parasite because he resells products to retailers.
A seller is called a deceiver because the selling price is higher than the purchase price.
A judge is called corrupt because one party dislikes the decision.
A diplomat is called a hypocrite because diplomatic work requires cautious language.
An immigration officer is called racist simply because the officer applies immigration rules.
A cleaner is called a servant, reducing necessary work to a humiliating stereotype.
A professional food taster is called a freeloader because tasting products is part of the job.
In each example, the observer notices one visible part of the work and ignores everything behind it.
The observer sees profit but not risk.
The observer sees a markup but not salaries, rent, taxes, transport, storage, unsold goods, and responsibility.
The observer sees someone tasting food but not quality control, consistency, safety, and professional judgment.
The visible action is mistaken for the entire profession.
Profit Is Not Proof of Fraud
A seller who buys something for one price and sells it for more is not automatically dishonest.
The difference may cover research, marketing, taxes, commissions, losses, operating costs, and the risk that the asset may never sell.
The same applies to domain investing.
A domain investor may hold a domain for years, pay renewal fees, study the market, answer inquiries, negotiate with potential buyers, and accept the possibility that the domain will never produce any return.
An outsider may see only two numbers:
Bought for €100. Sold for €5,000.
What remains invisible are years of expenses, thousands of domains that never sold, unsuccessful negotiations, taxes, platform fees, and capital tied up without certainty of profit.
Profit may be the result of knowledge, patience, timing, risk, and responsibility. It is not proof of fraud.
Resale Is a Normal Economic Activity
Much of the economy is based on lawful resale.
Wholesalers resell products.
Retailers resell products.
Car dealers resell vehicles.
Art dealers resell paintings.
Real estate investors resell property.
Collectors resell rare objects.
Stock investors resell shares.
Domain investors resell domain names.
Resale does not become immoral simply because the asset is digital.
A domain name is intangible, but so are software licences, shares, copyrights, patents, and trademarks. Digital assets can still require capital, management, research, and risk.
A Domainer Is Not Automatically a Cybersquatter
The false reasoning often looks like this:
- A domain is already registered.
- Another person wants it.
- The owner is willing to sell it.
- Therefore, the owner must be a cybersquatter.
But willingness to sell a domain does not prove abuse.
A domain may be a dictionary word, a generic term, an acronym, a surname, a geographical expression, or a name registered long before a later company or trademark existed.
A domain owner should be judged by the circumstances of a specific registration, not by membership in a profession.
Calling every domain investor a cybersquatter is similar to calling every shop owner a profiteer simply because shops sell goods at a markup.
It replaces evidence with prejudice.
Why Labels Are So Effective
A negative label creates immediate moral superiority.
The person using it presents himself as honest and places the other person in the position of the suspect.
The businessman becomes a fraud.
The investor becomes a parasite.
The trader becomes a profiteer.
The domainer becomes a cybersquatter.
Once the label is accepted, the accused person must defend not only one action but his entire profession and character.
This is convenient for the accuser because evidence is no longer necessary. Instead of examining what happened, the accuser condemns the person first.
Unfamiliar Work Is Easily Devalued
People often underestimate work they cannot see.
A programmer may solve a serious problem by changing a few lines of code.
A consultant may spend hours analysing a situation before giving a short recommendation.
A domain investor may study hundreds of names before acquiring one.
A professional food taster may take one bite and identify a defect affecting an entire production batch.
To an uninformed observer, the final action looks easy.
The years of experience, failed attempts, preparation, and responsibility remain invisible.
That creates the illusion that easy-looking work is not real work.
Criticise Actions, Not Entire Professions
None of this means that dishonest conduct should be ignored.
A fraudulent businessman should be investigated.
A corrupt judge should be held accountable.
A racist official should face consequences.
A domain owner who knowingly abuses another party’s rights should not hide behind the title of investor.
But there is a major difference between saying:
“This person committed fraud.”
and saying:
“Businesspeople are frauds.”
There is a difference between saying:
“This domain was registered in bad faith.”
and saying:
“Domain investors are cybersquatters.”
The first statement can be examined through evidence.
The second is a stereotype.
Judge the Action, Not the Profession
A businessman is not automatically a fraud because he seeks profit.
A shop owner is not automatically a speculator because prices include a markup.
A wholesaler is not automatically a parasite because he resells goods.
A judge is not automatically corrupt because someone dislikes the decision.
A diplomat is not automatically a hypocrite because careful language is part of the job.
A cleaner is not a servant because the work involves cleaning.
A food taster is not a freeloader because tasting is part of the profession.
And a domain investor is not automatically a cybersquatter because domain names are bought, held, and sold.
Judge people by proven actions, not by insulting labels attached to their profession.
“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”
— Maya Angelou
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