4 ms·

You are assuming that GrubHub won't simply shut down the domains if the restaurant owner asks, as an alternative to transferring. Why do you assume that? If tru

You are assuming that GrubHub won't simply shut down the domains if the restaurant owner asks, as an alternative to transferring. Why do you assume that? If true that would indeed be an absurd policy, but I've seen nothing in the reporting suggesting any such thing.

floatingatoll 7y ago
Their response to the press was “we always transfer when asked”, not “we always transfer or shutdown when asked”. You may either believe the omission of “or shutdown” to be accidental or non-accidental, due to incompetence or to malice. But it’s clearly omitted whether they would or not, which is often a classical marketing technique for diverting users with a plausibly-deniable statement that doesn’t offer what’s best for others while still seeming to be respectful and kind. This is why I took apart their statement financially, to demonstrate how harmful their stated approach is to businesses. They are of course welcome to revise their statement any time.
- kentonv 7y ago
  You are assuming that GrubHub has anticipated every possible accusation against them and has intentionally crafted their response with respect to each and every one. That's silly. No one has the ability to do that. GrubHub was responding to a very specific article which made a very specific claim that GrubHub was squatting these domains in order to lock restaurants into their platform. The most relevant response to that claim is to point out that they will transfer the domains if requested. The article in question did not make your "financial blackmail" claim, and there's no reason to expect that GrubHub would have anticipated it.
dragonwriter 7y ago
> Why do you assume that? Because it is reasonable to assume that, if they would do that, their PR defense would include that. Since it does not, but does I close transfer, it is reasonable to conclude that transfer on demand is the most they will do.
- floatingatoll 7y ago
  Note that a proper resolution here is for some tech press reporter to formally ask them to address whether or not they’ll stop and report on what they say. Unfortunately that’s outside the scope of an HN comment discussion :(

floatingatoll 7y ago

Their response to the press was “we always transfer when asked”, not “we always transfer or shutdown when asked”. You may either believe the omission of “or shutdown” to be accidental or non-accidental, due to incompetence or to malice. But it’s clearly omitted whether they would or not, which is often a classical marketing technique for diverting users with a plausibly-deniable statement that doesn’t offer what’s best for others while still seeming to be respectful and kind. This is why I took apart their statement financially, to demonstrate how harmful their stated approach is to businesses. They are of course welcome to revise their statement any time.

kentonv 7y ago
You are assuming that GrubHub has anticipated every possible accusation against them and has intentionally crafted their response with respect to each and every one. That's silly. No one has the ability to do that. GrubHub was responding to a very specific article which made a very specific claim that GrubHub was squatting these domains in order to lock restaurants into their platform. The most relevant response to that claim is to point out that they will transfer the domains if requested. The article in question did not make your "financial blackmail" claim, and there's no reason to expect that GrubHub would have anticipated it.

dragonwriter 7y ago

> Why do you assume that? Because it is reasonable to assume that, if they would do that, their PR defense would include that. Since it does not, but does I close transfer, it is reasonable to conclude that transfer on demand is the most they will do.

floatingatoll 7y ago
Note that a proper resolution here is for some tech press reporter to formally ask them to address whether or not they’ll stop and report on what they say. Unfortunately that’s outside the scope of an HN comment discussion :(