:PROPERTIES:
:CREATED:  [2026-05-24 Sun]
:ID:       2e390c1d-65f3-5fb3-b898-ac3fc4291ee7
:END:
#+title: Premium Username Registry
#+filetags: :passepartout:social-protocol:revenue:names:registry:

The DID system is permissionless — anyone generates their own DID via HD key derivation. But human-readable @handles (short names, common words, brand names) are naturally scarce. The early player controls the namespace registry.

- **Free tier:** any DID can claim a namespace.username on a first-come, first-served basis with proof of key ownership
- **Premium tier:** short names (2-3 chars), common words, brand names, squatter prevention via auction or annual lease
- **Revenue model:** $5-$50/year per premium username, auction revenue for highly contested names (single-letter, common surnames). ENS-style: registration fees fund development, not speculation.

At scale: 1M premium usernames at $10/yr average = $10M/yr recurring. The namespace registry is a natural monopoly — the early player's registry is the most widely accepted, so every new user registers there. Network effects lock in. The premium username registry works together with a [[id:1a2b38df-20ba-58ca-ba55-a072be67bd0d][PDS as a service]] offering and a [[id:3c6b0449-a8fb-5b89-b82a-34efb21ef5b5][Compute marketplace]] to form a complete revenue ecosystem.
