[council] Re: "Two companies raise problems..."...who ?

["Philip Sheppard" <philip.sheppard@aim.be>]

Jim, thank you for your e-mail sent to the 19 member Names Council, the NC
secretary and the ICANN Vice-president. You also copied the e-mail to eight
individuals and a list. It is therefore unclear from whom you expect a
response.

As you mention my name in the e-mail let me provide some information. In
future if you would like a response from the Names Council addressing the
e-mail directly to the NC chair and copying the NC list will be sufficient.
The Chair may speak for the NC but note in this reply I do not.

The point you raise about speculative registrations is an important one,
illustrated during the NC meeting with two examples. The NC did not feel it
appropriate to single out two of the number of organisations offering such
services but made the general point:
"The Names Council feels it is premature for companies to offer
pre-registration services for domain names in speculative new TLDs. To date,
no new TLDs have been selected and there is no guarantee that any particular
organization will be authorized to take registrations for any particular
TLD. The registration of names in new TLDs will be done on a fair basis, and
the practice of pre-registration should not be encouraged."

With regard to who was on the call at which time you ask for proof of a
negative. This is tricky at the best of times. Was there any proof Al Gore
was not on the call? Phone company records may tell us, if the need to
investigate can be shown.

You refer to the Names Council as "so-called". This is odd. It is a body
described in the by-laws of a public benefit corporation established in the
USA. It is not a term used as shorthand or jargon. The Names Council is the
correct title. You may have issue with its function, but seeking to
criticise its title seems unworthy.

Philip Sheppard.