Re: [ga-org] ORG.COOP

[Jonathan Weinberg <weinberg@mail.msen.com>]

At 01:12 AM 6/20/2001 +0200, Marc Schneiders wrote:
>On Tue, 19 Jun 2001, at 00:00 [=GMT-0400], Jonathan Weinberg wrote:
> > At 05:27 PM 6/18/2001 +0200, Marc Schneiders wrote:
> > >What do you think about the idea to turn .ORG into a cooperation,
> > >owned by the registrants? These would then elect the board that
> > >'rules' it. This could also function as an experiment in online
> > >democracy. Elections are relatively easy to organize on the basis of
> > >whois information already in place.

> >          I think that setting up .ORG as a shareholder cooperative is an
> > interesting idea, but I wonder about the "ruling" of org. I suspect that
> > this is related to the question we were discussing of .ORG's registration
> > policy.  If .ORG is to have restrictive registration policies, then the
> > notion of a shareholder cooperative is appealling because of the idea that
> > this structure will allow the registry to make the right policy decisions
> > for the relevant community on matters like registration policies.   On the
> > other hand, if we think that .ORG should have an open registration policy,
> > then there may be few important decisions involved in the "ruling" of .ORG
> > -- just the unexciting work of operating an open registry.  In that case,
> > the structure of the registry may be less important.  Or am I missing the
> > boat here?
>
>How 'exciting' it could be, would largely depend on the space given to
>the new registry. It could e.g. have a UDRP that is different from the
>one for .COM.

         Good point.  I suppose the thing defining that "space" is the 
registry contract with ICANN -- will it leave management free to set or 
change policy on matters such as a trademark DRP, or (as appears to be the 
case with .biz and .info) will it specify policies that management is 
powerless to alter?  From another angle, even if management has essentially 
no policy authority, the cooperative structure might be useful so that 
management, in negotiating the contract with the company actually providing 
the registry services, has an incentive to keep prices low . . .

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