Re: [ga] Re: Increase in renewal fees in bad faith/fraudulent by .NU and .MD domains.

["William X. Walsh" <william@userfriendly.com>]

Hello Matt,

While I will say that .nu as a ccTLD is offering registrations at  FAR
over what their real market value is, a $5 price increase per
registration year is hardly something that ICANN nor the US Congress
should concern themselves with.  To accuse them of price gouging based
on that makes it appear you are more interested in grandstanding.

Are .nu domains overvalued by their registry?  Yes.
Are they engaging in illegal price gouging?  Highly unlikely.

Friday, January 19, 2001, 12:25:50 PM, Matt Hooker wrote:

> January 19, 2001

> To: ICANN

> To: Bill Semich, .NU Domain

> Re: Increase in renewal fees for domains by .NU and
> .MD  Registrars - clearly in bad faith, probably
> fraudulent, "blackmail" type of behavior - that must
> be regulated and prohibited by ICANN, failing that by
> the U.S. Government.

> Hello Bill,

> I've got a big problem with .Nu domains:

> When I and my company first bought some .NU domains,
> we entered into a contract to pay that price ($25) per
> year for as long as we wished to own each domain. We
> did not agree to rent the domains from you, nor to
> give you a blank check to raise the prices in the
> future.

> I have recently been informed that you have raised
> prices, and will not allow us to continue to renew
> each year at $25 per year. I believe that this is in
> bad faith, and is a breech of contract, and perhaps
> fraudulent.

> Please respond as to how you feel you are legally and
> ethically entitled to change your prices for an
> existing customer. This is an issue that must be
> addressed by ICANN and by the U.S. Government. Surely,
> neither .NU nor any other organization should be
> allowed to "hold hostage", as it were, a domain by
> raising the price upon renewal. This is, in our
> opinion, akin to blackmail. We have expended
> considerable resources, including time and money, for
> each of our .NU domains, and we believe it to be in
> very bad faith for you to raise renewal prices. We are
> a "captive audience", indeed much more than an
> "audience" - a customer in face, and you hold a
> monopoly position. The .MD people are trying to do the
> same thing to us, and with a much bigger price
> increase. This kind of fraudulent practice in bad
> faith must be clearly prohibited, and I call on ICANN
> to prohibit this before the U.S. Congress does.


> Sincerely,

> Matt Hooker
> President
> Strategic Investment Management Inc.




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-- 
Best regards,
 William                            mailto:william@userfriendly.com


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