RE: [nc-deletes] Minutes - Conference Call, November 15

["John Berryhill" <john@johnberryhill.com>]

> Where in my response did I say that my proposal was going to be
> one which required the registrant to remain the owner
> against their wishes?

Consider my response to be a comment to the effect that I hope it is not
one.

> Calm down.

I will take that under advisement.  I am awaiting diagnosis of a neck injury
which has rendered me relatively immobile, in considerable pain, and
probably grouchier than usual.

> If you have a domain which is coming up for renewal in
> 2-3 months but the client is very keen to resolve the problem,
> you would not advise them to wait for that length of time to see
> whether the domain was renewed, because if it is, then you are 2-3 months
behind

Whether the client is "keen to resolve the problem" is not a DNS policy
issue.  The registrant may be just as keen to see the domain name expire at
the end of its term.  Whose expectations should matter more, from an
objective policy standpoint?

If, in fact, the registrant renews the domain name after having received
notice, then your case is stronger, since now you have a deliberate action
taken under notice.  A competent attorney in this area might consider
telling the client that, if such an attorney has any interest in serving the
client effectively.

I have advised clients who have received threats over domain names near
expiration to merely allow the domain names to expire.  I don't think your
clients smell better than mine, or that their rightful expectations that the
domain name will expire on time are invalidated by your clients' personal
frustrations or psychological conditions.  "The client" is not always a
trademark owner, and failing to appreciate the view from the other side is
not a way to make policy that is objective or fair.

Turn it around.  What would you advise a domain registrant who is a few
weeks away from expiration?  You do understand that there are registrars who
do not permit transfers within weeks of the expiration date.  For example,
itsyourdomain.com imposes a thirty-day cutoff, prior to expiration, for such
transactions.  Are you going to advise the client to waste time and money
explaining this to an attorney who does not understand the first thing about
domain registration, when the resolution to the matter will occur with
certainty and on schedule?

We're talking about an addressing system for a computer network, and not an
anti-anxiety medication.

It would seem that someone should tell your hypothetical client to "calm
down", since as you describe it, this "issue" arises from the impatience of
people who are sorely in need of such advice, dispensed freely here.