[registrars] DomainRegistry.com comments on Verisign.com websites

[Larry Erlich <erlich@domainregistry.com>]

Elana, 

Per teleconference, summary of DomainRegistry.com's comments
with with respect to Verisign.com and/or
Verisign-grs.net website and selling domain names. 

Facts/Observations:

1) As a result of the pending revisions to the
1999 agreements, Verisign is retaining rights to .com etc.
and will act as both Registry and Registrar.
Wholesale and retail.

2) Consequently, Verisign will continue to 
be identified as the authoritative
source for registration of .com etc. Verisign.com will
be identified in the press, in books, in movies (don't laugh)
as the new "Internic".
(Millions of dollars worth of free press
this past week alone.) 

3) New TLD operators such as .biz and .pro will not offer
direct (retail) domain name registration from their CORPORATE
web sites, but instead refer to a list of ICANN accredited
registrars (of which they may be an ICANN accredited
registrar appearing on that list?) to register in those
TLD's

4) Obviously, Verisign will offer (as they do today) retail
domain registrations directly off their corporate
Verisign.com website.

4a) There is nothing to prevent Verisign.com from
offering domain registration in a even more
obvious way than offered today (currently a link in several
places on the home page, but in the future it could be a "register
here" box, could be anything. It could be "domain registrations
only $8 etc.) ANY LINK TO THEIR RETAIL OPERATION 
SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED FROM VERISIGN.COM

4b) The fact that Verisign COULD sell domain
names as a reseller from the Verisign.com website
under the 1999 agreements is irrelevant. (We would
be glad to have the 1999 agreements remain.)

5) Consequently, Verisign will enjoy an advantage
that the other REGISTRY operators don't have and
a clear advantage over other ICANN accredited
REGISTRARS. 

6) There is no way to prevent the press and the
public from perceiving that Verisign.com is the
authoritative place to register domain names AND
EXPLOITING THE FACT THAT THEY HAVE RETAINED NSI
REGISTRAR. They have a unfair advantage over other
ICANN registrars as a result of their long
standing monopoly.
An advantage that the new TLD's don't have.

7) Consequently Verisign should be prevented
from doing ANYTHING but pointing to the ICANN
accredited registrar list from ANY AND ALL
parts of the Verisign.com/Verisign-grs.net website. They should
further be prevented from exploiting their advantage
(by words, press releases or advertisements) that
they are the authoritative company in charge
of the .com etc registries.

Ken's point to be added about Verisign-grs.net

Larry Erlich

http://www.DomainRegistry.com

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Larry Erlich - DomainRegistry.com, Inc.
215-244-6700 - FAX:215-244-6605 - Reply: erlich@DomainRegistry.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------