[comments-gtlds] Preregistrations

["Christopher Ambler" <cambler@iodesign.com>]

As I've said, I'm open to discussion on this point. 

Image Online Design began taking registrations on 31 July, 1996, when
IANA told us that we should do so in order to demonstrate the
working registry. 

Unfortunately, shortly thereafter the whole process was taken over by
the IAHC, which was, after 2 years, taken over by ICANN. Image
Online Design has continued to operate in this time, over the past
4 years.

What individuals do with respect to registering .web names with us is
mostly out of our control. Indeed, we went to a pre-pay by credit
card system at about the same time NSI did for .com, for the same
reasons - cybersquatters would register names, not pay for them, let
them expire, and re-register them. We felt that if they had to be paid
up-front, this would mitigate the problem. As it turns out, it has, to
a reasonable degree.

But the bottom line is that we did what IANA told us to do, when
they indicated that new TLDs would be going into the root shortly
after October, 1996. Furthermore, IANA asked, at the time, that
we also put up a disclaimer that it could take somewhat longer,
perhaps even partially into 1997. We did that.

When the situation looked like it would take even longer, we
removed that disclaimer, and put up a new one that said, in no
unclear terms, that the process was chaotic and undefined, and
might not even happen. We went so far as to say outright that
there would be no refunds if this failed. You have no idea what
that did to paid registrations. At the time, they virtually stopped.

Since then, we've seen registrations increase, which has given
the company the funding necessary to continue to operate. It's
not cheap to send representatives all over the world to
ICANN meetings. Our servers aren't free, nor is the bandwidth
we use. Every paid registration we receive is a vote for
competition.

Now, if there is a call to freeze pre-registrations at this time,
I'll listen to it. ICANN has but to ask. As the entity that is now,
for all intents and purposes (and in no small part legally) IANA,
they could tell us, "okay, you can stop taking registrations now,
you've proven that your registry works." We expected IANA
to do this in 1997, actually.

If, additionally, the issue of clearing the database prior to entry
into the roots is on the table, ICANN need only bring it up.
While we are opposed to it, we don't have closed minds. If
ICANN can show a good reason for it, and also show how it
won't harm our customers (or get us or them into legal
trouble for canceling existing contracts), I'd love to hear about
it.

Failing ICANN making a statement on this, all we're doing is
discussing theory. Which, as I said, I'm willing to do as well.

--
Christopher Ambler
chris@the.web