Re: [wg-c] Pre-sold TLDs

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Mon, Apr 17, 2000 at 05:59:54PM -0700, Christopher Ambler wrote:
> > The money to be made is (should be?)on the registry side, so from that
> point
> > of view, one answer could be "who cares?". After all, what I *think* I'm
> > reading here is that you want IOD to be a registrar. Yes, I know you've
> said
> > many times that you want IOD to be a registry, but I don't think that the
> > way things are currently going would allow ANY company to be at the sime
> > time registrar AND registry. If you want IOD to be a registry too, then
> > you'd have to split into to separate entities *now* (not some 4 year -or
> > whatever- provision like what was given to NSI, which in any case I
> *think*
> > has already split completely -though I may be VERY wrong-).
> 
> Okay, we'll split now. Next issue?

If you are split, which company is suing CORE, and why?

But following this line of reasoning, there are now two companies -- one
desiring to be a registrar, the other desiring to be a registry.  The
registrar has a list of people it would like to get in an accredited
.web registry (run by anyone), but it has to be an accredited ICANN
registrar for that to happen. 

So, what next #1, after the split: Registrar gets accreditation from
ICANN, and starts making money registering real names...  this registrar
has a list of names for a .web that it will eagerly register when it
gets a chance, but that will go through the round robin with all the
other registrars.  However, to expand on Johns point, people who have
preregistered with IOD (the registrar) aren't likely to have 
preregistered elsewhere, and on balance, IOD would be well positioned 
to get many of its preregistrations in the real root.  Note that it 
makes no difference to the registrar which company might get the .web 
registry -- the registry must treat all accredited registrars equally, 
regardless of who it is.

But, accepting that whatever registry might get .web is going to start 
fresh, and go through a round robin with all accredited ICANN 
registrars, there is no point in bogus assertions of  intellectual 
property in .web -- they serve no purpose except to feed lawsuits.  
Moreover, a pure registry will work fine with any TLD.

So, what next #2: IOD the registry should drop all claims to .web and
position itself to bid on any and all TLDs that might become available. 

Net result: Two companies.  IOD the registrar makes money registering in
.web, in .com/net/org/firm/shop/arts/whatever; IOD the registry makes
its money registering names for any TLDs it happens to win a bid on,
just like CORE the registry would register names for any TLDS it wins a
bid on.  Two viable companies, each making profit -- not exactly the
model you had in mind, but Jeez, it makes money and it's an honorable
profession. 

I submit that this is an infinitely better result than bankrupting IODs 
investors in a bunch of problematic lawsuits.

-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain