[bc-gnso] TLD pre-registration

[Ron Andruff]

Michael,

I share your concern about the ballot box stuffing.  It is truly regrettable
that certain entities which see launching of domain names as a business
model have taken such measures as in my view it only serves to de-legitimize
an important process.

Thank you for making mention of it.  It is yet another sad aspect that
reflects badly on all of those that are working hard to establish a fair and
unimpeachable process.

Sincerely,

RA 

Ronald N. Andruff
RNA Partners, Inc.
220 Fifth Avenue, 20th floor
New York, New York 10001
 
www.rnapartners.com 
V: +1 212 481 2820 x 11
F:  +1 212 481 2859 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-bc-gnso at icann.org [mailto:owner-bc-gnso at icann.org] On Behalf Of
Michael D. Palage
Sent: 2010-01-19 08:38
To: 'Philip Sheppard'; bc-gnso at icann.org
Subject: RE: [bc-gnso] TLD pre-registration


Philip,

I personally find myself more aligned with your viewpoints than I do with
those expressed by Ron and Liz, however, I do not believe the BC charter
permits a suitable timeframe to submit a constituency statement.

I have been watching the EOI ballot box stuff exercise and believe it would
be most prudent/effective for individual members to submit their comments to
the forum.

I have just completed an article in connection with the EOI that I will be
publicly posting to the ICANN forum later today, and will forward it to the
BC list as well.

Best regards,

Michael


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-bc-gnso at icann.org [mailto:owner-bc-gnso at icann.org] On Behalf Of
Philip Sheppard
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 4:56 AM
To: bc-gnso at icann.org
Subject: [bc-gnso] TLD pre-registration


This is out for consultation.
The public comment period opens on 18 December 2009 and closes on 27 January
2010. Details at:
http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/#draft-eoi
<http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/#draft-eoi>  

 
My draft initial comments are as follows.
Comments ?
If there is consensus / support I'd be happy to write something up as a BC
position.
Philip
 
--------------------
We oppose the concept of pre-registration and expressions of interest (EOI)
for
the following reasons.

1. Distraction
The EOI process should not distract ICANN from the fundamental task of
addressing unresolved issues relating to new TLDs such as trade mark
protection
and malicious conduct. 

2. A true pre-registration
The proposed mandatory EOI process with a $55,000 fee is described as a
pre-registration suggesting that it is not reversible regardless of the
unresolved overarching issues such as trade mark protection and malicious
conduct. 

3. Inconsistency
The principle of pre-registration is inconsistent with all previous ICANN
practice.

4. Ignores market dynamics 
Brand owners may feel compelled to enter into an EOI purely for defensive
reasons, so that they do not suffer when a speculator is given rights in
their
brand.  There seems to be no facility to allow competition for the same
domain
names after pre-registration. Moreover, pre-registration may tip-off
competitors
to new business models prematurely.

5. A lower than market fee may encourage speculation
Speculators may pay $55,000 to secure rights to certain domains instead of
$185,000 in the hope of selling on. This is surely not the intent of ICANN's
Board.

6. Applicants are forced to invest blind
Because there are unresolved issues, the pre-registration model forces
applications in ignorance of potential future costs. This is poor business
practice.

 
Philip Sheppard