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<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">I do not support the
removal of the price cap provisions from the renewal of the<nobr
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gTLD agreement. These provisions which limited the price of
registrations and allowable price increases for registrations, are
important to allowing small organizations, especially non-profit
charity organizations to exist on the Internet. Many of these
organizations have long-held<nobr style="box-sizing: border-box;
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style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"></nobr>.org
domain names and a substantial percentage of their meager funding
is tied to donors being able to find them via those domains. The
massive potential price increases (as opposed to the moderate ones
that are already possible) would prohibit smaller organizations
and personal projects from having a place on the Internet.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Let me be clear, there
is no inherent 'worth' to domain names and no registry 'deserves'
to profit from the sale of domain names. These are in infinite
supply and simply a ledger entry. They are not a product where the
registry provides any innovation nor are they a product which
costs any substantial amount of money to produce. The costs of
domain registration must ONLY cover the costs of administering
said registry which are very minor costs given the automation
level possible.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">While I understand that
legacy gTLD providers are upset that they are limited in what they
can charge when newer TLD providers are not they do have a
distinct advantage of being more recognizable and are thus more
than making up for it in volume. The greed of gTLD providers
should not be a reason to allow unreasonable price increases. If a
legacy gTLD provider does not feel they can cover their costs in a
price-capped arrangement we should instead seek out a new provider
for the gTLD. I'm certain that there are many organizations who
would be more than happy to take over the oversight of these
legacy gTLDs while still agreeing to the price caps.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Indeed I would support a
reverse-auction of qualified bidders for all legacy gTLDs where
the winner would be the organization which would guarantee the
lowest price for registrations. THIS competition would best serve
the users of the Internet, not the opposite which is to remove
price caps.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Let me quote from an
excellent article on this subject which well explains why
competition is a false idea in this marketplace -- :</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">"If price caps are
eliminated, competition will not keep prices in check. Competition
is effective in restraining prices only if registrants can easily
switch one domain name for another. An organization's domain name
becomes its online brand for the life of the organization. Moving
to another domain name requires undergoing the hugely expensive
and disruptive ordeal of rebranding and is to be avoided at nearly
any cost. Organizations wish to continue using their existing
domain name, for which there is no adequate substitute. When there
is a unique product that cannot be easily substituted for any
other, there is no effective competition.</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">In the absence of
competition, registrants can be protected from extortionate
pricing only through pricing constraints, such as price caps.
ICANN as the trustee for the legacy name spaces has the
responsibility of an owner"</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Sincerely,</p>
<p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding:
0px; font-weight: 400; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial,
sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent:
0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2;
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Taras Shemchuk<br>
</p>
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