[registrars] [Fwd: Groups - boardrm - New ballot "Amendment to Motion on GNSO task force on contract issues for existing gTLD registries."]

[Ross Rader]

Werner Staub (CORE) wrote:
> Ross,
> 
> I did not mean to irritate you and apologize if I did. Nor do I mean
> to cloud anyone's agenda.

I am not irritated, we just disagree.

> 
> Of course CORE's purpose is the launch of new TLDs. CORE can contribute
> to a factual and responsible discussion within the registrars Constituency,
> both based on its experience as a non-profit registrar pool and based on
> its experience with .aero, .museum and .cat.
> 
> Centralizing *all* policy-making in the hands of the GNSO is bad for
> everyone - except possibly a couple of large companies with overwhelming
> lobbying budgets.
> 
> It is also bad for the registrars, as it hinders innovation.
> 
> It is bad for the GNSO itself, as the micromanagment ties it up and
> prevents it from giving enough attention to the select policies that
> do have to be made centrally.
> 
> It is bad for the gTLD registries, obviously, especially the smaller ones.

I'm not sure that these are factual contentions, despite your good 
intentions to positively contribute to the dialogue.

There is much information to support the notion of centralized policy 
making. No one will argue that the policies surrounding EPP, Transfers, 
etc. are all positive developments that increase the efficiency of the 
market. Yes, this hinder innovation - it prevents the registries from 
implementing their own versions of a provisioning protocol or deciding 
that they can design a better way of transferring domain registrations.

This isn't to say that the GNSO needs to interfere with a registry's 
capability to set and enforce the charter - i.e. the registration 
restrictions and purpose of the TLD, but it is to say that it is 
inappropriate for ICANN to completely hand over the reigns of a public 
resource to a private operator in the way that you describe.

I would also submit that requiring the sponsors to recreate the function 
of the GNSO in the policy development processes ICANN requires them to 
implement as part of the delegation is in fact more harmful to 
innovation in that requires capital allocations that could otherwise be 
spent on R&D and product development.


Regards,

-- 

                        -rr








                 "Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions.
                                            All life is an experiment.
                             The more experiments you make the better."
                         - Ralph Waldo Emerson


Contact Info:

Ross Rader
Director, Research & Innovation
Tucows Inc.
t. 416.538.5492
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