[Techtalk] activists, a mission for you!

[jennyw]

I read the WLS proposal from Verisign*.  I do think it's a bad idea, but 
I also can't really see Dotster's point.  From reading the proposal 
quickly, here's a summary plus comments in parenthesis:

The Waiting List Service exists as a way to manage what happens when
domain names expire. The way you get on the waiting list is to buy a
subscription to a currently registered domain.  You do this through your
registrar, not Verisign as they will not be dealing with subscribers
directly.  Only one subscription may exist at a time for a domain name, so
your registrar would check with Verisign to see if a subscription exists.  
If it does, then you can't subscribe. If it doesn't, then Verisign will
let the registrar setup a subscription for a fee.  The registrar passes on
this fee to the consumer plus any profit they wish to make. When the
domain name you've subscribed for expires, you have first dibs.

My analysis: This might do away with some current abuse. I was surfing
Usenet and there's some evidence that some registars are doing some funny
things when domains expire, such as keeping them for themselves and
auctioning to the highest bidder**.  The WLS would be a way to centralize
what happens to expired domain names so that things are out in the open.  
This is a very marginal improvement.  It does this by giving Verisign a
huge revenue stream potential.  But since it goes through second-level 
registrars like Dotster, it also gives the other registrars a (smaller) 
revenue stream potential.  I think Dotster's reason for complaining is 
because they currently have a service similar to what Verisign is 
proposing; having to go with Verisign's proposal means a higher cost to 
the registrant, and also means that Dotster would need to share profits 
(and possibly have smaller margins).

I do like the idea that all domain expirations should be handled the same
way, and not up to the whim of individual registrars.  I also think there
should be a waiting period before domains expire.  This particular idea is
problematic, though.  It does do a little to standardize what happens to
expired domains and it does give everyone some kind of involvement.  This 
is of some benefit to registrants.  However, I think this proposal is more 
about shifting who profits from registrants.  Currently, companies like 
Dotster probably profit more than Verisign; also, domain vultures who grab 
expired domains probably profit a lot off of people with expired domains.  
The proposal would give Verisign a cut of all these profits.


* http://www.icann.org/bucharest/vgrs-wls-proposal-20mar02.pdf

** Read the whole thread in:
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&threadm=hN398.34115%24X64.11564964%40news1.rdc2.pa.home.com&rnum=2&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dwaiting%2Blist%2Bservice%2Bverisign%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8





On Fri, Jul 12, 2002 at 07:51:10PM +0000, Carla Schroder wrote:
> Hi gang,
> 
> I'm reprinting this letter in full, it's a good summary of the nasty things 
> ICANN and Verisign are trying to pull, and links for taking action. How did 
> ICANN turn into such a monster, anyway?
> 
> "July 12, 2002
> 
> Dear Dotster Customers,
> 
> I am writing you today to let you know of some potentially harmful changes
> that are being proposed for the domain name registration industry. These
> changes, if adopted, would restrict consumer choice, cause domain pricing
> to drastically increase, and re-create the monopolistic atmosphere that
> once existed in our industry when Network Solutions (now VeriSign) was the
> only game in town. Dotster, and other smaller registrars, need your support
> to help us maintain the healthy, competitive environment that currently
> exists today.
> 
> First, let me give you a little background on this issue. At the end of
> 2001, VeriSign proposed to ICANN a Domain Name Wait Listing Service (WLS)
> as a way to manage the registration of expiring domain names (for those of
> you unfamiliar with ICANN, this is the organization that was established
> several years ago to govern the domain industry when the Network Solutions
> monopoly was broken up). This proposal includes a partnership between
> VeriSign and SnapNames, a competitor to Dotster and other registrars in the
> secondary domain market sector. This proposed partnership would effectively
> eliminate all other competition in the secondary market, thereby
> eliminating your choices and the competitive alternatives that currently
> exist. At the recent ICANN meetings in Bucharest, it was determined that a
> final position regarding the proposal must be decided by the end of this
> month.
> 
> Dotster strongly opposes this proposal as harmful to the consumer and the
> entire domain registration industry. I recently wrote a letter to Marilyn
> Cade, Chair of ICANN's WLS Task Force, to express Dotster's position on the
> proposal. The entire letter is available for review by clicking the link
> below, and I encourage you to review it and consider the implications that
> adopting this proposal would place on the entire domain name system. How
> will it affect you?
> 
> Letter to Chair of WLS Task Force: http://www.dotster.com/resources/wls.pdf
> 
> We need your support! If you agree with Dotster's stance on this issue,
> please let me know. Send me an e-mail at WLS at dotster.com to share your
> comments and support. We are currently in a 10-day comment period, and we
> need your comments before the end of July. In addition, I ask that you post
> your opinion at the ICANN WLS forum at:
> 
> http://forum.icann.org/wls/
> 
> and participate in the petition against WLS at:
> 
> http://www.petitiononline.com/antiwls/petition.html
> 
> Thank you for your continued support of Dotster. VeriSign is an industry
> giant, but banded together it is my hope that we can preserve an
> environment that fosters innovation and healthy competition for the benefit
> of you, the consumer.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Clint Page
> President, Dotster Inc.
> WLS at dotster.com."
> 
> 
> -- 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Carla Schroder, Bratgrrl Computing
> Plain English Spoken Here
> www.bratgrrl.com
> this message brought to you by Kmail,
> on Red Hat Linux 7.2
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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