Registrar Stakeholder Group arguments also apply even more to *Registrants*

[George Kirikos <gkirikos@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello,

According to the comments of the Registrar Stakeholder Group:

http://forum.icann.org/lists/3gtld-guide/msg00101.html

they are concerned that section 7.2(f) "allows ICANN to amend the Registry 
Agreement regarding a wide range of material terms, including the fees payable 
by the registry operator to ICANN, even after a majority of registry operators 
subject to the amendment have notified ICANN of their disapproval."

While the wanna-be registry operators within the registrars constituency are 
looking out for themselves (as prospective new registry operators, they want to 
make sure their costs are predictable), why are they not advocating the 
identical position on behalf of *registrants*??!!?? Have they forgotten who 
their current clients are?

They should look at section 2.10 of the same document, as I discussed at:

http://forum.icann.org/lists/3gtld-guide/msg00087.html

and come out in favour of similar protections for domain name registrants, i.e. 
*their clients*. Why have they not done so?

Instead of advocating protection of registry operators (thus revealing that 
many of them want to become registry operators themselves), registrars should 
be advocating protection of registrants, using the identical argument. 

I would hope that individual registrars, reading these comments, will make a 
clear statement on the need to protect registrants from predatory pricing by 
registries by having the safety mechanism of hard price caps in section 2.10, 
and that this be a position of the Registrar Stakeholder Group too at some 
point. Otherwise, those people simply looking out for registry operators should 
join the Registry constituency as observers, rather than making these kinds of 
foolish self-serving statements with the Registrars constituency, selling out 
their clients.

Sincerely,

George Kirikos
http://www.leap.com/