RE: [gnso-vi-feb10] FW: Application to join Vertical Integration Working Group

["Michael D. Palage" <michael@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Anthony,

I welcome your participation and contribution to the VI WG. However, there
are a couple of follow-up questions I wanted to ask in connection with your
Statement of Interest particularly in light of the following News Release
from Top Level Domain Name Holding (TLDH) (Minds + Machines parent company)
issued through RNS, a company news service from the London Stock Exchange:

"The ICANN Board resolved that there should be no cross-ownership between
domain name registries and registrars. This prohibition will prevent
existing ICANN-accredited registrars from owning or operating new gTLDs,
thus limiting the number of prospective applicants.  This continues a trend
of increasing the barriers to application for non-experts as ICANN adds
additional requirements and restrictions to the framework for the
introduction of gTLDs. TLDH is unaffected by this policy and the Board of
TLDH therefore expects that TLDH will benefit from this continuing
separation between registrars and registries."

See
http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-news/news/market-news
/market-news-detail.html?announcementId=10410575 (for full press release)

Based on this statement ("TLDH will benefit from this continuing
separation"), it appears that TLDH Board has determined that it has a
financial vested interested from the ICANN Board Resolution passed in
Nairobi. Therefore as a director (COO) in TLDH would you be seeking to
maintain "this continuing separation between registrars and registries" to
"benefit" TLDH or would you be willing to work with the rest of the group to
help lower "the barriers to application for non-experts?"

As an officer of TLDH could you also shed any light on Top Level Domain
Holding Limited which appears to be an ICANN accredited registrar, see
http://www.icann.org/en/registrars/accredited-list.html. When clicking on
this link on the ICANN website, it redirects a user to the TLDH corporate
webpage, see http://www.tldh.org/.

Let me be clear I have no problem with your participation in this working
group, I just want to make sure every participant puts all their cards on
the table, especially those related to financial interests. This is why in
my statement of interest I went to great lengths to document my position on
the subject matter going back approximately 4 years. In fact, however, this
is a position I first advocated back in 2001 during the ICANN Montevideo
regional meeting when the original sponsored TLDs were seeking to formalize
a contract with ICANN. 

Best regards,

Michael Palage


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Glen de Saint Géry
Sent: Monday, March 22, 2010 7:25 PM
To: Gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [gnso-vi-feb10] FW: Application to join Vertical Integration
Working Group



-----Original Message-----
Forwarded From: Antony Van Couvering 


Hi Glen,

I am interested in joining the Vertical Integration Working Group.  I
understand today is the deadline.  I have attached my Statement of Interest.


Please let me know what further requirements are needed, if any. 

With thanks,

Antony Van Couvering