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

[Antony Van Couvering <avc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Micheal,

Delighted to run into you again as well.  I was not aware that it was your 
responsibility to welcome me with a quiz as to my "vested interests" or other 
bona fides.  I should have thought that this duty resided with the Chair of the 
group -- are you the Chair?

But as a newcomer, as yet ignorant of the practices of this group, I must, like 
a bumpkin at a fancy dinner, learn my manners by carefully watching those who 
are familiar with the rules, as you seem to be, and then follow suit.  
Therefore I will assume that it is common practice to question the integrity of 
group members before they have uttered a single word, and, in the spirit of 
joining in, I now ask you: have you received or are you receiving any 
remuneration, either directly or indirectly, either personally or through one 
of the organizations or companies you are associated with, from any of the 
current gTLD registries or ICANN-accredited registrars?  If so, could you list 
them? I asked Ken Stubbs this question recently in Barcelona with regard to any 
payments to you from Afilias, but he declined to answer.  That seemed odd to 
me, and your Statement of Interest was a big vague on this point -- perhaps you 
can clear it up.

As to my own interest, the Board decision clearly benefits any registry or 
potential registry which is not substantially entangled in the registrar 
business, as our public statement notes.  On the other hand, I think that the 
separation is nonsensical, as I have clearly stated publicly on numerous 
occasions, including at the Washington DC meeting which you attended as well as 
at the Nairobi ICANN meeting. As to our registrar, it conducts no business and 
we will use it or lose it as the circumstances dictate. 

In my opinion, the recommendations of the working group are largely immaterial 
to Minds + Machines or to TLDH, since we are confident we will succeed with or 
without ICANN-imposed separation.  I see one of my functions as joining with 
you to identify and bring out into public view the conflicts of interest which 
may be hindering the group from reaching a decision that is truly in the 
interests of ICANN and the Internet as a whole. 

I look forward to your "cards on the table."

Best regards,

Antony


On Mar 22, 2010, at 11:24 PM, Michael D. Palage wrote:

> 
> 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
> 
> 
>