Re: [gnso-vi-feb10] VI Use Case Template, Single Registrant TLDs

[Antony Van Couvering <avc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Am I missing something?   It's all very well to use IBM as an example, but how 
about others, easy to create, that fit the same pattern?

Example:

I form Multivariate Uniform Surprising Interminable Cacophony, Inc. (MUSIC).  I 
apply for .MUSIC.  I have a trademark, of course.  My "members", who, like 
Sam's Club, pay me a tiny membership fee to join, are now part of my 
organization - maybe I give them a tiny voting share as well to make it 
official.  My terms and conditions *strictly* specify that they must use the 
name for something that is multivariate, uniform, surprising, interminable, or 
cacophonous.   The name is not detachable from the company, but the current 
member may request that a new member be given the name when s/he gives it back 
to MUSIC, which request (surprise!) is invariably granted.  

I have now followed all the rules and created an SR gTLD that looks and acts 
just like a regular gTLD.  Differences: I may not have to pay the registry fee 
to ICANN, and my members definitely don't have to pay the registrar fee.  

I don't disagree that maybe IBM shouldn't have to use a registrar, but your 
definition of SR registry operator as a "company" is too loose to be of use.  

BTW, the interests of prospective SR TLD operators can be as easily represented 
here as those of non-SR TLD operators, and furthermore, from I can see, they 
*are* in fact being represented here by certain members of this WG. 

Antony

P.S. If the objection is that I can't get a trademark for "music," I say that 
ICANN is filled with very capable trademark attorneys who can get me a 
trademark for anything, somewhere. 


On Apr 5, 2010, at 2:59 PM, Milton L Mueller wrote:

> If a company competing in the credit card business (.amex) or computer 
> equipment business (.ibm) can compete better by offering their customers free 
> domain names as an ancillary part of the service, why should they be forced 
> to use ICANN-accredited registrars? The name is not detachable from the 
> company, so there is no user-switching cost issue, which is the main 
> rationale for registrars, am I correct? And they are not really in the same 
> market as a standard registrar-registry combination, selling domains that are 
> independent and more or less user-owned. 
> 
> One  problem is that the potential market and the interests of prospective SR 
> TLD operators is not and cannot be represented here.