Re: [gnso-vi-feb10] Single Registrant TLDs

[Eric Brunner-Williams <ebw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jeff,

Assuming the correctness of the assertion that at some point in time
the .biz inventory price to registrars remained constant, and at the
same point in time most other registries increased their inventories
prices to registrars, did this apparent increase in the marginal
registrar profit for each unit of .biz inventory sold have any
observable effect on the sales of .biz inventory?

In this episode, did registrars respond to the offer of a larger
margin by a registry by changes to their placement of larger margin
products relative to their smaller margin products?

Eric


On 4/9/10 8:59 AM, Neuman, Jeff wrote:
> 
> Avri,
> 
> With respect to this point:  
> 
> "For example, have there been cases where a registry lowered its fees, and 
> the regisrar did not in turn lower theirs to the consumer but absorbd the 
> profit?"
> 
> The answer is YES.  Registries have lowered fees and registrars have not 
> passed those lowering of fees through to consumers.  See 
> http://www.icann.org/correspondence/switzer-to-twomey-23nov08.pdf.  In early 
> 2008, Neustar intentionally decided not to raise its fees to registrars when 
> most of the other registries raised their rates.  Despite this, every 
> registrar not only raised the rates of the other TLDs (that increased their 
> wholesale rates), but also raised the rates for .biz (despite the fact that 
> we did not raise ours).
> 
> 
> 
> Jeffrey J. Neuman 
> Neustar, Inc. / Vice President, Law & Policy
> 
> 
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx] On 
> Behalf Of Avri Doria
> Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 8:49 AM
> To: Gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [gnso-vi-feb10] Single Registrant TLDs
> 
> 
> 
> On 9 Apr 2010, at 08:17, Volker Greimann - Key-Systems GmbH wrote:
> 
>> Allowing all nGTLD applicants to bypass the registrar system would 
>> effectively lead us back to the domain business we had a decade ago, which 
>> is IMHO definitely not in the interest of the consumer. 
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Humility* aside, please explain why this is.  I would like to understand how 
> this has helped consumers and how that benefit has been measured.
> 
> I have heard different theories about whether the current modality has helped 
> consumers or whether it was even necessary - so leaving aside for the moment 
> the subject of whether it helps or hinders innovation and creativity, please 
> show evidence for the ways in which having separate Registrars has benefited 
> consumers.  
> 
> For example, have there been cases where a registry lowered its fees, and the 
> regisrar did not in turn lower theirs to the consumer but absorbd the profit?
> I also am not sure I understand how any middleman who ads to the price, 
> benefits users unless they are offering some value add service.  So what 
> service have the registrars aded that was not doable by the Registries, 
> especially now that registries have effectively split into registry service 
> providers (RSP) and registry owners (RO) and we have full service resellers.
> 
> I really do not care too much about how the mountains of profit gained from 
> these consumers are split between the Registry Service Providers, Registry 
> owners, Registrars and Resellers - what I care about, in this instance, is 
> showing why having the Registrars, with the add on costs to the consumer in 
> their role as middlemen, has been a protector and a benefit to the consumer.
> 
> Again, I expect you can show this quite clearly and I expect that at the end 
> of the explanation we will most all accept the importance of having 
> registrars, I just think it would be helpful to have it explained.
> 
> a.
> 
> 
> * the humility in question is the H in IMHO, for those who may not know the 
> acronym: IMHO, In My Humble Opinion,
> 
> 
> 
> 
>