RE: [gnso-vi-feb10] Notice: VI Call Thursday with the Economists Salop/Wright at 20:UTC

["Drazek, Keith" <Keith.Drazek@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thank you Roberto. In my opinion, Salop and Wright were hired by ICANN Staff to 
advocate for vertical integration. At the very least, their instructions from 
ICANN omitted the study of potential harms. They told us so on several 
occasions.

The VIWG should ensure it relies on a balanced and independent analysis of both 
benefits and harms. I don't believe S&W should be considered independent or 
fully informed on this topic. They can certainly be one input into the overall 
analysis, but to consider them more impartial than others would be a mistake. 
Also, there were some significant differences between the Salop/Wright analysis 
and the CRAI Report, including on the key issue of potential harms unique to 
the domain name marketplace. Do we plan to invite the CRAI folks as well? 

Unfortunately, the economic analysis of potential harms (as requested by the 
GAC, among others) has yet to be commissioned or conducted. I believe this 
analysis and due diligence is a prerequisite to any recommendation for 
fundamental change to the structure of the domain name marketplace. Our 
near-term goal should allow for reasonable exceptions (single registrant, 
community, orphans) to be made to the Board's strict separation requirement 
while allowing for a medium-term independent study of both benefits and harms.


-----Original Message-----
From: Roberto Gaetano [mailto:roberto@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 6:21 PM
To: Drazek, Keith; 'Milton L Mueller'; 'Tim Ruiz'; Gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [gnso-vi-feb10] Notice: VI Call Thursday with the Economists 
Salop/Wright at 20:UTC

Keith,

> But why only Salop and Wright? Where's the plan to invite 
> other (independent) economists with differing opinions or 
> perspectives?

To the best of my knowledge, this has been a study requested by ICANN.
Regardless, to have a teleconference inviting them to present their view has
been something that has been on the table as "to do list" since day 1.
It is part of the "due diligence" we are committed to perform: we,
co-chairs, are committed to give voice to everybody's proposals (by the way,
it would be high time to my personal taste to close the window for
presentation of proposals, but see below). This includes the study that was
part of the setup of this WG, i.e. the one that we are proposing for the
teleconference in roughly 24h.
I fully agree with those who have commented that it comes at a point where
we have advanced already, and it feels like we are going back to the
beginning. This was not at all in the intention of the co-chairs, or staff,
or ICANN at-large. There's no conspiracy here to favour one position over
another one, but simply the fact that this WG is proceeding at the
supersonic speed my colleague co-chair has been able to create, and that a
presentation only few weeks down the line might seem overtaken by events.
Personally, and as co-chair who has taken commitments to do some due
diligene and housekeeping as part of the duties to co-run the WG, I feel
that this teleconference is a necessary step for the completeness of the
actions and records of this WG.
As for other economists that might have produced studies as consultants for
individual members of this WG, I do not personally feel that we have to put
them on the same level of the ICANN-related study. I believe that some
members of this WG have indeed contracted economic studies. These studies
might even be of higher value than the one we are going to hear about in
roughly 24h, but still I do not feel that we need to treat them in the same
way. If a study has been done for a stakeholder, the result of this study
has been without doubts incorporated in the proposal that this stakeholder
has presented, and in the presentation of the proposal there has been time
to produce economica analysis elements in support of the proposal, so I
think that the contribution of the different economists has been already
taken into account.
Regards,
Roberto