Re: [gnso-vi-feb10] Re: Comment on Vertical Integration

[Eric Brunner-Williams <ebw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michele,

Following up on the off-list exchange of notes, you wrote:

"ICANN accredited Registrars have always been permitted to own shares 
or membership interests in registries (AFILIAS: .INFO, .MOBI) as well 
as registry service providers (CORE: .CAT)."
The relationship between CORE and the .aero application and first 
years of operation, and between CORE and the .cat application and 
operations, initial to the present, and the relationship between CORE 
and .museum, subsequent to the application and initial operation, is 
contractual.
The distinction between CORE's operation as a ICANN accredited 
registrar, providing registrar services for all gTLD registries except 
those for which it provides registry services, and CORE's operation as 
a service provider for .aero, .cat and .museum, is improperly framed 
as an ownership or membership interest.
A phrasing I think reflecting the facts is that "ICANN accredited 
Registrars have always been permitted to provide registry services, 
e.g., CORE and .aero, .cat, and .museum."
This of course is a weaker claim than "ICANN accredited Registrars 
have always been permitted to own or control registries, e.g., RCOM 
and .pro, AFILIAS: and .info, .mobi)."
I'm not speaking for CORE, but to my understanding of the facts, and 
of course Amadeu can always correct my errors.
Eric