Pool.com's take on the revised proposed .com agreement
Dr. Vint Cerf, Chairman of the Board ICANN Dear Vint, Pool.com would like to add our voice to the others in this community who object to the revised proposed .com agreement. We also commend and offer support for the eight registrars who came together collectively to lobby for revisions to this agreement. We believe that they have succinctly captured the major points of contention on this agreement. Our major areas of concern remain the same. First and foremost, ICANN must not allow VeriSign to gain monopoly control over the .com market through presumptive renewal in 2012. Why is ICANN so willing to put the future of the .com industry in the hands of a for-profit monopoly whose business practices can have serious and far-reaching implications for the market? The ICANN staff explanation that presumptive renewal was in the original contract doesn’t pass muster – just because it existed doesn’t make it the right thing to do. Secondly, the revisions regarding allowable price increases are not justifiable when market indicators point to future price decreases. Thirdly, and most critical to our business is the changes the proposed .com agreement would bring to the process of creating new registry services. By giving VeriSign free reign to create periphery registry services, you are opening up this sector of the market to unfair competition from a player who lacked the necessary vision to see the potential market in the first place. Companies like Pool.Com realized the opportunity and created new secondary market services. VeriSign should not be allowed to create unchecked periphery registry services that will effectively stunt an otherwise vibrant, innovative and competitive marketplace, especially when all the so-called safeguards have been removed. We strenuously urge ICANN not sign this .com agreement. Respectfully, Taryn Naidu CEO Pool.com |