ICANN sells .com to VeriSign

[Stephen Saunders <steve@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

ICANN has indefinitely conceded the most popular namespace on the Internet to
VeriSign.  With this "settlement" ICANN is openly selling the .com TLD to
VeriSign leaving the Internet community asking why.

If VeriSign threatened to snub ICANN and move the .com under it's own root by
leveraging it's database of .com names this partnership with VeriSign could
help ICANN save face.

Or if ICANN approached VeriSign, this parternship could fuel further expansion
and position ICANN to do with the namespace at large what it enables VeriSign
to do with the .com namespace through this agreement.

Either way, more of the Internet community will give up on ICANN if it lets
the .com go.  Rising registry rates and ICANN fees would exacerbate the problem.
 Ultimately, this could result in the segmentation of the root namespace.

Either way, VeriSign stands to win.  Even if ICANN falls from power VeriSign
remains well positioned to maintain the .com registry.

Stephen B. Saunders
http://www.denomin.com/