I am quite concerned about the comments received to by humoristic
message.
- most of your critics actually darken the picture if you think
seriously about them.
- while we are supposed to be people sharing into a
serious decision process and faced to real life facts involving millions of people,
huge amounts of money, international policy and laws and the future of the web, the
discussions boils down to sentimental reaction about US law and the web, feasibility
of forms, and irrealistic regulation hopes.
BTW my point is that we have to change
the concept of domain names allocation (cf. the ".sys" gTLD proposition). But let
come back to this simulation.
1. I accounted for round 10.000 people through
the world able to register a domain name using a mail form. I think it understimated
from your very own comments. I estimated to several million people filling a form
on one or serveal registrar's sites for one or several domain name. I expect it to
be understimated as the "BigBingo" comes in. The first worldwide relatime lottery.
Every
radio station, WebTV and network will have their Y2K+1 BigBingo Show with hackers
from all the world ready to participate under CNN live coverage. Be realistic. We
are in the 21st century. Everyone will want to see internet collapsing and to share
in it. Would you not? Plenty of companies will reward the first registrants, smart
one will propose you $10.000 if you get the DN they look for (far cheaper than buying
it from a cybesquetter).
Pokemon will be a joke compared to that!
NB. The
actual point was only that some people will use a mail form, some will use a web
form. This is an element which will be used in courts to show discrimination.
2.
I did not account for people messing inside. You say they do exist. Add them into
the fun. The major point is that if they do exist as you say, suspected registrars
under police investigation will have to freeze operations. How sill their ohter DNs
been registered in the meanwile?
3. some devised security schemes about secrecy
until the last minute. In which world to you live? We are in democracy, we want to
be in democracy. Before any procedure can be started it has to be debated, approved,
validated, plainly documented. Otherwise some people would be more equal than others.
Others say that there should be a special procedure for that day. How irrealistic!
On which legal grounds? It would be double specifications, double testing, double
problem possibility. But moe than anything else it would a be great for legal actions:
"why would these DN be specially handled? From which number of DNs would we switch
to standard operations? etc..."
To the countrary, the only response is to have
everthing, every registrar, every ISP making available information on their operations,
speed, processing capacity, etc..
Look; I use a very large public provider entering
the stock exchange. Very often I cannot send my mails, and mails may take upto 22/26
hours to reach me. If I cannot obtain a domain name because of them I will let it
known. If they explain their problem before, they get bad on the exchange. If I tell
it afterward, it will be worse for them.
Since I explained this scenario, I have
a large company having already decided to have a notary to record what they will
do, when, etc... so they may warn the ISP and ask them compensation if they do not
succeed because of their poor quality service.
4. You say that only some registrars
would be allowed to register ".shop". According which rules. How many legal actions
would be undertaken against that loss of money by registrars. Look at today real
life to see how it works. Just consider the AfterNic case. You would have 100 of
them if you did that.
But mainly, no one discussed the main points.
There
will be winners and winners will be considered by 90% of the people as cheaters.
There will be losers and they will get public attention and support when sueing winners.
There sill be rummours, investigations, reports saying the world spermatozoid race
was unfair registrants being inequal in front of language, line throughput, commercial
demeanor, registrars capacity, central system operations, etc... Be sure lawyers
form all over the world will find good reasons to make money and that many companies
will support them. The reason being that while a ".shop" domain name is frozen by
a dispute, it cannot be used against its ".com" counter part.
Now the economics.
I
do not care about who is right or wrong. If it is needed or not. Who will win at
the end of the day. The economics are not there.
Let assume that 1000 domain names
succeed in being registered on the "BigBingoDay" (the systems will probably not accept
that much, spending their time saying it is registered). This means a $6000 operation
for the NSI. Most of the registrars will discount down to $10 for the first day.
So global revenue around $15000.
Connexions round the world during the two or three
hours of the "BigBingoDoom" for millions of peole will represent probably $M 50 to
200. Advertzing about internet companies, services (in ".com", telecom, alternative,
etc...) during that "internet hours" on TV networks round the world will represent
probably more than M$ 300.
Rights sold by NSI, registrars etc. to watch the operation
live and consltants from everywhere to talk about the phenomena will probably amount
to M$ 100.
Merchandising about the "BinBingo" may be important since many people
are interested in making the others excited about it or getting a free adviertizing
from it. A world event, without any commity. Like the Olympic Games without official
sponsors.
Now the film industry. Plenty of "high tech stories" will show up on
screens. Explaining you how people cheated a domain namen of protected one. Millions
of dollars there. The about internationa police cooperation against people having
done it. Then internet industrial empires shaken down by secretaires working for
lawayers and showing that they used hakerkids to steal their "grocer.shop" domain
name from papywebs. Millions. Oscars.
Now games
If we plan having several
gTLDs, the same story will come again. Obviously less exciting the next time, like
landing on the moon. But media people will get ideas. Games: "win a TLD", "pay your
studies in getting a DN in a new TLD".
Now politics.
With such a public
knowledge of the issue, there will be politician all over the world with ideas about
TLDs, international relations, ontrol on intenet, ICANN inadequacy, US monopoly,
etc.. etc..
etc.. etc..