I smell a dirty stinking rat. Where's the Rat?Verisign bought Network Solutions
and Paid 21 Billion dollars for it and now the market value of Verisign hovers near
7 Billion. We know the market is down of course but I tell this Verisign are un by
idiots, they paid too much for Network Solutions to begin with and they certainly
knew that the 1999 agreement between NSI, the DoC and ICANN called for the Registrar
divestiture before they made their purchase. Now they scream out, our shareholders
we have to look out for our shareholders, please don't break up our pretty monopoly
it will hurt our shareholders. Their shareholders should have taken issue with Verisign
managements decision to overpay for the NSI purchase.
We all know that the ICANN
staff has met in secret with Verisign since summer and now drops this bombshell in
everyone’s lap at the last minute. We all know that the millions of Internet users
have never received a fair shake from ICANN and now to see that the DNSO was left
out of the loop makes it even more evident that something fishy is going on.
By
the way, DNSO, how does it feel now to be ignored and treated like shit? Now you
know how all the people who post on these useless boards must feel, serves you right.
The
whole controversy surrounding these negotions I think can be best captured in the
sentiment of the self-nominated @large elected ICANN board member Andy Mueller-Maguhn
who basically said that the ICANN Staff and Lawyers shouldn't be telling the ICANN
board what to do but the ICANN board should be telling them what to do and they merely
implement it. In my opinion Touton,Sims and Roberts ,ICANN's three stooges is where
the I smell RAT
Why have they pushed so hard for this deal? We know they are on
the ICANN staff,Touton and Sims the attorneys involved.
If one didn't better you'd
swear they were Verisign Lawyers
I mentioned how Verisign was aware that the purchase
of Network Solutions included Networks Solutions divesting the Registrar business
yet they still decided to close the deal and overpaid too much of course. Now the
Verisign CEO wants to stick it to the Internet users because he is icompetent.
You
suppose it is plausible to think that the revelation that the ICANN staff meeting
with Verisign in the summer is not the whole truth? It is probable discussion began
before Verisign made the Network Solutions purchase!
Think about this why would
any company pay 21 billion dollars for something that would be structured differently
in the future as to affect profits? of course that is if they didn't know the original
agreement would be altered!
I think there is a Rat. I smell a Rat, It is up to
everyone and anyone to Cage the Rat!
We all know that the DNS is a hierarchical
system and so is ICANN but what I wonder? what really are the order of things?
It might be a bit different than we are led to believe. Something new dawned on me
when I noticed how ICANN"s very own DNSO was cut out of the loop on the Verisign
contract so it got me thinking.
This is how I see it and if you comment, please
enlighten us. I'll start from the bottom to the top. I like the way ICANN talks about
"bottom-up" so much. That's a laugh
1.Internet users and Individual and Small business
domain holders aka The Public.
NO say, zilch,0, Goose egg,nada, Ignored,
peasants are treated with more respect.
@large how profound the term is
when you think on it. I can't find them, so they must be @large.
The public
comments board does nothing if only to share facts with each other that ICANN sucks
and we know why.
The public comments board exists only to lend to the appearance
that public input is considered.
2.The Supporting Organizations http://www.icann.org/support-orgs.htm.
Effectively represent all business interests and the lone hold out the Non-commercial
domain name holders are the closest I find useful to Internet users. The others outvote
them so what can they do!
How about that Ken Stubbs, former Chairman of the Names
Council of the DNSO Domain Name Supporting Organization, Noticed I said former I
guess it would be to much work since he is on the board of Afilias you know the one
that was awarded .Info Explain that one to me, sheessh
These organizations don't
and couldn't come anywhere close to representing the Internet community
This must
be someone’s Idea of a sad joke.
3.ICANN Board of Directors: I will simply say
that it is obvious that some one this board are more equal than others when you consider
Self-nominated and newly elected director Karl Auerbachs recent Senate testimony
Oral
Testimony
http://www.cavebear.com/cavebear/growl/issue_6.htm#oral_stmt
Here
is just a one little piece, you should get the picture
"ICANN is a secretive entity.
Even as a Director I have difficulty discovering what ICANN is doing. There
are parts of ICANN to which I am denied access."
"ICANN has a strong aversion to
democratic principles."
Prepared Statement
http://www.cavebear.com/cavebear/growl/issue_6.htm#prep_stmt
Who
knows the order of things on the board but I do know whom they want at the bottom!
4.ICANN
Staff: If you look closer, these people are running the show?
Who can deny
that the smug Louis Touton ran the board meeting in the selection of new gtlds in
November 2000. I thought I was observing the wrong meeting since it was a meeting
of the Board of Directors; well you could have fooled me.
Don't kid yourself this
is where the undemocratic power starts, that which we can see!
5. JDRP: Jones,
Day, Reavis & Pogue http://www.jonesday.com That's right the Multi National Law Firm.
Most are Ivy League but definitely the good ole boy club and then some. For those
not aware understand the "lawyers" have much to do with running the world, especially
ones in these firms with their so called "credentials" I have no aversion to lawyers.
Like everything else in life there is good and bad. I just don't like the sleaze
balls and it doesn't matter if he/she is some poor ambulance chasing type or one
wearing a $2500 suit, a sleaze ball lawyer is still a sleaze ball!
http://www.tbtf.com/roving_reporter/jdrp.html
.4
and .5 they might as well be one. Yep this is it folks. This is where the "wizard"
behind the curtain resides.
Here are various sources of information,
http://biz.yahoo.com/p/v/vrsn.html
Yahoo Profile of Versign
http://biz.yahoo.com/hd/v/vrsn.html Top Institutional
Holders of VRSN *****A connection somewhere here is most likely*******8
http://biz.yahoo.com/t/v/vrsn.html
Insider & Form 144 Filings This is another spot worth considering
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-1565564.html?tag=rltdnws
VeriSign
buys Network Solutions in $21 billion deal
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,12691,00.html
Master of Domains: VeriSign Buys Network Solutions
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163011.html
ICANN: Ticking VeriSign Deal Explodes In Melbourne
ICANN outside attorney Joe
Sims, and VeriSign, both contended that registrar competition has come about much
quicker than expected. Sims asked whether there was any significant value in the
legal separation of the registry and registrar any longer. He said that competition
initiatives at VeriSign have been "very successful."
Sims, who was involved in
the original negotiations to develop ICANN, backed the deal, saying it removes any
potential time bombs from the existing 1999 agreement and also reduces US government
involvement. Sims' pro-deal stance was not appreciated by some on the board - it
was described as a "sales pitch" by one board member
ICANN at-large board member
Karl Auerbach was the first to call for the May spin-off of VeriSign's registry to
be delayed so that the issue can be passed on to ICANN's Domain Name Supporting Organization
(DNSO) for review. Later, other board members and ICANN observers pointed out that
this was the only option for ICANN unless it wanted to flaunt due process.
But
VeriSign immediately refused to be flexible with the deal, with Sclavos playing for
the whole package immediately or no deal.
"In that case I will vote against the
new agreement," Auerbach said.
Sclavos said he "believes in his heart" that Verisign
has not acted anti-competitively
Some stories with mention of Joe Sims, better
we should call him Joe Frickin Hypocrite
A Defeat for Microsoft
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,7509,00.html
The
ruling "adopts the government's view of the world. That's obviously not good for
Microsoft," says antitrust attorney Joe Sims of the Washington law firm Jones & Day.
"The thrust of the findings are sufficient to support a wide range of remedies, including
structural relief."
Top U.S. Investment Banks Under Antitrust Microscope
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,20464,00.html
"If
you increase transparency between buyers and buyers or sellers and sellers you reduce
the fear factor, which is what induces competition - the fear you will be beaten
out by the other guy," says Sims.
I Think ICANN: Loan Keeps Group Afloat
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,6020,00.html
Dueling
Domain Plans Head to U.S. Government
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,1906,00.html
"It
was arrived at by a closed, biased process," said Karl Auerbach, an Internet technologist,
member of the Internet Engineering Task Force and member of the Boston Group. "The
IANA proposal is tantamount to a giveaway of fundamental assets of the Internet to
self-perpetuating, closed, monopoly organizations," the supporting organizations.
The
Internet Community represented. No I don’t think so
ICANN: the Internet's
answer to Stalin
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/14722.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/17531.html
ICANN's
VeriSign registry deal done without consultation
Networking with Spooks
http://mediafilter.org/caq/internic
Networking with Spooks
I saved this one for last. What a read it is!
It will
be interesting to see the outcome when you consider the DNSO is against it. If Verisign
wins you know without a doubt that the public has never been considered important
when you see that the DNSO was shit on!
Rats I tell you, RATS