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Username: cgrady
Date/Time: Tue, October 17, 2000 at 5:08 AM GMT
Browser: Netscape Communicator V4.75 using Windows NT
Score: 5
Subject: My $35 registration fee.

Message:
 

 
While I'm not Chris Ambler, and I certainly don't speak for all current .WEB owners. I am one who has contributed $35 fees on several occasions, over the years,  for several .WEB domain names. I have done this on behalf of my company and for my company's clients, knowing that 100% of the funds were being used to continue to improve and expand the already stable and existing .WEB registry that Image Online has run since the mid 1990s.

When I stumbled upon the .WEB registry several years ago I was skeptical. On their site they stated something to the effect that they "had received approval from IANA to establish the .WEB registry and begin accepting payment for registrations, and were patiently waiting to be added to the root servers".

I actually took the time to email IANA before registering a .WEB domain name. Not receiving a response from them via email I called IANA and inquired about Image Online and their claim that IANA had given them approval to establish the .WEB registry. I probably spoke to a receptionist of some sort, I don't recall her exact words, and I'm not interested in paraphrasing so as to turn this thread into another dreadful "Image Online said vs. IANA said" war. But I left the conversation feeling confident that image online had properly represented where the .WEB registry stood and that their statement was true. Had I only known the importance of this issue I would have recorded the conversation as Virginia is a one party consent state. Regardless of what IANA did or didn't do is obviously a non-issue at this point in time. We can only hope that this is indeed a fair and open process by ICANN.

I also called Image Online. To my surprise a human being actually picked up the phone, something you just didn't get from "the registrar" at that time. The woman clearly explained to me in quite a straightforward manner exactly what the issues were surrounding their .WEB registry. I felt comfortable with this as well.

I still support Image Online to this day after reading the applications for Afilias, Image Online, and only having had a chance to skim the Neustar application as it has just been posted. Not because I own .WEB domains through them but because they have won my trust with the integrity of their stable registry, integrity of business practices, and integrity on a person to person level, as well as the belief that they have been and still are the clear choice for .WEB

(By the way: Neustar is actually JVTeam, a joint venture between Neustar and Melbourne IT. Melbourne IT, you may recall, is a CORE registrar, CORE is also part of Afilias. Afilias has a board member who is also part of DNSO, a supporting organization to ICANN. ICANN as you well know is the organization that will make the decision as to who is awarded the .WEB registry … go figure)

The whole point of explaining all of this is that at a meeting at the IANA offices in 1996, Bill Manning, acting on behalf of IANA, and after consulting with Jon Postel, gave IOD permission to take the .Web registry live and take registrations. How do I know this? Because both Christopher Ambler and John Frangie (of Image Online) were at that meeting. They swore, in their 1997 court case, that this happened. It is, therefore, on the record. To say that it didn't happen is to call them not only liars, but criminals, as it would then be perjury. There was also a witness, Mr. Simon Higgs. Had this never occurred he would be a perjurer as well.

As for the $35 bucks. Should Image Online not be granted the .WEB registry, it would be a true travesty for a free, competitive, and open market and process. I  won't expect my $35 bucks back and I can honestly say that I probably represent the majority of .WEB domain owners if I say that neither will they.

I know that I've supported a good, stable, and able company and that they have used my money well.

Kind Regards,
Chris Grady
President
Vieodata, Inc.
     

 


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