The truth is that IODesign's registry (webtld.com)
is the fair and right choice
for .web:
everyone knows this in his/her own conscience.
Even Afilias and Neustar
know this:
actually on their applications they included
alternative strings
also (.dot , .info , .site, .surf) .IODesign is running a .web registry since
1996,
after a purported permission (given to IOD by IANA)
to take .web registrations
and to collect fees for this.
In any case, everyone knows that IODesign acted
in good faith
since 1996: registered .web domains are working on alternative
root
servers at this time (see youcann.org).
These registrations were necessary to
test the functionality
of the .web registry and allowed IODesign to collect money
to run
and maintain it and eventually to file the application to
ICANN for
.web .
I think that IODesign and .web registrants are a single entity:
IODesign
would not have survived without support by so
many registrants.
The registrations
taken so far are real contracts and can't
be wiped out.
Remember that Network
Solutions took .com pre-registrations
in 1993 and then they become real domains.
Would it make sense
to ask for their cancellation at this time?!
About purported
speculation by early .web registrants:
starting new registrations cannot avoid
speculation either!
(*New* registrants may register thousands of domains on day
one
when a new .web registry is created).
I think that it is obvious and fair
to assign the .web domains
to the ones who registered them at IODesign since 1996.
Afilias
was created on 9/25/2000 (!) and can't pretend
to get .web, that is a product
launched 4 years ago by IODesign.
Afilias can get .info and .site and
can easily
accept that .web is assigned to IODesign.
On the contrary, IODesign can't easily
accept that .web is
assigned to Afilias (or to Neustar). If this happens,
IODesign's
long work will be destroyed and the company
itself will be ruined. This is completely
unfair, since
it is not fair to ruin a company that believed in .web TLD
since
1996 and acted in good faith for this purpose only.
To be a pioneer can't be considered
a fault!
IODesign should be rewarded by ICANN,
as well as it was rewarded by
so many Internet users
in the world! Actually IOD's registry is the NATURAL
EXPRESSION
of the Internet users' WILL.
So, if IODesign is not chosen by ICANN as the .web
registry,
it's sure that IODesign will sue ICANN: so the Internet will wait
for
many months (or years?) for the new .web TLD!
On the contrary, IODesign's .web
registry is *ready* and it can
be put into the A-root server soon, after a short
blackout period
for protecting trademarks (you can read this on IODesign's application).
Other
registrars may share IODesign's database soon
(as it is found on IODesign's application).
Conclusion:
.web means IODesign and IODesign means .web .
Thanks, ICANN, for listening and
making the fair choice.
Regards