Re: [gnso-vi-feb10] VI proposal

[Jeff Eckhaus <eckhaus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Brian,

After reading the updated Afilias signed proposal I had a question for Afilias 
and for PIR.

Reading previous correspondence between Afilias, PIR and both ICANN, GAC and 
the US House of Representatives, members of Afilias and PIR made adamant 
statements regarding the issues of co-ownership, which do not reconcile with 
the current proposal.

In the following letter to Peter Dengate Thrush from Hal Lubsen CEO of Afilias 
, http://www.icann.org/correspondence/lubsen-to-dengate-thrush-12oct09-en.pdf 
Mr. Lubsen states the following:
To reiterate our position, Afilias, Neustar and PIR welcome registrars as 
registries for new TLDs, and believe they should be permitted to own new TLD 
registries and/or providers of technical back-end registry services, provided 
they abide by the current rules and are restricted from selling second-level 
domain names in their own TLD. Further, we believe ICANN has failed to make an 
informed argument for removing that restriction.

In this letter from David Maher of PIR to Hon. Hank Johnson of the US Congress 
, http://www.icann.org/correspondence/maher-to-johnson-24sep09-en.pdf Mr Maher 
states the following:
Statements were made that the registries sought to prohibit registrars from 
owning and competing as back end registry service providers. This is not 
correct.

The registries support competition in the market for new gTLDs and firmly 
believe that all qualified back-end registry service providers – including 
providers affiliated with ICANN accredited registrars - should be permitted to 
compete to serve new and existing gTLDs

Similar statements were made in a letter from the Registries written by David 
Maher to the GAC 
http://www.icann.org/correspondence/maher-to-karklins-25sep09-en.pdf

These statements were made very recently and are very strong statements 
supporting competition and the position that Neustar made and continues to 
support. That there is no evidence of harms if a co-owned entity does not 
distribute the TLD. A position that many in this group, myself included have 
moved towards as a compromise and a path forward.

I know this is not a courtroom and you are not on the stand, and I am not even 
a lawyer, but I would like to know and maybe you could explain to the WG, why 
there is a such a drastic change in position from Afilias and PIR from the 
statements above and your long held position.

Thanks

Jeff Eckhaus

________________________________
From: owner-gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx
To: Gnso-vi-feb10@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wed Jun 09 18:36:21 2010
Subject: [gnso-vi-feb10] VI proposal
Reposting the updated proposal which reflects the members of the Working Group 
who have indicated their respective support for the positions in the proposal.  
Could revise acronym to JRACKBOATDESK.