NetSol/Verisign... Taking over the domain market again!?!?!

[FreakyOCR]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July 12, 2002

Dear Dotster Customers,

I am writing you today to let you know of some potentially harmful changes
that are being proposed for the domain name registration industry. These
changes, if adopted, would restrict consumer choice, cause domain pricing
to drastically increase, and re-create the monopolistic atmosphere that
once existed in our industry when Network Solutions (now VeriSign) was the
only game in town. Dotster, and other smaller registrars, need your support
to help us maintain the healthy, competitive environment that currently
exists today.

First, let me give you a little background on this issue. At the end of
2001, VeriSign proposed to ICANN a Domain Name Wait Listing Service (WLS)
as a way to manage the registration of expiring domain names (for those of
you unfamiliar with ICANN, this is the organization that was established
several years ago to govern the domain industry when the Network Solutions
monopoly was broken up). This proposal includes a partnership between
VeriSign and SnapNames, a competitor to Dotster and other registrars in the
secondary domain market sector. This proposed partnership would effectively
eliminate all other competition in the secondary market, thereby
eliminating your choices and the competitive alternatives that currently
exist. At the recent ICANN meetings in Bucharest, it was determined that a
final position regarding the proposal must be decided by the end of this
month.

Dotster strongly opposes this proposal as harmful to the consumer and the
entire domain registration industry. I recently wrote a letter to Marilyn
Cade, Chair of ICANN's WLS Task Force, to express Dotster's position on the
proposal. The entire letter is available for review by clicking the link
below, and I encourage you to review it and consider the implications that
adopting this proposal would place on the entire domain name system. How
will it affect you?

Letter to Chair of WLS Task Force: [L=http://www.dotster.com/resources/wls.pdf][/L]

We need your support! If you agree with Dotster's stance on this issue,
please let me know. Send me an e-mail at WLS@dotster.com to share your
comments and support. We are currently in a 10-day comment period, and we
need your comments before the end of July. In addition, I ask that you post
your opinion at the ICANN WLS forum at:

[L=http://forum.icann.org/wls/]http://forum.icann.org/wls/[/L]

and participate in the petition against WLS at:

[L=http://www.petitiononline.com/antiwls/petition.html ]http://www.petitiononline.com/antiwls/petition.html [/L]

Thank you for your continued support of Dotster. VeriSign is an industry
giant, but banded together it is my hope that we can preserve an
environment that fosters innovation and healthy competition for the benefit
of you, the consumer.

Sincerely,

Clint Page
President, Dotster Inc.
WLS@dotster.com.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



When will it end!!! Remember paying $70 to register your domain!?!?!? SAY NO SIGN THE PETITION! SPREAD THE WORD TO ALL THE FORUMS!!!

 

[FreakyOCR]

Do you really want to go back to paying a mandatory $35/year (minumum 2 years)?? Really?

At least bump the thread even if you decide not to sign the petition!!!

 

[J3anyus]

I signed it...I thought $15 was sort of expensive to register my domain, I couldn't imagine paying $70

 

[FreakyOCR]

My first domain was $70 for two years.. boy was I glad when Dotster came around!! Better service for $14.95!

 

[FreakyOCR]

BUMP! This is important stuff!!

 

[Freejack2]

Petition Link


ICann Wls forum

Near as I can tell this has nothing to do with new domain names, but domain names that have been registered where the registrant didn't renew the domain.
Far as I know now it's a matter of waiting and first come first serve on the domain.
This as I understand it now would be a lottery of sorts. Say I wanted cow.com and it's current owner didn't appear to be deciding to renew the domain. I could sign up for a service that will snag it when it becomes available. If someone else has signed up with another service and that service is faster to snag it I lose, or vice-a-versa.
It's not the best system but the new proposed one sucks.
Under the new system I'd pay $35. If I was first in line and the domain owner does give up the name I've snagged it. If they renew it I'm screwed. Otherwise I at least know I'm first in line for it.
This system would actually be great except for the fact that domains cost $9 - $15 a pop and this service is $35. What makes it worse it Verisuck is going to have a monopoly on this. So I couldn't do this at godaddy. I'd have to use verisuck.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?antiwls&1

check out my (Nikolus Malcom) comments

 

[FreakyOCR]

Thanks for signing! I agree Netsol/ Verisign SUCKS!

Don't let 'em win!

 

[FreakyOCR]

COME ON ANANDTECH! You care more about your air conditioning breaking down and how to tell when an officer is bored than the IMPENDING DOMAIN MONOPOLY!

WAKE UP AND SIGN THE PETITION!!!

 

[FreakyOCR]

Anandtech is a bunch of Lamos!!!

 

[aphex]

Im signing it now... Make your topic a little more specific..

<--- Thought you were talking about the game monopoly.

 

[FreakyOCR]

Well thanks for signing... even the lamo comment hardly sparked much of a reaction.. -_-