10 November, 2010

The Registrant Pays the Check

About a year ago, the folks at PIR wrote a brilliant paper on Registry and Registrar Separation Policy.  They made the following points:

  • The vertically integrated registry/registrar will create an environment that is ripe for "insider trading" opportunities using data that is commercially sensitive and available uniquely to the registry operator.
  • Since its inception, it was clear that the vertical separation policy was serving consumer protection values that included – but went far beyond – competition.
  • Studies have not included an analysis of the potential harm to domain name registrants of permitting registrars to operate as new gTLD registries. In particular, ICANN must analyze how registrants will be affected by: 1) a registrar’s access to registry data and how that could be leveraged in the market; and 2) the impact of the consolidated financial position of the integrated registry/registrar on existing behaviors.

The paper touched upon a number of registrant concerns that I have never seen highlighted within an ALAC Statement.  It makes me wonder, who now will defend the registrant interest?

2 comments:

  1. Danny

    A lot of this was discussed to death in the VI working group.

    For every argument put forward by PIR there are equally valid counter-arguments.

    Michele

    ReplyDelete
  2. Who will *now* defend the registrant interest?

    Who has ever defended the registrant interest?

    ReplyDelete