I agree. We should advocate, and I agree that we should advocate for the elimination of the AGP. I don’t see any valid reasons to keep it. If I have a problem with a typo and I need the refund, I can simply go the usual way to get a refund when I buy anything - ask customer service for it! Why should we have a whole system set up to "try before you buy", esp when most consumers don't know about it or use it and aren't asking for it? If we start off with a lesser position, we have nothing to give up in any negotiation (which is obviously going to happen) and still arrive at something useful. Besides, we might actually win this point (or something close to it,) as there are many others in the GNSO besides the registries and the registrars... JAM
-----Original Message----- From: alac-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [mailto:alac- bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] On Behalf Of Danny Younger Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 08:40 To: 'At-Large Worldwide' Subject: [At-Large] ALAC Statement on Domain Tasting
Alan,
If the Add Grace Period is not eliminated, then registrars will simply adjust their business models to compensate for any registrar level transaction fee that might be imposed, and domain tasting will continue.
You have argued that:
(1) fully eliminating the AGP will not be acceptable to registrars (2) Registrars say that they make valid uses of the AGP and could not easily eliminate it without significant pain or expense. (3) from the RC statement it is clear that wholesale elimination of the AGP will not fly. (4) wholesale elimination... would require a formal consensus policy.
From my point of view, I don't care if eliminating the AGP is not acceptable to registrars -- they don't hold any veto power within the GNSO, and I'm not daunted by the prospect of a Supermajority determination that doesn't include the registrars. Fashioning a Consensus Policy is possible even in the absence of registrar support.
Yes, registrars have listed a series of purportedly "legitimate" uses of the AGP, but I find none of their justifications listed in the ad hoc outcomes report to have sufficient merit:
AGP Use 1: Correction of typographical errors made by registrant -- with all the redundancies built into the registration process (including all the upsell pages) the AGP is no longer needed to dealt with this remote possibility.
AGP Use 2: Cart “hold” to provide access to domain names -- the concept of reserving a domain at the registry once it gets "looked up" by a user (that hasn't paid for the registration) is an abomination. As stated in the White Paper: "The failure to make a domain name applicant pay for its use of a domain name has encouraged cyberpirates and is a practice that should end as soon as possible."
AGP Use 3: Fraud remedies -- arrangements regarding the settlement of fraud claims can be built into the Credits section in the Service Level Agreement within the relevant registry-registrar agreements; it need not be part of the AGP.
AGP Use 4: Monitoring, testing and development of systems -- This argument seeks to make the "cost of doing business" a registry subsidy. The argument is weak and can readily be rejected.
AGP Use 5: Addressing Registrant ‘Buyer’s Remorse’ -- a fine example of BS.
The best way of dealing with the current spate of domain tasting is to eliminate the Add Grace Period; this option is preferable to all others. The ALAC should advocate for that position.
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