(for those of you not here in Seoul) Below is what I said (not on behalf of BC) today at the Public Forum, regarding Rr/Ry separation. I Listened to debate over separation. inconclusive (both sides passionate and articulate)
But I did learn about motivations for Registrars wanting to run Registries
I learned about innovative methods for monetizing premium names.
What I learned tells me ICANN should reset public expectations about benefits of new TLDs.
Let¹s start being more transparent about the way names will and won¹t be available to the public.
Let¹s limit disappointment when TLDs launch.
And let¹s make it less likely that the review team on Competition , Consumer Trust, and Choice will give ICANN a failing grade.
For years, the Rhetoric of expectations has been: we need new TLDs to give registrants all those ³good names that are unavailable in current TLDs. That¹s the rhetoric. What¹s the reality?
Reality 1: new gTLD applicants will maximize profits on premium names, whether by selling them at diff prices, or by having an affiliate park the domain with advertising. That name is never going be available to a registrant that wants to use it for content or commerce.
Reality 2: will see Innovative ways to identify and control premium names at launch, and then afterwards, when words and phrases suddenly acquire premium value ( h1n1.whatever)
There¹s Nothing illegal about that, and new Ry contracts allow uncapped and variable premium pricing. And you don¹t have to own a registrar to monetize your names I¹ve been educated about that. But let¹s stop kidding ourselves and the internet public about how new TLDs will let ordinary people register names they want but can¹t get today. -- Steve DelBianco Executive Director NetChoice http://www.NetChoice.org and http://blog.netchoice.org +1.202.420.7482