April 2019 - comments-org-renewal-18mar19@icann.org

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Timothy Allen April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

Dear sir/madam My small non-profit registered a .org domain. We are a South African educational institution, with a tiny amount of funding. Unfortunately, if price caps were removed, it is likely we would no longer be able to afford our .org domain -- and, if as frequently happens, this change inspired similar changes in country-level TLDs, it is unlikely we would be able to afford even a local presence. Please keep the price cap for the .org space! Thank you, Timothy Allen Tertiary Readiness Programme

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Rene K. April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

I am a domain name registrant. ICANN does not seem to recognize the difference between a legacy extension created with the support of the US government, that predates the existence of ICANN and that has millions of existing users and the brand new extensions that started off with a new set of rules, in particular no price controls, and no existing registrants. They have completely different characteristics, history, and ownership structure. It is not acceptable for ICANN to ignore these differences and to propose that they be treated the same. Removing price caps is not fair to .org domain owners. Many of them have websites that they have used for years. If price caps are removed, the cost to renew their domain names may become too expensive, and they could be forced to give up websites that are important to them. The Uniform Rapid Suspension policy is too new and untested to apply on domain names that may be 20 years old or more. With the URS, the domain names could be taken down in a matter of days with little notice. ICANN should be doing more to protect owners of .org domain names. Why is ICANN trying to remove price protections for .org domain owners, so many of which are non-profits, so that they can be overcharged for their domain names?

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Michael Law April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

I am a .org registrant. Legacy gTLDs are fundamentally different from for-profit new gTLDs and should be treated that way. Legacy TLDs are what the internet was built on. They are essentially a public trust. They are very different than new gTLDs which were created, bought and paid for by private parties. Registrants of these legacy extensions should be entitled to price predictability & stability. Advancements in technology should be driving the cost of operating a registry down, yet prices keep going up? Removing price caps is unfair to the millions of domain registrants. They will have no price protections. Every registrant will be at the complete mercy and whims of the registry. This could result in a transfer of funds from millions of non-profits to one non-profit, with no benefits to the domain registrants. ICANN is supposed to represent a "bottom up, consensus-driven multistakeholder model". ICANN should not unilaterally impose URS in legacy TLDs when that issue is precisely what is being examined by the volunteer ICANN Working Group who has been mandated to review this issue. ICANN should be looking out for the .org registrants, in particular the non-profits. There is no "public benefit" justification to these changes. It is just a handout to business at the expense of registrants’ rights and protections. Where are the protections for the millions of domain registrants that this could effect in a negative way? These changes would give way too much power to the registry. This is not acceptable for a "public benefit" organization that exists to represent many stakeholders. -- *Michael R. Law * +1.970.393.3387 *Domain Broker & Branding Specialist* VentureTent <https://venturetent.com> • QEIP <https://qeip.com> • LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelrlaw/> • Twitter <https://twitter.com/michaelrlaw> ᐧ

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] .Org Price Increases
by CCIN April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

I am not an owner of a large portfolio and have but a few .org domain names. I’m of the mind that ICANN should not be a regulator of price and that competitiveness should dictate value. That being said, domain names and their relevance in general have been diminishing over the years for a variety of reasons. I have somewhat a sacrosanct opinion of what domain names are to people and their future. ICANN's mandate should not only protect the DNS, but also harmonize with a mission for individuals to create leverage and find protections in their commitment to this virtual experiment which ICANN oversees. As a bottom-up organization, it must look out for the greater good of its basic participants. Incremental price increases could give registrars and registries a profit incentive while, at the same time, preventing the undermining of individual portfolio holders. As an objective observer-these are tough times for domain owners to breathe life into their names. They need some help and appreciation from ICANN as their options are being chipped away. Lastly, I fear that while domain name ownership is growing, that the impulse to buy them may simply be that buyers are hedging their bets for the future. While the past DNS had made that abundantly clear, there is an approaching universe of platforms that are creating their own connectivity platforms that will eventually undermine domains names, delegate the internet back to IP for the vast majority, and name branding to but a few. Michael Castello CEO/President Castello Cities Internet Network, Inc. http://www.ccin.com michael(a)ccin.com

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Increased risk of price gauging if price caps are removed
by Paul van den Burg April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

I'm very concerned about this proposal to remove the price caps on the .org and .info TLDs. Competition to keep prices low and fair only works if there are actual competitors. However by design there is only one vendor for each TLD which prevents any competition. Competition from other TLDs is barely existing. As an domain is of great value for a company as well as consumers and can't be easily replaced by a domain with a different TLD. Which makes the current domain owners very vulnerable for price gauging from the practical monopoly the current TLD vendors have. Such monopolies can only work if there is a strict regulation of the market, for which the current price caps seem to suffice fine. Additionally there seems to be no benefit for removing the price caps. The only people to possibly benefit are the current owners of the TLD while hurting all current owners of a domain. It is definitely not going to reduce prices, because they were free to do so already. -Paul van den Burg

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Very concerned about uncaps in an effective monopoly
by Christian Doerr April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

To whom it may concern: As a faculty specializing in network security and having owned domains and operated servers since the early 90s, I find myself very concerned about ICANN’s plans to remove price caps. Domain names are effectively a monopoly, and for many substantial projects effectively mean a life-long buy-in to keep a domain and the project alive. If TLD operators can charge whatever they like, this can lead to an easily exploitable situation. Best regards Christian Doerr

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] NO DOMAIN PRICE INCREASES
by IDOA - Internet Domain Owners Association April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019 To ICANN and the .ORG, .INFO and .BIZ registries (and to all other registries): CEASE AND DESIST NOTICE Any regulation, rule or law which allows anyone (including ICANN, and / or any registry) to raise the price of any domain above the initial price paid for the domain is fraudulent and should be understood as illegal. It is an uncompetitive and unfair business practice, and amounts to the operation of a monopoly, and US anti-trust laws and civil and criminal procedure should prohibit and such action. Neither I, nor the company I founded, have ever agreed to any price increase over the original price paid to register a domain. The fact that a domain must be renewed does not imply our acceptance of the legality of an increased price, but rather your fraudulent and unfair business practices and monopoly practices. We have had to keep renewing our domains or lose them, so we have had no alternative but to renew them for higher prices and expect to be refunded every penny paid over the original purchase price once a competent and fair and just court understands and decides in this continuing matter. No one goes into business in a competitive market unless they can understand their costs; To allow a registry to increase costs over the originally agreed-to price (which is an agreement to pay a specific price every year for the infinite future) is already a very serious financial commitment. We business-people will not allow a for-profit (or any type of) registry to continue raising the annual price of such a business asset. That would be agreeing to fraudulent theft from one's own business - nothing any American or other nations' citizen should ever agree to. It is, in fact, shameful that this is happening at all, and ICANN has the shame for being "in bed" with the registries in this matter, rather than representing the real backbone of the Internet- the millions of domain name owners (that you still call Registrants) who have paid for domain names, web hosting services, website construction and web app construction services, web advertising and web marketing, etc. These are the drivers of the economy and the Internet, not the cash cow monopolistic registries. We expect a competent court to recognize a real ownership interest in a domain name by the registrant, as common law already has, and this means that the price paid to register a domain name is the price that must be paid annually for as long as the domain owner/registrant wishes to keep the domain name. It's as simple as that. Please stop this theft, this fraud and these unfair and uncompetitive business practices in allowing registries to change prices for domains already registered, and start the massive refund process for every price increase over the $6 original fee for a year of domain name ownership. Sincerely, Matt Hooker Founder IDOA Internet Domain Owners Association Info(a)IDOA.info Contact(a)IDOA.info -- IDOA.info the Internet Domain Owners Association info(a)IDOA.info

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Registry Renewal
by Stephen Scott April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

To whom it may concern, I am writing to ask that you maintain the current methodology for price increases on domain registration. Removing the limit increase would create much higher costs and would limit individual's accessibility to registering. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Stephen Scott

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by joe zamroud April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

I am a domain name registrant. ICANN does not seem to recognize the difference between a legacy extension created with the support of the US government, that predates the existence of ICANN and that has millions of existing users and the brand new extensions that started off with a new set of rules, in particular no price controls, and no existing registrants. They have completely different characteristics, history, and ownership structure. It is not acceptable for ICANN to ignore these differences and to propose that they be treated the same. Removing price caps is not fair to .org domain owners. Many of them have websites that they have used for years. If price caps are removed, the cost to renew their domain names may become too expensive, and they could be forced to give up websites that are important to them. The Uniform Rapid Suspension policy is too new and untested to apply on domain names that may be 20 years old or more. With the URS, the domain names could be taken down in a matter of days with little notice. ICANN should be doing more to protect owners of .org domain names. Why is ICANN trying to remove price protections for .org domain owners, so many of which are non-profits, so that they can be overcharged for their domain names? Sent from my iPhone

1 0

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Proposed Renewal of .org Registry Agreement
by Nancy Berlin April 29, 2019

April 29, 2019

California Association of Nonprofits(CalNonprofits), a statewide policy alliance of more than 10,000 organizations, is the voice for California’s nonprofit community. This proposed change to Section 2.10 of the .org renewal agreement would subject nonprofits to unpredictable and unrestricted price hikes. Unlike for-profit businesses, nonprofits typically do not have revenue flexibility to absorb new and unexpected costs or to raise prices. Because this would be harmful to nonprofits, we *strongly oppose the proposed Section 2.10 of the .org renewal agreement* that would remove caps and permit unlimited price hikes on .org registrations and renewals. Sincerely, Nancy Berlin Policy Director -- *Nancy Berlin, *Policy Director *California Association of Nonprofits* *nancyb(a)calnonprofits.org <nancyb(a)calnonprofits.org>* | *www.calnonprofits.org <http://www.calnonprofits.org/>* 1000 North Alameda, Suite 240, Los Angeles, CA 90012 phone: 213.500.2274

1 0