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

[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Comments objecting to the .org renewal
by Eric Lobdell April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Thank you for the opportunity to submit a comment. I am a longtime .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. Respectfully, Eric Lobdell

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Keep the price cap on ORG
by Jim Hickstein April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

By definition ORG was intended for organizations that are non-commercial and can not be expected to have large revenues to cover costs. I run two such organizations, both car clubs. Please do not let greed ruin this very valuable service that has existed for so long.

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Domain Price Increases
by Kevin E. Walsh April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I’ve read with concern that .org domain prices may be permitted to increase without control in the future. As the publisher of a 401(c)(3) non-profit site supported only by donations, I think this will severely restrict my organization’s outreach. Please do not make this change. Sincerely, Kevin E Walsh kevinewalsh(a)outlook.com<mailto:kevinewalsh@outlook.com> 566 S Segoe Rd Madison, WI 53711 608-278-0483

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Price changes
by Peggy Evans April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I object to allowing pricing for .org domain names to increase by more than 10%. Since many nonprofits use .org domains, it is antithetical to these organizations’ interests, as well as the public interest. Thank you, Peggy Evans

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] In the Spirit of Goodwill, Please Restrict .org Price Increases
by littleflock April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

The spirit of the .org extension is in the recognition that organizations and societies exist across the globe that benefit mankind without a primary motive of commercial gain ("non-profit"). To remove cost controls from supplying the .org extension is contrary to the recognition of that spirit, treating such organizations as if they were self-serving commercial enterprises. It is a slap in the face to those who serve mankind most selflessly and who can least afford it. For the betterment of all, please do not remove the cap on .org extension price increases. Thank you. Sincerely, First Undershepherd of Anglemar Fellowship, AHS, ACS Carson City, Nevada

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] I disagree with the price change
by James Watt April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

The price of buying *some* top level domains has skyrocketed exponentially. In most businesses, 3-5% is a reasonable amount to raise prices each year. How is it that ICANN needs to raise prices by more than 10% each year??? It's ridiculous and preposterous. I do not support the proposed price changes. Sincerely, James Watt Cheswick, Pennsylvania, USA

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] Comments objecting to the .org renewal
by Tom Huzij April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Bike Durham respectfully make the following comments. Bike Durham is a .org registrant and non-profit organization advocating for safe streets and an equitable built environment. We’ve read about a lot of bad decisions under the UDRP. The URS seems even worse. We heard the URS is very new and is being reviewed now to see if it is working properly. It is too soon to include an untested policy on .org domains where for a few hundred dollars anyone could try to shut down someone else's website. Telling the .org registry that it can charge any price it wants for renewing a domain name is a terrible idea. Why would you allow them to set a ridiculously high price? They could try to force the domain owners to pay a very high price each year to renew their domain name, and if the domain owner either won't or can't, then the .org registry could take away their domain name, set a high registration price on it, and then try to find someone else who is willing to pay a high price for it. This is very unfair to long time .org domain owners who may see their prices raised sky high for no reason. You let the new domain extensions charge any price they want, but that hasn't gone so well. Lots of people got burned when the new registries offered low rates for the first year, and then after people registered the domain names and some built web sites on them, some of the prices were raised through the roof. .Org has been working just fine for decades where the prices maybe go up a little bit each year. Allowing huge price increases from one year to the next could ruin .org for everybody. We think you should pay a little more attention to what is good for the owners of .org domain names. The registries are doing fine. They don't need your help as they are already making plenty of money.

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] legally binding price controls needed
by David Jonker April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Legally binding price controls are needed when granting monopoly control over the .org market. Existing .org owners cannot simply opt to move their domains to a different TLD without irreparable harm to their organization. They will have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded of them, however unreasonable or unfair.

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] dont lift the price cap for .org
by Permaculture Les Vallées April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

Dear ICANN Have heard you are considering allowing the price cap to be lifted from domain fees. Please reconsider this. I run a group of non profit associations. We are hard pressed to raise funds as it is, if we’re going to be hit with increased domain fees it just makes our life more difficult. When control of anything is handed over to commercial interests a) you wont ever get it back and b) they’ll just keep raising their prices and it’s the little people that suffer. Please, keep control over prices. Yours sincerely Lesley Verbrugge

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[Comments-org-renewal-18mar19] .org increase or price cap removal
by Lydia Stang April 25, 2019

April 25, 2019

I am a .org registrant and a not-for-profit or non-profit organization. ICANN staff 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 policy making is supposed to be a ‘bottom up, multi-stakeholder model’. I believe that legacy gTLDs are fundamentally different from for-profit new gTLDs. Legacy TLDs are essentially a public trust, unlike new gTLDs which were created, bought and paid for by private interests. Registrants of legacy TLDs are entitled to price stability and predictability, and should not be subject to price increases with no maximums. Unlike new gTLDs, registrants of legacy TLDs registered their names and made their online presence on legacy TLDs on the basis that price caps would continue to exist. Unrestrained price increases on the millions of .org registrants who are not-for-profits or non-profits would be unfair to them. Unchecked price increases have the potential to result in hundreds of millions of dollars being transferred from these organizations to one non-profit, the Internet Society, with .org registrants receiving no benefit in return. ICANN should not allow one non-profit nearly unlimited access to the funds of other non-profits. ICANN appears to be entirely catering to registries by removing price caps. ICANN should stand up for the public interest and registrants! Lydia Stang

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