Re: Network Solutions changes contract

At 03:00 PM 6/1/2000 -0400, you wrote:
>Arcady wrote:
> >
> > NSI is a monopoly.
> > They operate in the USA.
> > Monopolies are illegal in the USA.
> >
>First of all, NSI is no longer the sole registrar, and it never was
>technically a "monopoly," as it was only fulfilling a government
>contract. Further, monopolies, per se, are not illegal, though they can
>be the basis for illicit activity.
>
>
> > Sooner or later the justice department will be preassured into
> > admitting this and going after them.
> >
>No, they won't. At least not for reasons of monopoly.
>
>
> > The function they perform was never meant to go to a commericial
> > company and for good reasons.
> >
>The function is now being spread across many commercial companies, and
>for good reasons.
>
>
> > A domain name is not a phone number. It's a trademark identity. This
> > is like the patent agency or the copyright office being commerical. In
> > the end domains are something that should be part of some UN
> > trademark/copyright treaty and handed out by government bodies.
> >
>This is also patently ;) absurd, as a domain name is much more like a
>phone number, though more like the name in the phone book, with the IP
>address being the "number." Copyright doesn't enter into it at all,
>though trademarks *can*, but need not, apply.
>
>There is already an organization that's in charge of things: The
>Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the
>non-profit corporation that was formed to assume responsibility for the
>IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name
>system management, and root server system management functions
>previously performed under U.S. Government contract by IANA and other
>entities. I'd suggest checking into it before popping off with absurd
>comments that bespeaks a complete misunderstanding of what's what. Get
>started with the ICANN site:
>
>    http://www.icann.org/
>
>HTH,
>
>Scott Bowling
>scottbff(at)eros.com

ICANN is a good place to start.  Please remember that you can have a voice 
in these organizations.  (It's sort of like people complaining about the 
government but never voting.)  ICANN has ongoing seminars that you can 
apply to:

http://icann.salzburgseminar.org


Also, Trademark or no trademark, copyright or no copyright, NSI is not 
playing nice to say the least.  They are making the decision to word their 
contracts this way.  I would say that as a corporation they have made a bad 
decision.

-- As a side-note, has anyone noticed the lovely tendency for companies to 
make (or try to make) their contracts fluid?  I REALLY don't favor 
this.  It defeats the purpose of contracts.  MCI WorldCom does this, much 
to their disadvantage too.  I think it makes these big companies irresponsible!

Just my bit,
Jeanne
President, Locust Creek Graphics, Ltd Co.
RR1 Box 54 - Randolph Center, VT 05061
Ph:  802.728.3818  - Fax:  802.728.3731
Do Some Site Seeing!
http://www.locustcreek.com

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