Hi, FYI the registration body for the .au domain has recently lodged a formal complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)against an accredited third level registration body because they are offering to register your .au domain for a period of from one to several years for $x depending on the term. The registration body for the .au domain will only register a domain for a two year period. Ergo, the third level registrant is allegedly deceiving their clients (and presumably keeping the money and renewing the domain whenever it falls due sometime in the future). The third level registrant has now had its accreditation withdrawn by the intermediary second level registrant presumably as a consequence of the complaint to the ACCC.
There is obviously a lot of money to be made in domain names :-( At 09:41 14/07/2002, you wrote: >FYI >This is a message that we sent to our customers, and it should also be >of interest to you. > >The WLS service, if adopted by ICANN, will affect ISPs, Hosting >Providers and, most importantly, our customers. I urge you to make >your customers aware of this potential "cash grab" and give them the >opportunity to stand-up and be counted. > >VeriSign is a large supporter of ICANN. You can read into that >statement, or between the lines, as you may desire or deem >appropriate. > >Subject: Proposed Service (WLS) is Anti-Consumer > >Dear Client, > >This e-mail is extremely important to your pocket book and to your >rights as a consumer. > >Background >At the end of 2001, VeriSign (formerly Network Solutions) proposed to >ICANN a Domain Name Wait Listing Service (WLS) as a way to manage the >registration of expiring domain names. This proposal includes a >partnership between VeriSign and SnapNames. SnapNames is a competitor >to other firms which are already serving this competitive market >segment. At the recent ICANN meeting in Bucharest, Romania, it was >determined that a final position regarding the proposal must be >decided by the end of July 2002. > >Our Position >Internet Concepts is in total disagreement and firmly opposed to >VeriSign's proposal for the following reasons: > >1. It is monopolistic, because this market will be served by only one >firm, VeriSign. The firms which already serve this market will be put >out of business. >2. Consumer choice will be eliminated and domain pricing will >drastically increase. The current free and competitive market will be >replaced by only one monopoly provider with no competition. >3. We, and many others, strongly oppose this proposal because it will >be harmful to the Internet, Free Enterprise, and most importantly to >you, the consumer and ultimate registrant of a domain name. > >You may remember the days when Network Solutions (now VeriSign) had >the monopoly on domain name registration. They charged $70 for a two >year minimum registration. Today, due to the elimination of the >monopoly and the advent of the current free, competitive market, >domain names can be registered for as little as one year and for as >little as $13.95 per year, depending upon the registration term. >SnapNames, VeriSign's partner in the WLS initiative, indicated in a >press release that their corporate profits will increase by 700% in >the first year of WLS, alone. Lower prices are a result of competition >in a free market and that's but one reason you should oppose WLS. > >Clint Page, the President of Dotster, a small ICANN Accredited >Registrar, recently expressed Dotster's strong opposition to the >VeriSign proposal in a letter to Marilyn Cade, Chair of ICANN's WLS >Task Force. We support each and every point made by Mr. Page. The >entire letter is available for review (PDF) by clicking this link >http://www.dotster.com/resources/wls.pdf > >VeriSign (formerly Network Solutions) is still an industry giant, but >banded together we can preserve the healthy, competitive environment >that currently exists for the benefit of the whole Internet community, >and particularly you, the consumer. > >If you agree with our position on this issue, then we strongly >encourage you to take the following action: > >1. Post your opinion at ICANN's WLS Forum at >http://forum.icann.org/wls/ > >2. Participate in the petition against WLS at >http://www.petitiononline.com/antiwls/petition.html > >We Need Your Support before the end of July! >We are currently in a 10-day comment period, since the ICANN Task >Force issued their report in opposition to WLS. We need your support >before the end of July! It is your last chance to help make a >difference. > >Your support in opposing WLS is a vote for free enterprise, an open >and competitive market and consumer choice. It is as American as >apple pie. > >We appreciate your business and hope that you will join us in opposing >WLS. > >Thank you, > >Internet Concepts, Inc. >6426 Covecreek Place >Dallas, TX 75240-5452 >Tel: (972) 788-2364 or Toll Free (888) 588-4926 >Fax: (972) 788-5049 >Billing Questions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Technical Support: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Web Site: http://www.inetconcepts.net > > >---- >Don Brown - Dallas, Texas USA Internet Concepts, Inc. >[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.inetconcepts.net >PGP Key ID: 04C99A55 (972) 788-2364 Fax: (972) 788-5049 >Providing Internet Solutions Worldwide - An eDataWeb Affiliate >---- > > >Please visit http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html >to be removed from this list. > >An Archive of this list is available at: >http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ > >Please visit the Knowledge Base for answers to frequently asked >questions: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/ Glen. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AQUARIUS Communications for all your Internet needs voice(02)9977-3788 fax(02)9977-3844 http://www.aquarius.com.au mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Please visit http://www.ipswitch.com/support/mailing-lists.html to be removed from this list. An Archive of this list is available at: http://www.mail-archive.com/imail_forum%40list.ipswitch.com/ Please visit the Knowledge Base for answers to frequently asked questions: http://www.ipswitch.com/support/IMail/
