[ICANN-EU] Re: First Domain "Sunrise" Period Launched at .ws

[Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com>]

Michael and all,

  Thanks for this interesting article.  Much appreciated.

  I got a Letter from the .WS registry last week regarding
registering company names that I am associated with and
asking me to sign a petition to "Stamp Out Cybersquating"
I replied that I and none of my associates were remotely
interested and disagreed strongly with their policy in this
regard.

Michael Sondow wrote:

> COMPUTERGRAM INTERNATIONAL: OCTOBER 09 2000
>
> + First Domain "Sunrise" Period Launched at .ws
>
> As a taster of what we can expect when ICANN introduces new
> top- level domains into the domain name system early next year,
> country-code TLD registry WebSite.ws (Global Domains
> International Inc) is offering companies 90 days to beat the
> cybersquatters.
>
> WebSite.ws has been accepting registrations in the .ws
> namespace since March, under a deal with the Samoan government,
> which owns the rights to the .ws ccTLD. But this week, possibly
> in a move to capitalize on the renewed interest in domain name
> issues and to ramp up its visibility ahead of new competitive
> gTLDs, the company announced it will give companies 90 days to
> register their .ws names before opening them up to the public.
>
> The company has reserved the names of the Fortune 500 public
> companies, Fortune 500 private companies, top 200 internet
> companies and all major sports teams, and is aggressively
> telemarketing these firms. Whichever domains have not been
> registered, at the cost of $35 a year, by the end of the year
> will be released into the public, to be potentially snapped up
> by cybersquatters.
>
> "If you want to register your name, great. If you don't we
> would like to make it available to someone else," explained
> director of corporate communications Robert Blodgett. CEO Alan
> Ezeir added in a statement: "In September we contacted [retail
> chain] Nordstrom Inc to offer 'nordstrom.ws', but they
> declined. I fully expect there is a Mr and Mrs Nordstrom out
> there who would love to attain this web site for personal use,
> without any intent to threaten or blackmail Nordstrom's
> corporation."
>
> Although the move is billed as a "war against cybersquatting",
> it isn't entirely altruistic. WebSite.ws is charging for the
> registrations - and the reserved names could bring in about
> $50,000 a year. When New York-based alternative DNS operator
> Name.Space Inc tried a similar trick earlier this year,
> registering certain trademarks in the .news and .sports spaces
> "on behalf of" the holders, it was promptly delivered cease and
> desist letters. But Blodgett points out that .ws has been
> accepted by ICANN into the root of the authoritative DNS, so
> the situation is somewhat different.
>
> This first "sunrise period" sets the stage for the introduction
> of new gTLDs next year. Many of the applicants to operate the
> new registries specify such periods in their plans, to avoid a
> mad dash by cybersquatters to lay claim to trademarked domains.
>
> Companies are going to increasingly find the cost of web "land"
> going up. It is estimated that it currently costs about $10,000
> per year to register one name in every gTLD and ccTLD and sub-
> domain. The more TLDs that are introduced, the higher the total
> cost. Some registries, like .tv, have staggered registration
> prices based on how valuable dotTV Inc thinks they are, with
> china.tv going for $100,000 for example.

Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman INEGroup (Over 112k members strong!)
CEO/DIR. Internet Network Eng/SR. Java/CORBA Development Eng.
Information Network Eng. Group. INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
Contact Number:  972-447-1800 x1894 or 9236 fwd's to home ph#
Address: 5 East Kirkwood Blvd. Grapevine Texas 75208