On 12 Jan 2010, at 17:17, Milton L Mueller wrote:

>> 
>> I personally still believe that whatever the case, blessing of business as normal 
>> or changed policy, that any approvals of a Registry selling its own TLD should 
>> be specifically approved post-allocation in a RSEP process 
> 
> Avri, if even I don't know what acronyms mean then you can imagine how many other people on this list have no idea what you are talking about. So, please, what is an RSEP? 

sorry I try to be better on acronyms and try to remember to spell them out when i first use them

TLD  - Top Level Domain (name)
RSEP  _ Registry Service Evaluation Process http://www.icann.org/en/registries/rsep/  - a process by which a REgistry that want to offere a new registry service; i.e. the sale of its own names.

I am surprised you did not know these, but of course your comment was Right On.

> And please also answer this question: is there any substantive dimesnion to your argument or is it only process? I still see not one argument based on consumer or registrant interests here.

Well, first as you yourself have argued, I believe, the circumvention of process is itself a problem for registrants and other consumers. So the first line of defense for the registrants and other consumers is a well formed policy development process (PDP)  that is adhered to.

If these activities are loopholes and against the policy then the incumbents doing it should be stopped.  If they are not, then yes, everyone should be able to follow their lead.  But I can only see this being figured out in a PDP.

My reading of the reports by the outside experts was that the condition for Vertical Integration Etc (VI...)  were complicated and vary case by case.  This is what makes me see this as something that should be handled on an exception basis where each application is reviewed for its effect on registrants and other consumers.  This is the basis of my argument that each Registry that wants to sell its own TLD have this evaluated as a new Registry Service by the  RSEP.  I think this is especially the case when the issue of whether this is in policy or out of policy is still an undecided question - and that question requires a PDP.

a.