Histoire Never ending story or trench war? The famous “Waiting List Service” loving for VeriSign for .com registering and .net was in everybody mouth during the quarter meeting of ICANN celebrated this time in Rome from February 28 to March 6. Standards were decorated with a logo that says WLS in bright red, and stand, and Internet site, repeated plaidoyers during the “open mike” – the famous session about public comments along each ICANN meeting- and Registrars in a hurry for choosing a field. The matter made a really big noise!

Obviously that was brought into play wasn’t a little thing. The turning over speculation on domain names (see DomaiNews 13) is about, according the VeriSign official version, the organization of this work and to reduce the name server charge that suffers the squatter’s anarchic assault. The system lets it put an option about a domain name has already registered for being able to take possession of it, if its first owner doesn’t want to renew it or simply he forgets doing it. This kind of service by itself isn’t new and even it carries to success in certain societies like SnapNames, for example. The real problem here is that the service is used at the same level as the Registry, and this is in fact, the only solution inside the market. There is no interest about using another service since VeriSign manages the whole domain names by .com and .net. And the ones that say that this is the “only solution” also say favorable position for its rates! The official rate wasn’t still reveled by VeriSign but it could be 20$ and 50$ each year if you want the Registrar can reserve a domain name for its customer, who doesn’t have any guarantee to catch it, at least, though the original Registrant could forget to renew it!

But this waiting list isn’t only a matter that you can be unworthy! The falls on policy are in the beginning. The first proposal of WLS, dated on 2000 year, gave place to innumerous discussions, particularly, the rebound of the majority in the group represented by Registrars (“constituency”) inside the ICANN, the interchange of memos, a kind of pressure from some Registrars, specially, the NSI, and old VeriSign branch that was resold to a partnership and even “free” according with the vigorous speech said by its new PDG. It was necessary the consent of the majority crossing into the Roman corridors, “for finishing it”. It was done on March 6 with the decision of ICANN Administration Counsel, unanimously in spite of one of its members pointed out his “displeasure” for having to vote in this sense. What atmosphere! However, you can’t play with everything, the VeriSign modification on the contract permits to restore a WLS test for a year and still it must be approved by the American Trade Department. Then, we must carry on.

See www.fightwls.com

S.B.