Nominet EGM ... results in

[domaingenius]

Just out if interest, and apologies if its been asked/answered already. Were the large groups the first members of Nominet ,or did they come along later ?. I am just looking at whether it is the original members prior to these large groups with large voting rights coming along that have reason to have a gripe ?.

DG

 

[Jay Daley]

Just out if interest, and apologies if its been asked/answered already. Were the large groups the first members of Nominet ,or did they come along later ?. I am just looking at whether it is the original members prior to these large groups with large voting rights coming along that have reason to have a gripe ?.

There have been so many mergers and takeovers that it is hard to answer that properly. Certainly some of the people have been around since the beginning. When it started there were not the sort of differences between the bigger and smallest members as there are now. In fact I think this year is the first time someone has hit the 10% cap.

 

[Beasty]

These figures are taken from the last annual report, which was for the financial year 2003-2004 (we have yet to publish the report for 2004-2005) and we have had a change in chairman since then.

Are you saying that Bob Gilbert took a pay cut when compared to Willie Black? If so, does he do it full or part time?

 

[Jay Daley]

Are you saying that Bob Gilbert took a pay cut when compared to Willie Black? If so, does he do it full or part time?

I don't know pay and I wouldn't tell you if I did. The difference is that Willie was a full time executive chairman, Bob is a part time non-executive chairman.

 

[Hazel Pegg]

I don't know pay and I wouldn't tell you if I did.

I don't understand the obsession with pay. Nominet has far more important things to sort out than what the top-bods get in their pay-packets.

Hazel (not on the Nominet payroll)

 

[texidriver]

..Bob is a part time non-executive ../QUOTE]

I'm a part time poet non-xxutiv I'm available....K?

 

[Beasty]

I don't understand the obsession with pay. Nominet has far more important things to sort out than what the top-bods get in their pay-packets.

Hazel (not on the Nominet payroll)

But the pay they receive is indicative of the wider problems that Nominet faces.

You have a "round peg-square hole" problem that a company (which remunerates its executves handsomely) is trying to undertake a task that should properly be in the hands of a (cheaper and more efficient) government agency. That individuals are benefitting excessively is natural (they can so they do) and symptomatic.

 

[Jay Daley]

a task that should properly be in the hands of a (cheaper and more efficient) government agency.

You can't be serious. I worked for a long time in government and I can assure you that on the whole it is neither cheaper nor more efficient.

 

[Beasty]

You can't be serious. I worked for a long time in government and I can assure you that on the whole it is neither cheaper nor more efficient.

I can and I am. Look at the Patent Office or Companies House. Wrap Nominet into the Patent Office and then control by third parties won't be an issue. Registration can be done "at cost" direct with them - or more expensively with value add via an ISP.

 

[Beasty]

I can and I am. Look at the Patent Office or Companies House. Wrap Nominet into the Patent Office and then control by third parties won't be an issue. Registration can be done "at cost" direct with them - or more expensively with value add via an ISP.

Shall I take your silence as a "virtual" white flag from Nominet, Jay? :?

 

[EdPhillips]

Shall I take your silence as a "virtual" white flag from Nominet, Jay? :?

Remember that posting to this board is not something that Jay or I always have the time to do. We do this voluntarily - neither of us is in the communications department - because we think that it is useful to engage with a section of the stakeholder community relevant to our area (DRS and Technical).

We do not always have the time to post - we have real jobs to do too!

So don't assume that a lack of posts means we agree with you.. I for one do not believe for a moment that the Government would neccessarily do a better job.

 

[olebean]

I have to agree with Ed and Jay, sticking nominet into Tonys hands is the last thing anyone should consider my gawd!

Joking aside (only on the Tony bit)...

There are pleanty of reason to consider the government running .co.uk's and plenty of reasons to appose it...

Personally, I would sooner see a registration of a domain as wholesale purchase, rather than a short term renewable lease, with clauses......E.G. TM etc

This may increase costs, equally, the resale value will increase.......

Simple is best huh!

 

[EdPhillips]

Personally, I would sooner see a registration of a domain as wholesale purchase, rather than a short term renewable lease, with clauses......E.G. TM etc

TM's are on a renewable lease - albeit that they last a bit longer. They also come with T&Cs - but since this is the government, they can put them in the law and statutory rules. There are dispute processes for TM opposition etc too.

 

[olebean]

Ed

I don't get your point...

If your suggesting there is coralation in the manner of ownership between TM and domains, I believe your misguided..

What I was suggesting was onwership/lease of a domain is mostly subject to a clause, whereby that domain is not investigated prior to the agreement of a lease etc hence the DRS process...

 

[Beasty]

A governement agency is quite different from "government". Why does the head (and indeed the deputy head) of a private company carrying out a quasi governement function need to be paid 2 1/2 (and 1 1/2) times as much as the head of the Patent Office - which is about 10 times as big? Registrants - not Nominet members - are paying for those inflated salaries.

Why does an entity undertaking such a task need the right to compete elsewhere? If it wants to do that, let it do so having divested itself of the monopoly registry role.

Moving the .uk registry to a Patent Office/Companies House model does not necesarily mean a change in the rights model. Personally I think it is an artifice to say that registration of a domain does not equate to acquiring IP rights - the US courts eventually (when a case worth enough pressed the point) agreed. Better to treat them much like TMs I'd say.

However, the existing "first come first served" type system could apply. A proper dispute system, linked into the courts, as per the TM registry, could be codified. Fixed costs would be recoverable for a succesful defendant - a major failure of the DRS; and decisions would be made by qualified employed arbiters - rather than external people who frequently also represent complainants.

Of course, such an agency (or addition to the Patent Office) would also not be beholden to a handful of members with their own agenda. As with ICANN/Verisign, I think we are seeing that there are some things that government do better than private industry.

As Nominet itself expressly acknowledges, what made sense in 1996 does not make sense in 2006. Pandora's Box has been opened by the EGM - now it is time to consider which alternative option makes most sense - particulary given the events at the EGM show that the issue of control is not just theoretical.