Registry – Registrar Integration Debate Far from Over for Fresh TLDs
Some integration between registries and registrars likely for fresh TLDs.
The prior week I noted regarding an ICANN board resolution that called for “strict separation of entities offering registry services and those acting as registrars. No co-ownership will be allowed.”
In other words, domain name registrars such as Go Daddy and eNom would not be able to own a domain name registry similar to Neustar or VeriSign.
Well, the resolution is only half the story. Now that the complete transcript from the board meeting is available, it appears this was just ICANN’s board punting on the issue to let Generic Names Supporting Organization handle the dirty work.
Commenting on the resolution prior to the vote, ICANN Chairman of the Board Peter Dengate-Thrush stated, “In the end I hope this position which we all regard as relatively unsatisfactory for a default position will be very promptly amended by a bottom-up policy development process from the GNSO.”
Basically, ICANN’s board took the conservative route of not messing with the status quo on registry/registrar integration since GNSO is right now working on its own plan.
Indeed, GNSO has by now put out a call for volunteers on a Vertical Integration Policy Development Process working group. The group hopes to offer a range of possible integration options for registrars to own registries (and vice-versa) by the end of June, giving it plenty of time to work its way through the process prior to the launch of fresh TLDs.
