What is a registry selling?

[Dave Crocker <dcrocker@brandenburg.com>]

At 4:48 PM -0800 12/6/96, Christopher Ambler wrote:
>any registry that selects an iTLD that they feel they can market MUST SHARE
>that iTLD with other registries; other registries that will, in effect, ride
>on the coattails of any registry that cares to spend money to advertise
>the iTLDs in question.

	Christopher,

	If you don't mind (and heck, I guess even if you do...) I'd like to
take your above response as an opening to a very, very basic question,
namely the legitimate role of a registry.

	Are iTLDs an "international resource"?  If so, then of course the
registry doesn't own it.

	While mechanically useful (and intended) for the simple task of
name/address mapping, there is a separate question about the value-added
import of iTLDs.  Are they, in fact, resources that can or should be
"developed"?  The reference to marketing effort for specific iTLD strings
suggests that you see some iTLDs strings as very much subject to brand
equity development.  By using such a term, I'm trying to make clear that it
is easily possible to view iTLDs (or any other string) in that fashion.
The question, then, is whether an iTLD enhancement scheme should explicitly
enourage or discourage such a view, or whether it should pretty much ignore
that view and let other factors dominate?

	The view you espouse is one of resource development, where the
resource is the iTLD string.  An entirely different view is one simply of
service.  One may view registries as, well, registries.  They need to
process information, be responsive to problems, provide reliable data
management and access, etc.  Their worth, therefore, is in service quality
and not the particular strings they happen to service.

	What's wrong with this other view?  Is there a third or fourth view
that will help determine the valid role of a registry?

d/

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