Re: 71% or so of .COM registrants are Americans: Right!

[Jim Dixon <jdd@matthew.uk1.vbc.net>]

On Thu, 11 Dec 1997, Kent Crispin wrote:

> > > I have produced accurate figures based upon a true copy of the available
> > > data. Do you still argue that 97% of .coms are owned by Americans?.
> > 
> > No.  But then I never did.
> 
> Nonsense.  What you actually said was "Given the fact that something
> like 97% of .COM registrants are America[sic],...". 

I realize that you aren't really big on fine distinctions Kent, but 
try.

I did NOT use the word "own".  I don't think that anyone owns any 
domain names.

I did NOT say "97% of .coms".  I said "something like 97%".  "Something
like" means, you know, something similar to.  In this case what I meant
was something in the 90+% range.  

> >  For one thing, I avoid the use of the word
> > "owned"; I question the applicability of this concept.  I said something 
> > similar to "something like 97% of .COM domains are registered to domain 
> > name holders in the US and Canada".
> 
> See above for what you really said.

I said the same thing over and over again, phrasing it somewhat 
differently on each occasion.  Do your homework, as Dave would say.
 
> > The experience of discussing issues like this with proponents of the 
> > gTLD MOU and CORE has made me reconsider my evaluation of the 
> > relative merits of CORE and NSI.  Yes, Network Solutions is a monopoly
> > that claims copyright over the com/net/org database and has stupid,
> > blind, offensive policies.  Unfortunately the MOUvement seems to be 
> > claiming to have rights over all gTLDs
> 
> Nope.

Robert Shaw, who is a member of the POC, unequivocally said YES in 
response to Richard Sexton's question about this.  Does it really 
have to be quoted yet again?
 
> > So why prefer one over the other?  Let's adopt your figures instead of
> > Tony's.  There simply isn't that much difference between them.  The
> > overwhelming majority of .COM registrants are American or Canadian,
> > and their interest should be paramount in determining whether the .COM
> > registry is moved.
> 
> Your statement is simply incoherent. 

Do you know what the word "incoherent" means?

Did you actually have difficulty in parsing those few sentences?
 
>                                      First of all, there is the
> question of what moral code you use to justify the idea that Americans
> should have preferential treatment in any domain name dispute.  

An overwhelming majority of registrants in .UK are British.  
Therefore any decision to move Nominet off shore should be made
only after considering the interests of its British registrants.

Nominet is based in the UK and subject to UK law because that is
exactly what most people want.

The same applies to .COM.

> Second, the impact on Americans is minor, since most disputes are 
> handled locally, anyway.

Do Americans agree?

--
Jim Dixon                                                 Managing Director
VBCnet GB Ltd                http://www.vbc.net        tel +44 117 929 1316
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