Re: PAB [martys@INTERPORT.NET: Whois usage rules]

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Wed, May 12, 1999 at 12:07:51AM +0000, Rahmat M. Samik-Ibrahim wrote:
> Marty Schwimmer wrote on NSI:
> 
> > "You agree that you will not reproduce, sell, transfer, or
> >  modify any of the data presented in response to your search 
> >  request, or use of any such data for commercial purpose, without
> >  the prior express written permission of Network Solutions."
> 
> Now what?

I guess I was too subtle.  I was requesting that people send in 
their own letters to NSI indicating that they do not agree with the 
policy.  NSI can't stop people from using whois information, because 
there is no identification in the protocol, so they have no 
way to prevent people who don't agree from reading whois data.  
Therefore, the legal language is rendered meaningless, if there are 
a significant number of people who state that they don't agree.

So the answer to "Now what?" is:  write your own letter to NSI.

> Who has to be blamed?

No one.

> Who should have come out with a
> better framework long-long-long time ago, but have not, because this
> is not an "engineering" problem ?

I have no idea.

> Who is going to fix this? 

ICANN, if things go well.

> What next?

Send a letter; support ICANN; become a member of ICANN when 
membership opens.

-- 
Kent Crispin                               "Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com                           lonesome." -- Mark Twain