.uk V2.0 Questions to Nominet & their Answers

[aZooZa]

I realise that the way it is put to counsel will help you get the desired result. But my point is that it's still worth asking nominet for the reasoning given by the independent legal advisers which means they are legally precluded from contacting existing registrants about the consultation, yet legally entitled to contact/and sell to the same existing registrants should v2 proceed.

I'm with you 100% on this.

 

[Stephen]

follow up line of questioning

I appreciate that the external advice is totally separate to that given by the in house team. I was just interested to hear that they had finally gone to the trouble of getting independent advice. I think the second part of my comment is valid 'If uk law dictates that existing registrants should be kept in the dark about the v2 consultation, then you'd expect the same laws to block nominet from being able to contact them should v2 proceed.' and you'd expect this scenario to have also been put to Counsel. It is important to know what their brief to Counsel was but I doubt that nominet will disclose the full details to us.

That very much is my follow up line of questioning and even if they are allowed to send an email to all registrants if they go ahead with .uk, as they have stated in their proposal, will they legally be entitled to send it?

Also will it be limited to one, as anybody in business knows that will not be enough messaging to get the registrant to take action about the .uk in the majority of cases, it would need a sustained effort of communication.

 

[Edwin]

As I have pointed out many times, the registrars are unlikely to sit on their hands if there's money to be made. Every domain owner already has an existing relationship with one or other registrar - leaving aside the special case of Nominet tag holders managing their own portfolios - so they are likely to be bombarded with communiques from their registrars hoping to double down (actually, triple down, if the proposed pricing is sustained through to the final implementation) on their domain registration revenue by pimping .uk - easiest money they'll ever make, in many cases!

Even if Nominet only sends the one message (and given the deluge of begging emails I'm receiving from them for each domain we're not renewing, how likely is that really?) it will be far from the only communication on the subject most existing registrants can expect to receive.

 

[Stephen]

not much of a plan

As I have pointed out many times, the registrars are unlikely to sit on their hands if there's money to be made. Every domain owner already has an existing relationship with one or other registrar - leaving aside the special case of Nominet tag holders managing their own portfolios - so they are likely to be bombarded with communiques from their registrars hoping to double down (actually, triple down, if the proposed pricing is sustained through to the final implementation) on their domain registration revenue by pimping .uk - easiest money they'll ever make, in many cases!

Even if Nominet only sends the one message (and given the deluge of begging emails I'm receiving from them for each domain we're not renewing, how likely is that really?) it will be far from the only communication on the subject most existing registrants can expect to receive.

Can you guarantee that is the case for the owners of the 10,000,000 Uk domains? and that the registrars will do it effectively?

No you cannot guarantee and to expect other people to do Nominet's job to make registrants aware that are not on Acorn is just not sensible and too much of a gamble.

Getting all UK registrars and the UK media to spread the word about .uk, is not much of a plan unless their is agreement before hand they will do it.

 

[Edwin]

Getting all UK registrars and the UK media to spread the word about .uk, is not much of a plan unless their is agreement before hand they will do it.

It is in the commercial best interest of the existing registrars to take this absolutely gift opportunity to upsell their customers on getting the .uk to match their existing domains (and thus potentially treble their revenue from registration fees).

Why on earth would they pass the opportunity by? They'd be crazy to ignore it!

 

[Stephen]

Nobody really knows

It is in the commercial best interest of the existing registrars to take this absolutely gift opportunity to upsell their customers on getting the .uk to match their existing domains (and thus potentially treble their revenue from registration fees).

Why on earth would they pass the opportunity by? They'd be crazy to ignore it!

Turnover is vanity - profit is sanity.

They have massive margins on some tld's and they demand behind the scenes marketing contributions to get things done! Will Nominet provide the marketing support demanded to put them to the top of the newsletter?

Profit margin - on .co.uk is non existent for the majority of the large registrars you only have to look at there prices, factor in credit card charges and there is nothing left!

They may do something with .uk but also they may not!

Maybe they will wait for the media or Nominet to open the flood gates of buyers and make no effort at all, just add it to the drop down choices.

Nobody knows.

 

[Stephen]

Freedom of Information request to Nominet UK

No good as some of you know to use the Freedom of Information request to Nominet UK.

This is a recent response (12 July 2013)

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/responses_to_the_directuk_consul

Thank you for your email of 8^th July, in which you requested information under the Freedom of Information Act.

You may not be aware, but Nominet is a private company and not subject to
FOIA.

Information about our public consultation on a proposed new second level
registrations policy is provided on our website [1]here. The consultation
runs until 23 September 2013. We have previously stated that consultation
responses will be published in November after the Nominet Board has had
the opportunity to review all the feedback.


Yours sincerely

Nick Wenban-Smith

Senior Legal Counsel | Nominet