<div dir="auto"><div>Note: I slipped the "not" from my sentence.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><span style="font-family:sans-serif">*so that the new contract not be retroactive, </span><span style="font-family:sans-serif">in order to the current .ORG registrants not be affected. </span><br><br><div class="gmail_quote" dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Apr 27, 2019, 15:37 Nadira Alaraj <<a href="mailto:nadira.araj@gmail.com">nadira.araj@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div dir="auto">Dear Kathy and all</div>Thank you for the through investigations on this matter.<div dir="auto">I was wondering if there is a way, so that the new contract to be retroactive, in order to the current .ORG registrants be affected. By any increase in case the community couldn't bring the cap increase down.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Another issue I didn't read in many of the comments that not all .ORG registrants are NGOs hence there are some registrants who might take advance of the current status.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div>These are my 2 naive thoughts,<div dir="auto">Best wishes,</div><div dir="auto">Nadira <br><div dir="auto"><br><div class="gmail_quote" dir="auto"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Sat, Apr 27, 2019, 02:21 Kathy Kleiman <kathy@dnrc.tech> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<span>Hi Milton,
Amr and All,</span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Unfortunately,
I read the contract differently
and fear that the current 10 million .ORG registrants face a
difficult (and
expensive) future. To Milton's excellent question, <i>What,
exactly, are
those “protections for existing registrants”?</i>, the answer
is <i>"not much."</i> Here's
the pricing
provisions of the .ORG proposed agreement (and I’ve been
checking with domain
name attorneys all afternoon): </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>2.10(a)
Registries provide
registrars with a 30 day notice of price increases
(registrations).<span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>2.10(b)
“With respect to renewal of
domain name registrants” Registry will provide registrars with
“advance written
notice of any price increase, and “</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Registry Operator
shall offer registrars the
option to obtain domain name registration renewals at the
current price (i.e.,
the price in place prior to any noticed increase) for periods of
one (1) to ten
(10) years at the discretion of the registrar, but no greater
than ten (10)
years.” </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><i><span>But the
option to allow renewal for 1 to 10 years is at the option
of the registrar.
There’s nothing that requires the registrar to notify
registrants that the price
of their .ORG domain names will be going (possibly
dramatically) and that the
time to renew is now. This is something that is being
written about a lot, but
I don’t see it in the contract. (Some registrars may let
their registrants know
early; others may not.) There is absolutely no requirement
of notice to the
registrant of a price increase for renewals – for .ORG (or
any other registry
which has signed this agreement). </span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Cambria",serif"><span> </span></span></i></b><b><i><span></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>2.10(c) “In
addition, Registry
Operator must have uniform pricing for renewals of domain name
registrations (“Renewal
Pricing”). For the purposes of determining Renewal Pricing, the
price for each
domain registration renewal must be identical to the price of
all other domain
name registration renewals at the time of such renewal” <span> </span>with some vague additional
language about not
wanting to allow abusive and discriminatory renewal pricing. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><b><i><span>Thus, PIR’s job is to charge
all registrars the same price for
new registrations and renewals – whatever that price is and
however much PIR
wants to charge. This is no guidance about abusive and
discriminatory renewal
pricing, no definitions and no clear limitations. </span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Overall, I
think Akriti Bopanna’s
comment for The Centre for Internet and Society, India, today is
right on point:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><b><span>“Removal
of Price Caps</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>“ICANN’s decision to remove price
caps in the .org agreement
will only intensify the unfettered power given to Registries
with the
presumption of renewal. The</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>organization has long heard
accusations of engaging in
closed door decision making</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>and with such a move that pushes
for the rights of
registries over registrars, such</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>concerns are only growing. As it
is, .org can raise its
prices by 10% every year which is</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>unduly generous in itself.5 Giving
PIR a limitless ability
to increase prices would be</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>doing grave injustice to domain
owners who have bought such
domains under the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>assumption of price caps. This is
in contrast to the new
gTLDS where there is more of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>a burden on such owners to keep up
with the actions of
private owners. Legacy</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>gTLDS, unlike the new ones, were
not created and sold to
private entities but handed</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>over to entities like PIR to
maintain them in public
interest.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>“Being one of the first TLD’s to be
introduced, a multitude
of significant websites and</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>therein, initiatives, have their
home on the .org domain. As
pointed out in the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>community discussions several
times, these domains are used
by NGO’s, nonprofit</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>trade associations, individual
member associations as well
as tax-exempt charities.6</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>ICANN’s justification for proposing
these steps is to align
legacy gTLD agreements with those of the other newer gTLDS but
as argued by the
Internet Commerce</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Association;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>“They have completely different
characteristics, history,
and ownership</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>structure. It is not acceptable for
ICANN to ignore these
differences and to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.75in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>propose that they be treated the
same.7</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>“Given the longevity of these
domains on .org, they have put
in substantial investment</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>in maintaining their online
presence and cultivating their
identity and brand. They</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>are entitled to protection from
arbitrary pricing and having
the same financial rules</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>as when they originally bought
their domains. If such caps
are removed then many of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>these domain owners can find it too
expensive to maintain
their sites, especially with</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>no guarantee of future price
stability as well. A look at
the mailing lists is enough to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>see how small organizations are
actively pleading with ICANN
to not go ahead with</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>this because it will increase their
operational costs.8</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>“None of this is to say that PIR
would, in fact, go ahead
and increase the prices</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>exorbitantly or at all, however
leaving that option to them
does not bode well for any</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>party save them. Further, no clear
reasoning has been
provided for such a step like</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>the need for any additional funds
to maintain the domain and
in absence of any</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>exceptionally necessary situation,
the price cap should
continue to exist. Given that</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>PIR is a not-for-profit
organization, the rationale to
remove caps seems even less</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>unclear than it would be, for say,
Verisign. Allowing the
removals could very well be</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>opening Pandora’s box with other
Registries then demanding
removals too. Registries</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>own all the extensions to their
domain and lack of a price
ceiling only enriches the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>revenue of, ultimately, the one
owner leading to a bigger
monopolistic situation than</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:.5in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>already is currently prevalent.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Needless to
say, I support NCSG’s comment too!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Best,
Kathy </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>----------------------------</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Proposed
2019 .ORG Registry
Agreement</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>2.10
Pricing for Registry Services.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(a) With
respect to initial domain
name registrations, Registry Operator</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>shall
provide each ICANN accredited
registrar that has executed the Registry-Registrar</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Agreement
for the TLD advance
written notice of any price increase (including as a result</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>of the
elimination of any refunds,
rebates, discounts, product tying or other programs</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>which had
the effect of reducing the
price charged to registrars, unless such refunds,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>rebates,
discounts, product tying or
other programs are of a limited duration that is clearly</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>and
conspicuously disclosed to the
registrar when offered) of no less than thirty (30)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>calendar
days. Registry Operator
shall offer registrars the option to obtain initial domain</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>name
registrations for periods of
one (1) to ten (10) years at the discretion of the registrar,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>but no
greater than ten (10) years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(b) With
respect to renewal of
domain name registrations, Registry</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Operator
shall provide each ICANN
accredited registrar that has executed the Registry-</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Registrar
Agreement for the TLD
advance written notice of any price increase (including as</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>a result of
the elimination of any
refunds, rebates, discounts, product tying, Qualified</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Marketing
Programs or other programs
which had the effect of reducing the price charged</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>to
registrars) of no less than one
hundred eighty (180) calendar days. Notwithstanding the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>foregoing
sentence, with respect to
renewal of domain name registrations: (i) Registry</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Operator
need only provide thirty
(30) calendar days notice of any price increase if the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>resulting
price is less than or
equal to (A) for the period beginning on the Effective Date</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>and ending
twelve (12) months
following the Effective Date, the initial price charged for</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>registrations
in the TLD, or (B) for
subsequent periods, a price for which Registry Operator</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>provided a
notice pursuant to the
first sentence of this Section 2.10(b) within the twelve</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(12) month
period preceding the
effective date of the proposed price increase; and (ii)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Registry
Operator need not provide
notice of any price increase for the imposition of the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Variable
Registry-Level Fee set
forth in Section 6.3. Registry Operator shall offer registrars</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>the option
to obtain domain name
registration renewals at the current price (i.e., the price in
place prior to
any noticed increase) for periods of one (1) to ten (10) years
at the
discretion of the registrar, but no greater than ten (10) years.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(c) In
addition, Registry Operator
must have uniform pricing for renewals</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>of domain
name registrations
(“Renewal Pricing”). For the purposes of determining</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Renewal
Pricing, the price for each
domain registration renewal must be identical to the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>price of
all other domain name
registration renewals in place at the time of such renewal,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>and such
price must take into
account universal application of any refunds, rebates,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>discounts,
product tying or other
programs in place at the time of renewal. The foregoing</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>requirements
of this Section 2.10(c)
shall not apply for (i) purposes of determining</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Renewal
Pricing if the registrar has
provided Registry Operator with documentation that</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>demonstrates
that the applicable
registrant expressly agreed in its registration agreement</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>with
registrar to higher Renewal
Pricing at the time of the initial registration of the domain</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>name
following clear and conspicuous
disclosure of such Renewal Pricing to such</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>registrant,
and (ii) discounted
Renewal Pricing pursuant to a Qualified Marketing Program</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(as defined
below). The parties
acknowledge that the purpose of this Section 2.10(c) is to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>prohibit
abusive and/or
discriminatory Renewal Pricing practices imposed by Registry</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Operator
without the written consent
of the applicable registrant at the time of the initial</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>registration
of the domain and this
Section 2.10(c) will be interpreted broadly to prohibit</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>such
practices. For purposes of this
Section 2.10(c), a “Qualified Marketing Program” is a</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>marketing
program pursuant to which
Registry Operator offers discounted Renewal</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Pricing,
provided that each of the
following criteria is satisfied: (i) the program and related</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>discounts
are offered for a period
of time not to exceed one hundred eighty (180) calendar</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>days (with
consecutive substantially
similar programs aggregated for purposes of</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>determining
the number of calendar
days of the program), (ii) all ICANN accredited</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>registrars
are provided the same
opportunity to qualify for such discounted Renewal</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>Pricing;
and (iii) the intent or
effect of the program is not to exclude any particular</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>class(es)
of registrations (e.g.,
registrations held by large corporations) or increase the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>renewal
price of any particular
class(es) of registrations. Nothing in this Section 2.10(c)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>shall limit
Registry Operator’s
obligations pursuant to Section 2.10(b).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>(d)
Registry Operator shall provide
public query-based DNS lookup</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:normal"><span>service for
the TLD (that is,
operate the Registry TLD zone servers) at its sole expense.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>-------------</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Here’s
PIR’s current pricing
language, from its 2013 agreement:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>Section
7.3. Pricing for Domain Name
Registrations and Registry Services. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>7.3(a)
Pricing. From the Effective
Date through 31 December 2013, the price to ICANN-accredited
registrars for new
and renewal domain name registrations and for transferring a
domain name
registration from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another,
shall not exceed a
total fee of US$8.25 (the "Maximum Service Fee"). Commencing on
1
January 2014, the Maximum Service Fee charged during a calendar
year for each
annual increment of a new and renewal domain name registration
and for
transferring a domain name registration from one
ICANN-accredited registrar to
another, may not exceed the Maximum Service Fee during the
preceding calendar
year multiplied by 1.10. The same Service Fee shall be charged
to all
ICANN-accredited registrars for new and renewal domain name
registrations.
Volume discounts and marketing support and incentive programs
may be made if
the same opportunities to qualify for those discounts and
marketing support and
incentive programs is available to all ICANN-accredited
registrars.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span> 7.3(b)
Adjustments to Pricing for
Domain Name Registrations. Registry Operator shall provide no
less than six
months prior notice in advance of any price increase for domain
name
registrations and shall continue to offer domain name
registrations for periods
of up to ten years.<span> </span>Registry
Operator is
not required to give notice of the imposition of the Variable
Registry-Level
Fee set forth in Section 7.2(c).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span>----------------------------<br>
</span></p>
<blockquote type="cite">
Hi Milton,
<div><br>
</div>
<div>If my understanding of Section 2.10 of the Registry
Agreement is correct, registrars can continue to renew existing
registrations without an increase in price following an increase
in pricing of new registrations by the Registry Operator (RO)
for a period of up to 10 years. Additionally, ROs are required
to have uniform pricing for registration renewals. This would
mean that all renewal prices would remain unchanged, unless they
all change across all registrars simultaneously.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>The protections for existing registrants referred to
are detailed in 2.10c of the Registry Agreement. The protection
is basically that registrants have to agree to renewal prices
higher than that of the original registration at the time of the
initial registration. It can’t be forced upon them at a later
date. This is meant as a provision to <i>“<span style="font-family:Cambria,serif;font-size:16px;text-indent:96px">prohibit abusive and/or
discriminatory Renewal Pricing practices imposed by Registry
Operator without the written consent of the applicable
registrant at the time of the initial registration of the
domain</span>“</i>.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Thanks.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Amr </div>
<div>
<div><br>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>On Apr 25, 2019, at 9:30 PM, Mueller, Milton L
<<a href="mailto:milton@GATECH.EDU" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">milton@GATECH.EDU</a>> wrote:</div>
<br class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-interchange-newline">
<div>
<div class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941WordSection1" style="font-family:TrebuchetMS;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;text-decoration:none">
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">I agree with the letter’s discussion of URS
and other RPMs. I agree with Amr that we may need to
moderate the language about “unilateral ICANN
action” however because PIR may indeed have gone
along with this.<span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span><u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">On the issue of price caps, I think we need
some factual clarification. If Amr is right and the
potential price increases only apply to new
registrants, then there is much less of an issue.
The proposed renewal says “</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:white;background-position:initial initial;background-repeat:initial initial">Protections for existing
registrants will remain in place, in line with the
base registry agreement.“</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">What, exactly, are those “protections for
existing registrants”?<u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)">MM<u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;color:rgb(31,73,125)"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div>
<div style="border-style:solid none none;border-top-width:1pt;border-top-color:rgb(225,225,225);padding:3pt 0in 0in">
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span>NCSG-Discuss
<<a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU" style="color:purple;text-decoration:underline" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU</a>><span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>On Behalf Of<span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>Amr
Elsadr<br>
<b>Sent:</b><span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span>Thursday,
April 25, 2019 10:33 AM<br>
<b>To:</b><span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU" style="color:purple;text-decoration:underline" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b><span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re:
[Urgent] [Public Comment] Proposed Renewal of
.org Registry Agreement<u></u><u></u></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Hi,<u></u><u></u></div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks for sharing this, Rafik. Speaking
for myself, I very much agree with the comment on
adding the new gTLD Rights Protection Mechanisms
(RPMs) to the PIR contract for .org at this time. As
the draft comment rightly points out, these RPMs
will not actually be Consensus Policies until after
the ICANN Board adopts the recommendations of the
Review of all RPMs in all gTLDs PDP Working Group,
and should not apply to any of the legacy gTLDs,
including .org. However to characterize the decision
to do so as a unilateral ICANN decision is something
I’m not sure of. I presume that PIR negotiated this
with ICANN before the public comment period began? I
might be wrong, as I’m making an assumption here.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">To be clear, the RPMs that would be
applicable here (if I’m not mistaken) are the
Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) and the Trademark
Claims RPM (part of the Trademark Clearing House),
but not the Sunrise Registrations RPM, obviously,
since .org has been around for a while.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Substantively, I don’t believe the URS will
be much of an issue, since it is largely deemed to
be an unappealing mechanism for use by Trademark
holders, as the stats and anecdotal evidence that
has been shared to date indicate. The impact of
Trademark Claims, on the other hand, might be very
different, and prior to it being reviewed by the
RPMs PDP, and adopted as an ICANN policy, I don’t
believe adding it to the .org contract in a renewal
is a good move.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">On the second issue, where the draft
comment disagrees with removing price caps for .org
registrations, I’m pretty sure I don’t agree with
the rationale or conclusion. I don’t believe PIR’s
status as a non-profit entity justifies this. IMO,
it imposes unreasonable obligations on PIR that
other Registry Operators are not subject to, so
effectively penalizing PIR for its status, and its
continued mission to<span class="m_-3215450327228791716m_2074479673144817941Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>“support
many excellent causes”</i>, as pointed out in the
draft.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Furthermore, there is little to no evidence
that I can see (at least in the draft) that
registrants of .org domain names will be negatively
impacted by removal of the price cap. My
understanding is that this will mainly impact new
registrations, not existing ones, but this isn’t
addressed at all.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">To me, PIR needs to set its own price
taking in to consideration their own consumer base.
If they make bad decisions that drive their
customers away, I don’t believe this will negatively
impact registrants as much as it would PIR itself,
especially considering that there are over a
thousand gTLDs for registrants to migrate to, should
they choose to do so.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thanks.<u></u><u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><u></u> <u></u></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Amr<u></u></o</div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></blockquote></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div>
</blockquote></div></div></div>