Re: [ga] DNSO ICANN board member

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Fri, Sep 01, 2000 at 12:41:34AM +0200, Jefsey Morfin wrote:
[...]
> >No, they don't.  The "rights" that go with a domain are purely defined
> >through contracts and laws, and those "rights" are being developed as
> >we speak.
> 
> What is your legal difinition of a Domain Name?

There is no legal definition of a domain name, but laws are being passed
that deal with domain names, and those laws define the rights that apply
to domain names. 

[...]

> >Yes.  Every one of those things, under some circumstance or another,
> >can affect your "right" to your real property.
> 
> This requires an authority to determine the circumstances and legitimate
> the restriction or the removal. 

Of course.

> Internet belongs to everyone as it is nothing
> (inter-net is like inter-national or the air you breath). There is no other
> legitimacy for a decision to be taken and respected than mutual agreement
> or war. Do you really mean "your rights are okay until I invade you"?

That's not what I wrote.

> >There are no a priori "rights" to domain names -- no rights of free
> >speech or expression, no rights of possession or ownership.  People are
> >busily trying to *assert* rights to domain names, but nobody is
> >special, it's just a free-for-all of people saying "mine mine mine",
> >and the winners are yet to be determined.
> 
> Could you elaborate on this.

There are actively competing theories about what rights belong to domain
names.  These are theories, not realities.  Protagonists for the various
theories try to convince lawmakers to implement their view, with varying
degrees of success.  But the situation is not stable, and the winners
are yet to be determined. 

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