RE: [registrars] whois lookup

["tchaffin " <tchaffin@stargateinc.com>]

Bruce,

>Surely the registrant has contacted you (using their real email address or
>otherwise) to request a transfer?

Their "real" e-mail address???  How am I to determine what that is if the whois lists a different e-mail address that changes on a regular basis?  

>The only problem I can see, is if the transfer was obtained using an
>inappropriate method in the first place (e.g a spam mail to the email
>address listed in WHOIS).

How can querying a registrar's port 43 whois for valid contact information be construed as an "inappropriate method"?!?!

The problem here is that registrars do not have a "private" method for which to query other registrar’s whois information for day-to-day operations (e.g. transfers).

The public should be required to use a web based version to query whois information.  The public truly has no legitimate need to access whois at the rate that it is currently being utilized.  If a legitmiate requirement for bulk whois is needed, it can easily be purchased as the ICANN agreement outlines.

Tom



---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From: Bruce Tonkin <Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au>
Date:  Tue, 4 Jun 2002 10:30:40 +1000 

>Hello Tom,
>
>> 
>> Your making the assumption that I can still contact the 
>> client via e-mail.
>> If the email address is no longer valid how am I to contact 
>> the registrant?
>> I can't imagine the losing registrar would continue to provide email
>> services after the domain has been transferred.
>> 
>
>Aren't you missing an important step here?
>
>Surely the registrant has contacted you (using their real email address or
>otherwise) to request a transfer?
>
>The only problem I can see, is if the transfer was obtained using an
>inappropriate method in the first place (e.g a spam mail to the email
>address listed in WHOIS).
>
>I support the idea.
>
>On a separate issue we still need to resolve the transfer problem.  A
>standard way of authorising a transfer using email might alleviate the
>problem you have identified.
>
>Regards,
>Bruce Tonkin
>> 
>