Kim, little would change.  The car dealer does not go out of business
because he cannot make a profit on registration renewals - he offers service
and value to his core business to retain his customers.

The number plate supplier gets his business from new cars that the dealer
sells - just like it can be with domain names.

There are really two issues. One is the business model of how profits are
made.  Domain name renewal profits are so small that it's a service issue
rather than revenue issue. The real business is in added value services.

The second issue is that of managing the domain name registration and
renewal process.  Right now it's done through a central authority, using
accredited registrars. Under the current model resellers have no standing in
any case.

The car registration model is understood by consumers, and it's well proven.
The only ingredient missing, as far as I can see, is that of acceptance.

Ron Stark



>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kim Davies [mailto:kim§cynosure.com.au]
>Sent: Thursday, 6 March 2003 10:00 PM
>To: 'dns§lists.auda.org.au'
>Subject: Re: [DNS] Consumer Alert
>
>
>Quoting Ron Stark on Thursday March 06, 2003:
>| 
>| All renewals are then done at a *lower* rate, and solely 
>through a central
>| authority, or at worst, solely through only accredited 
>registrars.  Just
>| like car registration renewals.
>
>How would you deal with the current industry which predominantly
>involves third parties running web and internet functions on behalf of
>registrants? I'm not sure a company who pays someone to "run 
>my website"
>would be expecting to get their bills.
>
>If you decide it is a good thing, that there should be the opportunity
>for a middle man or agent between the registry and the end user - be it
>a registrar, reseller, afilliate, whatever, you will always have the
>possibility for problems.
>
>If you do eliminate any possibility for a middle man, you may 
>then get a
>situation where the middle man will still exist, will register a domain
>name on behalf of the registrant, with the contact details pointing to
>the agent rather not the registrant which I dont think is a 
>good outcome.
>
>kim
>(personally an advocate of the auDA does everything at cost model)
>
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