IP: reserved single-letter domains

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>To: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>, simon@higgs.com
>From: edyson@edventure.com (Esther Dyson)
>
>
> >Return-Path: <touton@icann.org>
> >Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 10:50:46 -0700
> >From: Louis Touton <touton@icann.org>
> >X-Accept-Language: en
> >To: Esther Dyson <edyson@edventure.com>
> >Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: reserved single-letter domains
> >References: <20000730151140165.AAA488@gateway.edventure.com@esther>
> >
> >Esther,
> >
> >There was no "theft of public property"--they just have their
> >facts wrong.  The name x.com was registered by an Internet user
> >sometime before 1993 when Jon Postel registered all the available
> >single-character names to reserve them for use in the public
> >interest.  (He managed to register all but six out of 144 possible
> >in .com, .edu, .net, and .org.)
> >
> >Immediately below I have copied a message I recently sent regarding
> >these issues.
> >
> >Louis Touton
> >
> >===============================================================
> >Subject:  Re: FW: "d.com"
> >   Date:  Sun, 04 Jun 2000 17:11:53 -0700
> >   From:  Louis Touton <touton@icann.org>
> >     To:  malkav@clic.net
> >
> >Dear Mike,
> >
> >Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding to your
> >inquiry regarding "d.com".
> >
> >The IANA obtained the registration for d.com and most other
> >single-character names under .com in 1993 (the prior reference
> >to 1992 was in error) to implement its policy designed to
> >enhance the extensibilty of the domain-name space.  Since
> >then, these names have been continuously under registration
> >by the IANA.  The IANA has received many inquiries from people
> >seeking to register these names.  As required by the existing
> >policy, the IANA advises those inquiring that these names are
> >already registered to the IANA and reserved for infrastructure
> >purposes to help ensure stable operation of the Internet.
> >The IANA has uniformly turned down all offers by third parties
> >to purchase the right to register these names.
> >
> >Four of the single-character names under .com were registered
> >by other parties before the IANA entered its registration of
> >these names.  The registrations of these names have been (and
> >are) grandfathered for the time being.  Recently some of these
> >registrations have been transferred from one third party to
> >another.  Those transfers are consistent with the grandfathering
> >policy.
> >
> >Having assumed the responsibility for operating the IANA, and
> >for overall technical management of the Internet, ICANN is
> >following the same policies for the operation of the IANA as
> >were followed by Dr. Postel and his colleagues at the Information
> >Sciences Institute.  ICANN's charter and bylaws, together with its
> >obligations under its various agreements with the United States
> >Government, establish consensus-based procedures for modification
> >of existing policies, fostering participation by affected parties.
> >Until the policy is changed by the established procedures, ICANN
> >is required to continue its registration of the single-letter
> >.com domain names for the benefit of the Internet community.
> >
> >While one can understand your company's desire to adopt a catchy
> >name such as "d," trademark it, and use "d.com" as its domain name,
> >giving up these domain names to private parties would, as
> >reflected in existing policy, restrict the IANA's ability to
> >fulfill its responsibility to ensure a stable, extensible domain-
> >name system.
> >
> >Best regards,
> >
> >Louis Touton
> >ICANN Vice President
> >===============================================================
> >
> >Esther Dyson wrote:
> >>
> >> know anything about this???  (at end)
> >>
> >> Esther
> >>
> >> >Return-Path: <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
> >> >X-Sender: farber@linc.cis.upenn.edu
> >> >Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 08:26:43 -0400
> >> >To: edyson@edventure.com
> >> >From: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
> >> >Subject: Fwd: Re: reserved single-letter domains
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >>Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2000 13:24:21 +0100 (BST)
> >> >>From: thomas lakofski <thomas@88.net>
> >> >>To: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
> >> >>Subject: Re: reserved single-letter domains
> >> >>
> >> >>On Sun, 30 Jul 2000, Dave Farber wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >> > >Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2000 10:37:52 -0700
> >> >> > >To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
> >> >> > >From: Simon Higgs <simon@higgs.com>
> >> >>
> >> >>[snip]
> >> >>
> >> >> > >2. www.paypal.com, redirects you to X.COM. A single letter 
> domain name
> >> >> > >taken from the RESERVED single letter domain name pool at IANA. 
> No one
> >> >> > >wants to explain, or be accountable for, how they got the domain 
> name.
> >> >> And
> >> >> > >no-one at ICANN wants to make the situation equitable to all by
>releasing
> >> >> > >the other single letter domains. But that's a whole other can of
>worms...
> >> >>
> >> >>I'd like to see this can of worms addressed too.  It seems that sometime
> >> >>around last December there must have been some confusion amongst
> >> >>registrars which allowed reserved domains to be registered.  I'm 
> surprised
> >> >>that this has received no coverage -- it's a shame that the regulatory
> >> >>framework is so ineffective that there is no recourse for what is
> >> >>basically theft of public property (x.com, i.net, etc.).
> >> >>
> >> >>-Thomas
> >> >>
> >>
> >> Esther Dyson                    Always make new mistakes!
> >> chairman, EDventure Holdings
> >> chairman, Internet Corp. for Assigned Names & Numbers
> >> edyson@edventure.com
> >> 1 (212) 924-8800    --  1 (212) 924-0240 fax
> >> 104 Fifth Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets; 20th floor)
> >> New York, NY 10011 USA
> >> http://www.edventure.com                    http://www.icann.org
> >>
> >> PC Forum: 25 to 28 March 2001, Scottsdale (Phoenix), Arizona
> >> Book:  "Release 2.1: A design for living in the digital age"
> >> High-Tech Forum in Europe: November 1 to 3 - Barcelona
> >
>
>
>Esther Dyson                    Always make new mistakes!
>chairman, EDventure Holdings
>chairman, Internet Corp. for Assigned Names & Numbers
>edyson@edventure.com
>1 (212) 924-8800    --  1 (212) 924-0240 fax
>104 Fifth Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets; 20th floor)
>New York, NY 10011 USA
>http://www.edventure.com                    http://www.icann.org
>
>PC Forum: 25 to 28 March 2001, Scottsdale (Phoenix), Arizona
>Book:  "Release 2.1: A design for living in the digital age"
>High-Tech Forum in Europe: November 1 to 3 - Barcelona