Tony Rutkowski wrote:
>
> At 05:02 AM 7/30/99 , [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >therefore "eventually" competition will be allowed in the
> ccTLDs, but I
> >share DG IV's POV that economically and politically NSI's monopoly in
> >"general purpose" (not nationally restricted) TLDs is a
> higher priority.
>
> Even though the AFNIC monopoly, for example, has 99.99 % of the
> TLD domain market in France and Network Solutions may have that
> 0.01% ?
The European Commission looks, of course, at the global European figures.
Obviously, if the European ccNICs had the dominant position you show as
hypothesis, the things would be different. After all, DG IV should be silly
to bother for 0.01%, don't you agree?
The fact is that, for Europe as a whole, the figures are dramatically
different, and the economical effect of NSI's monopoly are real, as you
probably know very well.
And, even though the national PTT monopoly has recently
> become a registrar for COM, NET, and ORG?
National PTT monopoly?
Lotta things happened since you left Geneva. Maybe you still have friends at
the ITU that can keep you up to date ;>)
Anyway, since you raise the point of competition with NSI at a Registrar
level, don't you think that the protectionist attitude that NSI has taken in
the last few months has played definitively a role in DG IV's decision? Some
complaints to DG IV for antitrust activities in DN registration are quite
old, but no decision was taken yet because there was reasonable confidence
that a gentlemen's agreement could be found sooner or later. Recent history
has proven the opposite, hence the decision.
That's a very interesting
> anticompetitive perspective the EU takes. It must be what makes
> Europe so strongly competitive and a leader in the Internet field.
I understand your bitterness, if I would have been hit in my direct
interests I would feel the same.
But to turn the thing around and to say that an antitrust action is an
anticompetitive position seems to me to stretch the thing a little bit too
far.
I have always admired your argumentations, and I really find great that you
can paint the monopoly of NSI as a driving force towards competition, and
the anti-trust authorities as the ones who oppose competition ;>).
Regards
Roberto
