Tony,
>>So you say that the EC has protectionist motivations in investigating NSI,
>>and at the same time you acknowledge that there is no-one to protect.
>
> These are two entirely different topics. The term
> "protectionist" is synonymous with strategic industrial
> policy and preservation of domestic markets.
Different topics yes, but this does nothing to explain your logic.
But I can help you a little bit: the dominant role NSI plays in terms
of the database to which it claims ownership is a major strategic
industrial policy issue. Maybe you care to finish the the thought
you have started. I am afraid it will lead you to the conclusion that
the _potential_ power acquired by SAIC/NSI in electronic commerce is
a concern for _any_ antitrust regulator.
I assume this also explains why you are so busy writing messages
suggesting that .com/.net/.org market share in Europe is
negligeable. Although (at your advice, maybe?) NSI seems to have
stopped disclosing the percentage of international registrations,
your client's SEC filings contradict you in that respect:
http://edgar.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1030341/0000950133-99-001925.txt
"... our revenues from sources outside the U.S. have increased
significantly..." (This is a boiler plate statement, but it would
hardly be there if international business were negligeable).
> There have been books written on the CEC and
> predecessor strategic industrial policy activities
> that go back about 125 years in this field. That's
> why y'all have different electrical connectors,
> different telephone connectors, different TV (snip)
We can agree on that, although it has not causal relationhip with
the above. The US is no stranger to strategic industrial policy
either, but never had phone plug problem because it is one single
regulatory environment. And during last 10 years, the EC has been
the primary force to remove intra-European protectionism.
Some of your statements against European monopolies are essentially
correct - but they do not seem to be sincere since you act as a paid
advocate for a monopoly.
Regards,
Werner
--
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Fax: +41 22 312 5601 2 cours de Rive CH-1204 Geneva, Switzerland
