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VeriSign Pursues ICANN In State Court

Posted by michael on from the keepings-the-lawyers-busy dept.

Saeed al-Sahaf writes "Like a page out of the SCO how-to book, in the wake of its legal loss in U.S. District Court, VeriSign is moving on to attack ICANN in California's Los Angeles Superior Court. It's the same old story from VeriSign, and they seem intent on dragging it out. 'ICANN's unjustified and overreaching efforts over a three-year period to regulate services that VeriSign offers to registrars and domain name registrants ... has delayed and otherwise impeded the introduction of new services by VeriSign,' the company alleges in its filing. Funny, I have several active and inactive domains at VeriSign, and I can't remember being 'offered' these 'services'. I think most people would have declined such an 'offer'."

18 comments

  1. Shift in business model? by keiferb · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Are there any members of the Verisign board that also have significant interests in SCO?

  2. A question..... by scumbucket · · Score: 1

    Can someone explain who regulates who gets to control what domains? Can ICANN revoke Verisign's control of the .net and .com domains? If not, who can?

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    CMDRTACO CHECK YOUR EMAIL!
  3. ICANN is. by tao_of_biology · · Score: 4, Informative
    Check out this URL, for an explanation of what ICANN is and more. But briefly, it states:
    The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is responsible for managing and coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS) to ensure that every address is unique and that all users of the Internet can find all valid addresses. It does this by overseeing the distribution of unique IP addresses and domain names. It also ensures that each domain name maps to the correct IP address.

    ICANN is also responsible for accrediting the domain name registrars. "Accredit" means to identify and set minimum standards for the performance of registration functions, to recognize persons or entities meeting those standards, and to enter into an accreditation agreement that sets forth the rules and procedures applicable to the provision of Registrar Services.

    According to this link, Verisign has control of .com until 2007, and must put up .net up for bid in late 2006. I believe they don't currently control .org, but I might be wrong.

    I assume if Verisign violated their contract with ICANN in some way, their control over .com and .net could be revoked.

    --

    -- "A chicken is an egg's way of making another egg."

    1. Re:ICANN is. by Matt+Perry · · Score: 1
      I believe they don't currently control .org, but I might be wrong.
      No, you're correct. Org is run by the Public Interest Registry.
      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  4. Two bullies by chris_mahan · · Score: 2, Funny

    You know, when two bullies start having a go at it, the rest of the schoolyard watches and smirks.

    <dreammode>
    I personally want them both to bloody themselves so badly that Google witll come and pick up verisign for a dime and tell ICANN to shove it as they roll out G-DNS.
    </dreammode>

    --

    "Piter, too, is dead."

  5. Not like SCO at all... by (H)elix1 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    SCO went after IBM's legal team. Their moves could best be described as 'death by cop' thinking about how they will spend the life insurance afterwards. This is not even in the same ballpark. While Verisign may rank on the asshat scale, they really have nothing to loose by chasing this venue. They loose this, no big deal... they win, they win big until DNS servers get recoded.

    We could only dream they pull a SCO...

    --
    +++ UGUCAUCGUAUUUCU
    1. Re:Not like SCO at all... by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 1

      FYI: Also frequently known as 'suicide by cop'.

      --
      You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  6. Lose - not loose. You are an idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm so sick of asshats who can't spell posting supposedly INSIGHTFUL shit on Slashdot.

    Go to school and freakin learn English before you come here and wax intellectual.

  7. IANAL by dacarr · · Score: 1

    Since I'm not a lawyer, here's my question - if the US Dist. courts, which are presumably higher up than the California court, dismissed Verisign's claim, am I right in thinking that CA superior will as well?

    --
    This sig no verb.
    1. Re:IANAL by BrynM · · Score: 1
      Since I'm not a lawyer, here's my question - if the US Dist. courts, which are presumably higher up than the California court, dismissed Verisign's claim, am I right in thinking that CA superior will as well?
      From what I gather, Verisign is making an "all new" and borader claim - at least in the eyes of CA law. Technically, these are two different cases and this one will probably be run up the same supreme court flagpole eventually.
      --
      US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
    2. Re:IANAL by dacarr · · Score: 1

      *snort* At the rate things go with the courts, it'll likely be in the hands of the USSC by the time that Verisign's TLDs go back up for bid. Frickin' drama queens.

      --
      This sig no verb.
    3. Re:IANAL by John+Hasler · · Score: 1

      The Federal district courts are not "higger up" than state courts: they just have different jurisdiction. The Federal appellate courts are "higer up" than state courts where Constitutional issues are concerned and where state and Federal laws intersect.

      --
      Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
  8. -1 Offtopic by lordmoose · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    Somehow I now have 6 gmail invitations to give out. I don't know if Google is opening the floodgates or what, but anyway... I don't know if anybody still needs an invite, but email me at lordmooseREMOVETHIS@gmail.com and I will hook you up, the good(?) readers of slashdot.


    Really I have more than 6 friends, but none of them even know what a gmail account is.





    Gludar the Destroyer's greatest trick is convincing the world that he doesn't exist.

    1. Re:-1 Offtopic by lordmoose · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      All of my invites have been sent out.


      Now spread the love!

  9. VeriSign Sucks. by javaxman · · Score: 1
    Clearly, this company is run by lunatic idiots. ICANN should sue them for breach of contract and give somebody else the job already.

    Shouldn't the state court just refer to the already decided federal case??

    As an interesting side note, I was about to submit this story, did a /. search to link to previous stories on the topic, and found that it had *just* been submitted... but didn't yet show up on my non-paid-subscription page! Fascinating little 'hole' in the subscription-only story-delay system, no? Next time I notice some big hot new story that isn't yet showing on my /. page, I now know I can search for it and comment on it early to 'beat the rush'...

  10. Can't we just ditch VeriSign? by Cranx · · Score: 1

    Why can't we all just stop using their services? Just use other registrars and don't use any root server they manage. What's all the fuss?

    1. Re:Can't we just ditch VeriSign? by chrispyman · · Score: 1

      It's not so easy to ditct VeriSign. They run the .com and .net registries and no matter what registrar you use, VeriSign still gets paid for each domain (I think its ~$5 or so). VeriSign doesn't control the root servers (atleast not more than a couple of them), but they do control the .com and .net roots, so if you stopped using them then your .com and .net stop working. In short, the only way to stop VeriSign is to get ICANN to revoke their contract somehow or just wait until it expires in a year or two.

  11. Fixed visuals here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Same story without those Get horrible YRO hues here. Ahhh... that's better.