QAlssrs C20 Gabe Batista Network Solutions Prepares Fora More Competitive World By Ark Hesseldaht We How much lobbying has NSI THE HEAD of a company donetothet'S. government during About tolose ts near monop- the transition period? What are fly over the domain-name NSIS priorities in the new DNS business, Gabe Battista neverthe- plan? Tess has’ a lot to be optimistic Battista: Because of the rulemak- fabout. Network Solutions Ine. ing procedure, any discussions we thas just a few months before it have would, by law, be part ofthe ‘stands to lose its status asthe ex- public record. We've been inaquet tlusive registrar ofthe com, .org, period while the government has fand net top-level domains been gathering comments. Before (TLDs), under the US. govern- the green paper was published, we nent plan for a new Domain were talking to anyone we could to Name System, But the company is _ put forth our position. The lst few looking toward the future. ‘months have been really NSI last month acquired id- quiet ‘Names, « Houston-based firm that specilizesin the registration of n- ME What steps will NSI temational TLDs, and iti prepar- take to comply with the ing for the changing competitive government's request favironment in the Busines it has that NST com, et, and Sefined fr six years. org registry wil treat all Despite looming changes, NSTS registrars in a non bsiness is god. So far this year it discriminatory fashion? has registered more than 340,000 Battista: We're not only domain names, roughly 9 percent going to support that, Battista fof those within com—an inrease we've been an advocate ‘of 73 percent from 197,00 in the ofthat. We believe that open and Same period in 1997 free competion isagood thing We "The frst quarter of 1908 marked believe it will stimulate the overall [NST sixth consecutive quarter of demand for domainname registry profitability, Net income for the tion services. Fee and open com- fist quarter of 1998 jumped al- petition is our intent. The more ‘most 300 percent, from $516,000 competition, the beter. to more than $2 milion, over the first quarter of 1907 {WeThere are expectations thatthe Iniernet World recently spoke government will want to create at with Battista about he future the least three, if not more, new top- domain-name business, the ex- level domain names. Which ones, pected transition of Intemet over- if any, would you most like to see Sight from the U.S. government to created? fan intemational body, and NST Batista: Whether its three o five, role in the future ofthe Internet. Tm not sure how the names willbe Internet Weré: Do you expect the ‘government’ final recommenda- tion on the DNS to be much dif- ferent from its proposals? With only weeks remaining until those recommendations are released, what are you hoping for? (Gabe Battista: First ofall, we sup- port the framework the govern nent put forth in the green paper: era jia’s WEBSITE VALUE INDEX Manas picked or what they will be. We're notin. position to say what names they should be, so Ihave no feel {ngs about that at all. 1f any new rames are introduced, they wile ther be accepted and be successful {inthe marketplace or they wont. If people find value with them, they willbe successful. IW: Some people have suaested that adding. new TLDS. would ‘cause confsion for users, and d- Tate trademarks such as Ama zon.com. Are these concems for ‘Network Solutions? Battista: The whole issue of new ‘TLDs has benefits and risks. It provides for diversity and new ames, and it also takes trade ‘mark issues that have yet to bere solved on a global scale and com> pounds them, If there are new ‘TLDs, well participate, and com- pete, and give our customers a fonestop shop. "There needs to be a process on how trademark disputes are re- ‘solved! This is dificult, because there isnot a slobal trademark law. We've had to ferret some of those issues ‘out with com. We Would you support the ereation of a global | ‘trademark body to help resolve these issues? (attsta: No. I think the marketplace should re- solve these things. We've regis- tered nearly 2 milion names and we've had about 3,000 disputes, You don't want to slow up the process for 1,997,000 others be- ‘cause you have 3,000 disputes. A ‘global body would only slow the growth of the Internet. I think every registrar i gong to have to figure out how to work this. don't ‘want to slow the Internet up. [We What do you think of the new ‘TLD brokers? Is it to0 soon to be selling registrations for domains ‘Soe NSI PREPARES, nezt page ‘Wethoughtiwasthe gt solution | ¢,Msf.con’ 1k $188 $188 and that i wil drive things to a cc ) ‘competitive solution. 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