I guess this was inevitable.
There are a bunch of domain and internet related companies out there that have totally forgettable and unoriginal names. At some point there’s going to be confusion between two or more of them.
But you’d also think that any sane company would do a small bit of due diligence to avoid these kind of conflicts when registering a limited company name.
Centralnic obviously didn’t ..
So now Centralnic are renaming themselves as “TLD Registrar Services Limited”, but there’s already a very similar company name “TLD Registry Services LLP” which was setup in 2011 by domain industry veteran Nigel Roberts, who also runs .gg and .je.
And yes, people DO confuse “registrar” and “registry” all the time, so the simple difference of one word is practically negligible
What makes it all even more amusing or inane or insane (take your pick) is that you can easily spot the potential confusion if you look at the UK companies’ database:
So what next?
It’s a bit hard to say, but it sounds like there is a very big difference of opinion between Centralnic’s management and Mr Roberts:
We’ve been quietly working away talking to various small TLD operators both directly and at ICANN meetings on a 1:1 basis, and prior to this little difficulty had already signed up our first couple of already-operational TLD clients.
CentralNIC’s first reaction was that we should both carry on using the TLD Registry/-rar names.
That’s a natural,if misguided, reaction. However we are of quite a different opinion.
They’ve been pushing http://www.dotbrandsolutions.com and mention “registrar services,” but make no mention of TLD Registrar Services on their site. I presume that they are becoming an accredited registrar while maintaining their current channel of registrars for new gTLDs? It’s all pretty vague.
Sean
They became accredited a few months ago supposedly, but I’m not sure under which name exactly: https://www.internetnews.me/2011/11/21/centralnic-now-icann-accredited/
Thanks for your comment
Michele
Yes, they play both sides of the words Registry & Registrar, like a fine musical instrument; and verbiage akin to the very finest of, Premium – Triple Distilled British BS.
This page > http://www.icann.org/registrar-reports/accredited-list.html < was updated on June 26th, 2012 and the new name clicks-through to CentralNic.
With respect for … "fake registries should be banned from operation" … That's underway.
ICANN Rule # 3.7.7.9 The Registered Name Holder shall represent that, to the best of the Registered Name Holder's knowledge and belief, neither the registration of the Registered Name nor the manner in which it is directly or indirectly used infringes the legal rights of any third party.
Network Solutions, domain name registration rules, from ICANN mandate: 11. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. You agree and warrant that: (i) neither your registration nor use of the any of the Network Solutions services nor the manner in which you intend to use such Network Solutions Services will directly or indirectly infringe the legal rights of a third party, (ii) you have all requisite power and authority to execute this Agreement and to perform your obligations hereunder, (iii) you have selected the necessary security option(s) for your domain name registration record, (iv) you are of legal age to enter into this Agreement (or you are at least 13 years of age and have your parents' permission to apply for services hereunder); and (vi) you agree to comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
The DMCA "Red Flags" going to 1/2 Mast.
The days of Contributory Infringement by CentralNic are … I anticipate … drawing to a close, c/o Virginia Court.
So nobody will have to worry about CentralNic allowing the creation of "a simultaneously local and global Internet Identity." any longer.
So it's farewell to them; and an abusive registrant at Landcruise. uk.com .
Cheers, Graham.