Tim PantonDec 17, 2022

Does your org own your domain name and trademark?

If not - make a fallback plan now!

I'm watching in horror as the W3C tries to retain control over its domain w3.org and the w3c trademark, which to date has been held on its behalf by MIT.

MIT's lawyers seem to me to have spotted an opportunity to make some money by gouging the not-for-profit standards body.

Show threadBill WoodcockDec 17, 2022
@steely_glint Only one company owns .ORG domains, and it's not the registrant. So, yes, if you depend on a .org domain, you definitely need a backup plan. Next round of TLD applications should be open in another year or two.
Show threadTim Panton

@woody If I understand the W3.org thing correctly - MIT are the registrant and are using this as a lever to extract money from a not-for-profit - Who is the owner of .org ?

(or is this a Voldemort thing where the name is _never_ mentioned....)

Dec 17, 2022 at 11:21amWeb
Show threadBill WoodcockDec 17, 2022
@steely_glint The answer is many-layered. Functionally, the "owner" is PIR, which is in turn owned by ISOC. The primary beneficiary is "Ethos," a private-equity firm which, uh... Well, you can find out about them if they haven't sufficiently scrubbed search results.
Show threadKevin P. FlemingDec 17, 2022
@steely_glint @woody The underlying issue is that until very recently, the W3C was not itself a legal entity, but was instead a brand name for a combined effort organized by its host organizations (with MIT being both the creator and the largest host).
Show threadTim PantonDec 17, 2022

@kevin @woody

There is an important lesson here - create a legal entity the moment (or the moment before) you have any assets to hold.

Depending on the kindness of others is asking for future trouble.

Show threadKevin P. FlemingDec 17, 2022
@steely_glint @woody Or use a compatible fiscal host with a mission that aligns with yours - that's more relevant for open source software projects, but still important.
Show threadTim PantonDec 17, 2022
@kevin @woody Indeed, Fiscal hosts were mentioned on our podcast https://distributedfutu.re/#episode79 - but it would be interesting to learn more about them.
Distributed Future - a podcast

Show threadBill WoodcockDec 17, 2022
@kevin @steely_glint The IETF has had exactly the same problem.