Domain Name NASA.COM

Sat Jul 12 11:18:02 UTC 1997

> 
> Here we go with the InterNIC.
> 
> I've been a longstanding cheerleader for the NIC, but I have to put all of
> that aside on this one.
> 
> Today, without notice, the InterNIC turned "off" the domain name NASA.COM,
> a domain which had been registered now for over two years.
> 
> In the letter that follows, the InterNIC claims that the registration of
> NASA.COM violates the Space Act of 1958.  The Space Act of 1958,
> which is found at http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/amendact.html ,
> states:
> 

[summary of InterNIC's violations of its own policies snipped]

[letter from InterNIC snipped]

At first your letter dismayed me.  It truly appeared that the InterNIC
was violating its own policies (perhaps they still are) and that the
space act of 1958 should not apply if your web site really had nothing
to with NASA, space, etc.

I went to your web site, however.

> server 209.4.122.20
Default Server:  ns1.host.net
Address:  209.4.122.20

> www.nasa.com
Server:  ns1.host.net
Address:  209.4.122.20

Name:    www.nasa.com
Address:  209.4.122.102

What I found indeed had nothing to do with space exploration.  What
I found was an ad for some kind of porno/sex service, a comment about
the domain being taken away from you, and then a link to host.net's 
main page.  It appears that you have nothing to do with space exploration,
or should I sufice to say nothing to do with anything.  From my
perspecitve, you are using the domain nasa.com in an effort to advertise
to people who miss-enter the URL for NASA.gov, and with the current
Mars Pathfinder mission, I'm sure thats quite a few.  These being the
facts, I think the space act of 1958 DOES apply to you.

However, I still feel the InterNIC should have given you thirty
days to dispute your case.  I imagine if you wish to make a legal case
out of it that you could get a temporary restraining order again the
InterNIC; but in the long run you will loose the case, because you
fail to have one.  [Disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and I am not
representing AIS in this post; these are just my personal opinions on the
issue.]

/ajd/
-- 
       _/_/    _/  _/_/_/_/         Andrew J. Doane
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