Re: [Membership] MAC reports and models-New URLs

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

On Thu, Feb 04, 1999 at 03:40:59PM +1100, Greg Crew wrote:
> The application of a small "levy" per DN registration has certainly been
> considered as a funding mechanism for ICANN. It has some obvious advantages.
> I am not sure if payment of a levy, embedded in the registration fee
> charged by the registrar, can be considered as a membership fee also. I
> suspect membership might be something that needs to be applied for, in full
> knowledge of the implications. I doubt if such a complication would be
> welcome to registrars.
> However, DN holders, having paid the levy, and applying for membership,
> could be considered to have paid the membership fee.
> Greg.

A small fee does act as a filter for completely frivolous 
memberships, but there are additional measures that could be taken. 

For example, has there been any discussion of the notion of an
"membership agreement"? Requiring a signed application for
membership, faxed or postal mailed, has a couple of benefits: it
gives a weak additional form of authentication, it would make it
somewhat difficult for a single individual to submit a hundred
applications; it would (as mentioned) give a weak screen for
frivolous members, and finally and most importantly, it could spell
out clearly what the rights and obligations of membership were, in a
legally binding way.  In particular, it could specify rules of
conduct for discussion, rules that could be enforced. 

-- 
Kent Crispin, PAB Chair				"Do good, and you'll be
kent@songbird.com				lonesome." -- Mark Twain