Companies file reconsideration request. Meanwhile, who just bought web.biz?
Last week Radix and Schlund Technologies GmbH sent letters to ICANN asking them to postpone an upcoming auction for .Web, scheduled to take place July 27. They are concerned that applicant Nu Dot Co is now controlled by (or bidding on behalf of) another entity.
Kevin Murphy speculates that Verisign or Neustar might now be bankrolling Nu Dot Co’s bid. (Nu Dot Co was set up by Juan Diego Calle of .co fame.)
ICANN denied the request to delay the auction.
Now Radix and Donuts (also an applicant for .web) have filed a reconsideration request (pdf) with ICANN demanding that the auction be postponed.
I came across one more interesting tidbit this week: Web.biz just sold on Sedo for $19,200. It’s still in escrow, but the timing of this purchase is odd. It might suggest that Neustar, which bought .co and runs .biz, is behind the bid. We’ll see what happens when the new owner is revealed. [Update: the whois has changed and it’s not Neustar.]
ada says
Good, they should not postpone the auction.
Their request is ridiculous.