StephenConroy.com.au open letter to auDA

David Heath
Monday, 21 December 2009 06:47

Your IT - Home IT

I'd like to take the opportunity to make the following representations to you on behalf of stephenconroy.com.au:

1) Our domain names were registered by a recognised business entity for the purpose of democratic protest against Senator Stephen Conroy. We feel that this constitutes a close and direct connection to the name. The website contains no illegal material.

2) We were given manifestly inadequate time to make submissions as to the validity of our registration. The research we've done indicates that this is almost unprecedented. We have been made aware of a policy dispute lodged over 'financetech.com.au' (auDA complaint C0908912) earlier today. In auDA's reply Vanessa Stanford notes that an investigation of this dispute could take up to 30 days. This seems to be quite contrasting with period of less than 3 hours we were given.

3) We are aware that auDA's office is closed between 22'nd December (tomorrow) and 11'th January. This would mean that our domain 'pending delete' would expire while your office is closed and we would arbitrarily lose the domains. How do you expect to run an investigation in to our eligibility while your office is closed ?

4) We request that the stephenconroy domains are immediately returned to our control. If you would like to investigate this further we request that control is at least returned for the break period in order to avoid us arbitrarily losing them.

Please note that this is an open letter which we intend to publish and release to the press immediately. As you may be aware this issue has and continues to receive significant media interest. Given that your office is closing tomorrow we request a reply to this communication as soon as possible.

In a separate release, a full chronology of the events of last Thursday and Friday outlines just how quickly the site was taken down.  Quite reasonably (in iTWire's estimation), this smacks of political interference and must be investigated. 

iTWire also understands that Electronic Frontier Australia (EFA) is intending to become involved in the case.

This story will be updated as the tale unfolds.