Here's an interesting twist. This company wants to operate a series of web sites named visit.<state>.com. They want everyone who holds a domain named after a state in the COM TLD to support the effort in DNS. There is repeated reference to potential advertising revenue, so this is a commercial venture. The postscript states an intention on the part of USA Internet Gateway to register and enforce the hostname "visit" for any <state>.com domain. Sounds absurd, but you never know what will happen in the US legal system. Mark Borchers InfiNet Network Engineering
USA Internet Gateway, Inc 13825 US Hwy 19 Suite 404 F Hudson, Florida 34667-1191
July 1, 1996
Dear Domain Administrator:
I am writing *YOU* personally, to formally announce the Visit.Earth(sm) Project - A Global Internet Guide. I share this information because I would like to involve your domain in the project.
As a state named domain, you are uniquely positioned to join in this private intitiative. Specifically, USA Internet Gateway, Inc., in association with Universal Video, has developed a website plan that will bring a great deal of attention to participating websites.
Basically, and without a lot of hype, we propose that you provide us with a perpetual license for the machine name "visit" on your domain (Visit.Your-State-Named-Domain.com). In exchange, we will provide you with perpetual exposure by way of a link on the opening screen of the homepage for your respective "visit" website.
More details ... (a) There is no cash required for this transaction. (b) USA Internet Gateway, Inc. will assume full responsibility for all "visit" websites; (c) the machine names WILL NOT be sub-licensed - period; (d) An IP number will be supplied for you to add to your DNS records for the "visit" machine; (e) If you provide DNS for your network - submit the confirmation (attached) and we'll send information so you can update your BIND database file (by adding an "A" record and an "MX" record). That's all* you have to do;
- DNS services have been contracted and will be provided for those domains that do not actually have a network currently on-line. - If, for some reason, you prefer not to have a link to your WWW site, one WILL NOT be posted.
Over the next nine months we will be bringing countries around the globe and states across the country on-line under the Visit.Earth Project (see http://visit.earth.com). In fact, holders of most country-named domains are being contacted in a separate mailing right now.
As we continue to develop, so, we believe, will Internet traffic. And, if you will provide a license, you will be linked to the front page for your respective state. Thus, while there is currently no model available, we believe the advertising you receive as compensation for the machine name will generate a continuing source of opportunity.
And (while NOT part of this offer), there are several exciting possibilities for the future. Some steps you may want to take now! For example: Is there a state chamber of commerce in your state? If not, you may want to follow the tennessee.com lead (see http://visit.tennessee.com/chambers/) and register it as your trademark. You may also notice that tennessee.com is offering it's other county and city machine names to local area chambers and others.
This extension of our concept is of mutual benefit to tennessee.com, Universal Video, USA Internet Gateway, Inc., and every domain that becomes involved. The beauty of the project is the independence of it. You don't have to sell machine names or email forwarding services. You don't have to supply bandwidth for the "visit" site. You are not required to modify your domain content in any way. It's not a franchise. There are no current or future charges associated with the perpetual license. It's all your irrevocable independent decision. And, even if you decide not to do anything now, you can change your mind after you see the benefit of extending the concept into your own state. Further, it is reasonable to assume that future advertising campaigns may produce residual benefits for your domain.
Again, the perpetual license has nothing to do with whether or not you extend the "visit" concept into your own state, beyond the fact that it assures that your domain will be announced in the opening screen of the respective "visit" homepage. A national advertising fund HAS NOT yet been established. The plan is not at that phase and we have not set a date for such a campaign. I mention the above now, only to direct your thoughts into the realm of future possibilities for an alliance of independents and, so that you may take steps now to further that opportunity.
This is USA Internet Gateway, Inc.'s first offer to any corporation or individual. Since we felt certain that you would be interested in this opportunity, we have only approached those .com domains with full state names (i.e., tennessee.com - not "tn.com", "tenn.com", "tennessee.net", "tn.net", etc.). We feel strongly you will never find a better opportunity in exchange for your currently-unused domain machine name.
I look forward to receiving your confirmation.
Sincerely,
A.S. Noe
* A copy of this email was sent to your Internic-listed technical contact. She may well inform you that there are other things that have to be done, such as resetting serial numbers, restarting daemons, etc.. This is, of course, true. The point is, it's a pretty simple process.
If, for any reason you are not interested in this offer, surely you understand our request that you not resolve a machine to serve pages on the "visit" machine name. None of you now has a machine named "visit" and any future use of that machine name IN A SIMILAR MANNER as USA Internet Gateway, Inc.'s would be deemed an intentional violation of our registered trademarks, servicemarks, and patent(s) which may be currently pending.
_____________________________________________________________
USA INTERNET GATEWAY, INC. Perpetual Name License Agreement
As Owner of the _________________________________________________ domain,
I _________________________________________________________hereby issue a perpetual name license to USA Internet Gateway, Inc. for the machine name "VISIT" on the above referenced domain. To that end, I agree to modify the DNS records for the above referenced domain to reflect the "VISIT" machine name, including an "MX" record for mail. I agree to make one change per year for each of these records at no cost to USA Internet Gateway, Inc., and if additional changes are requested, records updates will be made at a rate of $100 per hour.
I understand that my full payment for this perpetual name license is to be received in the form of advertising on the opening screen of the homepage for the "VISIT" machine on my domain. The banner on that page will be linked to the Unique Resource Locator I specify and may be changed once per year at no cost to me. I understand that I may change the link and/or the banner more than once a year, but those additional changes will be done at a rate of $100 per hour. It is agreed that I may resell this advertising space if I so desire.
Finally, I understand that USA Internet Gateway, Inc. is assuming full responsibility for the operation, content and maintenance of the "VISIT" machine and shall hold me harmless in the event of any litigation that may arise pertaining to that "VISIT" site.
Signed:
_____________________________
for _____________________________