Re: Last Call: Registry Registrar Protocol (RRP) Version 1.1.0 to Informational

["Donald E. Eastlake 3rd" <dee3 at torque.pothole.com>]

I think it is important to the openness of the process to maintain the
tradition of a relatively light editorial hand on Informational RFCs
that document non-IETF protocols.  The minimal substantive part of
this review increasingly seems to be done by the IESG instead of the
RFC Editor.

From:  Gordon Cook <cook at cookreport.com>
Message-Id:  <v04210102b49844c2f1c5 at [192.168.0.1]>
In-Reply-To:  <4.2.1.20000104152158.00a867e0 at mail.imc.org>
References:  <38727013.DAF0AE16 at nma.com>
	     <4.2.1.20000104152158.00a867e0 at mail.imc.org>
Date:  Tue, 4 Jan 2000 20:43:21 -0500

>OK Paul, lets give you the benefit of the doubt and say that your 
>assertions below are absolutely right.  Please explain then why it 
>should become an informational RFC without having the comments of the 
>RAB members attached to it? (Even though as Patrick said it is not 
>common practice to do this with an informational rfc). ....

Although extremely brief RFC-Editor/IESG comments (as in one or two
sentences) are sometimes included in a non-IETF Informational RFC, I
know of no case in which some third party's general comments have been
included.  Such third parties can write up their comments as a
separate Informational document and submit it to the RFC Editor for
publication if they want.

>Is it really the position of the IESG that they have NO obligation to 
>do anything to inform the unwary that this protocol is an invitation 
>for lawsuits against NSI, against ICANN, and possibly against the 
>IETF on the grounds that the RFC publication was perceived by the 
>clueless party  as an endorsement?

To the extent that the IESG undertook to do a detailed quality review
of non-IETF Informational RFC protocols and includes the results of
such a review in the RFC, it would thereby assume legal liability.
The way to avoid such liability is maintain as minimal a review as
possible.

> ....

Donald
===================================================================
 Donald E. Eastlake 3rd   +1 914-276-2668   dee3 at torque.pothole.com
 65 Shindegan Hill Rd, RR#1
 Carmel, NY 10512 USA