Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

[B <beeline AT mindspring.com>]

Perhaps I should know better, but I got into an argument with my (IP lawyer) 
sister, who swears up and down that those companies that "sell" you a domain 
name yet are the domain owners of (WHOIS) record are operating through a hole 
in the rules and are not required by law, custom, or regulation to in effect 
rent the domain name to you (proxy ownership).

Last I'd heard, you had to go to some outfit in France to outright purchase a 
domain name. (Granted, this was a few years ago.) I'd also understood that 
domain name ownership was not possible without an actual numerical IP address 
to be connected to the domain name.

Sister lawyer says /nyet!/ She says things are this way because most of us 
know no better and so let these domain name providers/holders get away with 
what is essentially a scam, that is, forcing domain creators to go through 
them. She says no IP addresses are required and that anyone can purchase 
domain names outright, with or without plans to use them. (Of course, she 
suggests that folks shouldn't even try to purchase domains that aren't their 
own legal trademarks, copyrighted text, etc.)

So ... ?

"B"