Subject: Re: REMINDER [was Re: WG last call: draft-ietf-urn-rfc2611bis-02.txt]

From: Rob Cameron <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 08:56:15 -0800

Hi, Leslie.

Those familiar with ISSNs know that they are always 8 digits, while
ISBNs are always 10 digits.  Thus an ISSN cannot be the same as
an ISBN.   In practice, some library software systems have a
combined ISBN/ISSN search, relying on the fact that they may
be distinguished by length.

It is not fair to characterize ISBNs as a privately managed
proprietary space.   ISBNs are managed by an international network
of registration agencies.  Each agency manages ISBNs for a
particular language/country group.   In many cases the registration
agencies are national libraries.   Even if not, the agency must
effectively be operated as a public trust.   Any publisher
must be allowed to register for ISBN codes.  A fee may be
required but may be waived for charitable organizations.

Charging of a fee does not make the namespace privately managed
nor proprietary.  The DNS namespace also requires payment of
fees and I doubt that most in the IETF would consider it a
privately managed, proprietary namespace.

On the final point, we have been contemplating the registration
of a namespace for the Universal Serial Item Names that we use
with bibliographic protocol.   I am very uncomfortable with the
idea that once defined, the namespace could be modified with
only a two week review period.