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  1. #1
    Alasdair
    Guest
    Telephone numbers are very useful to individuals and businesses and
    become part of their identity like a postal address. However, as the
    law currently stands, the user of a phone number has no proprietary
    right or interest in it. It belongs to the telco pure and simple.

    People pay large sums of money for a "golden number" yet in a dispute
    with the telco, they could lose that number at a stroke with no
    compensation. I'm thinking in particular of the poster who ported an
    old number from Orange to Vodafone PAYG and because she didn't use her
    phone for over 3 months appears to have lost any claim to the number.

    I don't know what other users of this ng think but I think we should
    petition Ofcom to change the rules so that once a number is issued to
    a customer, he should have some proprietary and inalienable right to
    it.

    --
    Alasdair.



    See More: Telephone numbers and Ofcom




  2. #2
    john
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom


    "Alasdair" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > Telephone numbers are very useful to individuals and businesses and
    > become part of their identity like a postal address. However, as the
    > law currently stands, the user of a phone number has no proprietary
    > right or interest in it. It belongs to the telco pure and simple.
    >
    > People pay large sums of money for a "golden number" yet in a dispute
    > with the telco, they could lose that number at a stroke with no
    > compensation. I'm thinking in particular of the poster who ported an
    > old number from Orange to Vodafone PAYG and because she didn't use her
    > phone for over 3 months appears to have lost any claim to the number.
    >
    > I don't know what other users of this ng think but I think we should
    > petition Ofcom to change the rules so that once a number is issued to
    > a customer, he should have some proprietary and inalienable right to
    > it.
    >
    > --
    > Alasdair.

    You will be ignored. You have no right to any number issued to you. If you
    choose to pay more for a specific number or sequence of numbers you must be
    stupid. People don't associate numbers with a person or company just
    because it is a certain sequence. Some can be more difficult to remember
    and dial than a random number.
    Do some market research.
    As for campaigning for someone that doesn't read the terms and conditions of
    an agreement or chooses not to stick to them, maybe you're right - campaign
    for IQ tests for people entering in to contracts. How they survive in the
    outside world is beyond me.
    Companies tried getting memorable numbers with directory enquiries, but why
    would I remember 118118 before I remembered 118500? 500 might have more of
    a meaning to me than 118.





  3. #3
    David Taylor
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    On 2006-12-25, john <[email protected]> wrote:
    > You will be ignored. You have no right to any number issued to you. If you
    > choose to pay more for a specific number or sequence of numbers you must be
    > stupid. People don't associate numbers with a person or company just
    > because it is a certain sequence. Some can be more difficult to remember
    > and dial than a random number.
    > Do some market research.
    > As for campaigning for someone that doesn't read the terms and conditions of
    > an agreement or chooses not to stick to them, maybe you're right - campaign
    > for IQ tests for people entering in to contracts. How they survive in the
    > outside world is beyond me.
    > Companies tried getting memorable numbers with directory enquiries, but why
    > would I remember 118118 before I remembered 118500? 500 might have more of
    > a meaning to me than 118.


    However, once you've got people to memorise your number, it would be nice
    to be able to KEEP that number, don't you think?

    Rather than being forced to get them to memorise a new number every week?

    --
    David Taylor



  4. #4
    Ivor Jones
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    "Alasdair" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]

    [snip]

    > I don't know what other users of this ng think but I
    > think we should petition Ofcom to change the rules so
    > that once a number is issued to a customer, he should
    > have some proprietary and inalienable right to it.


    Never going to happen. Pigs and aviation spring to mind.

    Ivor





  5. #5
    Allan Gould
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    Alasdair wrote:
    > Telephone numbers are very useful to individuals and businesses and
    > become part of their identity like a postal address. However, as the
    > law currently stands, the user of a phone number has no proprietary
    > right or interest in it. It belongs to the telco pure and simple.


    [snip]

    Is it the case that if one pays for a non-geographic number (e.g. 0800,
    0845), one gets to keep it as long as one pays for it. If so, would
    this not be the way forward?



  6. #6
    Alasdair
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 07:02:37 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Never going to happen. Pigs and aviation spring to mind.
    >
    >Ivor


    It will not happen if people accept the status quo. If I register a
    domain, I get to keep it as long as I pay the renewal fee (a fairly
    nominal sum) every two years. I can then continue to use that domain
    even if I change ISP or fall out with my ISP. It is registered in my
    name at Nominet.

    By the same token, I should be able to register my phone number with a
    central body (say, Ofcom) and use it with whoever provides my
    telephone service or retain it unused if I so choose.

    Why should my provider hold me to ransom by refusing to release my
    telephone number?

    I am trying to get a movement off the ground to get Ofcom to change
    the rules so that the end user and not the provider has title to the
    number.

    --
    Alasdair.



  7. #7
    harrogate3
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom


    "Alasdair" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    news:[email protected]...
    > On Mon, 25 Dec 2006 07:02:37 -0000, "Ivor Jones"
    > <[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    > >Never going to happen. Pigs and aviation spring to mind.
    > >
    > >Ivor

    >
    > It will not happen if people accept the status quo. If I register a
    > domain, I get to keep it as long as I pay the renewal fee (a fairly
    > nominal sum) every two years. I can then continue to use that

    domain
    > even if I change ISP or fall out with my ISP. It is registered in

    my
    > name at Nominet.
    >
    > By the same token, I should be able to register my phone number with

    a
    > central body (say, Ofcom) and use it with whoever provides my
    > telephone service or retain it unused if I so choose.
    >
    > Why should my provider hold me to ransom by refusing to release my
    > telephone number?
    >
    > I am trying to get a movement off the ground to get Ofcom to change
    > the rules so that the end user and not the provider has title to the
    > number.




    Curiously, not only do the telco own the number, they also own the
    copyright to it, so it is technically illegal for anyone other than
    them to publish it without having obtained their prior consent.

    If the ownership or registration was transferred, what about that
    copyright? How does that affect such as letterhead and advertising?


    --
    Woody

    harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com





  8. #8
    David Skinner
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    In article <[email protected]>,
    [email protected] says...

    > People pay large sums of money for a "golden number" yet in a dispute
    > with the telco, they could lose that number at a stroke with no
    > compensation. I'm thinking in particular of the poster who ported an
    > old number from Orange to Vodafone PAYG and because she didn't use her
    > phone for over 3 months appears to have lost any claim to the number.


    You mean like 916-CALL-TURK? (spot the reference...)



  9. #9
    Alasdair
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:17:54 GMT, "harrogate3"
    <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Curiously, not only do the telco own the number, they also own the
    >copyright to it, so it is technically illegal for anyone other than
    >them to publish it without having obtained their prior consent.
    >
    >If the ownership or registration was transferred, what about that
    >copyright? How does that affect such as letterhead and advertising?
    >


    Has this ever been tested in court? I should have thought that if
    there is any copyright in a telephone number, it belongs to Ofcom as
    they create them in the first place and give them in blocks to telcos.

    --
    Alasdair.



  10. #10
    Ted B
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    harrogate3 wrote:

    > Curiously, not only do the telco own the number, they also own the
    > copyright to it, so it is technically illegal for anyone other than
    > them to publish it without having obtained their prior consent.


    Rubbish. Copyright only protects creative work. A standard telephone
    number is clearly not creative.

    > If the ownership or registration was transferred, what about that
    > copyright? How does that affect such as letterhead and advertising?






  11. #11
    David Taylor
    Guest

    Re: Telephone numbers and Ofcom

    On 2006-12-27, Alasdair <[email protected]> wrote:
    > On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:17:54 GMT, "harrogate3"
    ><[email protected]> wrote:
    >
    >>Curiously, not only do the telco own the number, they also own the
    >>copyright to it, so it is technically illegal for anyone other than
    >>them to publish it without having obtained their prior consent.
    >>
    >>If the ownership or registration was transferred, what about that
    >>copyright? How does that affect such as letterhead and advertising?
    >>

    >
    > Has this ever been tested in court? I should have thought that if
    > there is any copyright in a telephone number, it belongs to Ofcom as
    > they create them in the first place and give them in blocks to telcos.


    I'm sure writers of history books will be pleased to learn that numbers
    were created by Ofcom.

    --
    David Taylor



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