jmccormac - 1:10 pm on Feb 9, 2005 (gmt 0)

They already had the daily zone files (eg: all the whois info was avail to them already) - what more could they need?

There is no WHOIS data in the daily zone files. The daily zonefiles only contain the domain names and the nameserver data. The WHOIS data is separate and many registrars offer copies of their bulk WHOIS data for a fee. It would be possible for Google, given their financial resources, to assemble a comprehensive copy of the whois data for the gTLDs. However access to the ccTLD zones and whois data is more controlled especially in Europe where data privacy legislation is stronger.

I've been working on this domain/nameserver to country mapping for the last five years using zonefile data and there is a lot more to it than just having the zonefile data.

Regards...jmcc