[Advisors] FW: [NA-Discuss] IMPORTANT: US Senate hearings on new gTLDs

[michael gurstein]

I don't think they are the same Jon Leibowitz...

M

-----Original Message-----
From: advisors-admin@tc.ca [mailto:advisors-admin@tc.ca] On Behalf Of
Thompson, Darlene
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 2:05 PM
To: advisors@tc.ca
Subject: [Advisors] FW: [NA-Discuss] IMPORTANT: US Senate hearings on =
new
gTLDs


With a quote from someone on our own Advisors list!

D

Darlene A. Thompson
CAP Administrator
N-CAP/Department of Education
P.O. Box 1000, Station 910
Iqaluit, NU  X0A 0H0
Phone:  (867) 975-5631
Fax:  (867) 975-5610
dthompson@gov.nu.ca
________________________________________
From: na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org
[na-discuss-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] on behalf of Joly MacFie
[joly@punkcast.com]
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2011 1:21 PM
To: Eduardo Diaz
Cc: NARALO Discussion List
Subject: Re: [NA-Discuss] IMPORTANT: US Senate hearings on new gTLDs

Op-Ed in the Washington Post yesterday:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/whats-the-rush/2011/12/09/gIQA5Ms9=
nO_
story.html

What's the .rush?

By Editorial Board, Published: December 11

FOR TWO decades, .com, .org and some 20 other "generic top-level domain
names" have served as calling cards for the vast majority of Web sites. =
That
may change dramatically - and not for the better - if the obscure but
powerful organization that manages domain names gets its way.

Starting next month, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and =
Numbers
(ICANN) plans to take applications from individuals and groups =
interested in
plunking down $185,000 a pop to buy the rights to new domain names - the
words to the right of the dot. Some of these could focus on a community =
of
businesses or services, such as .bank or .news. Others may be used to =
market
specific brands or products, as in .Coke or .Chevy. ICANN officials say =
that
they expect up to 500 applications to be filed between January and April
when the organization opens the process; those approved would go live in
2013. ICANN believes these changes will lead to innovations that build =
on
the already explosive growth and inventiveness of the Internet age.

Businesses, nonprofits and law enforcement officials take a dimmer view. =
"A
potential disaster," declared Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon
Leibowitz during a congressional hearing last week. An invitation to
extortion, cried a coalition of businesses. A crippling blow, warned a =
group
of nonprofits.

Mr. Leibowitz worries that the proliferation of names will increase the
incidence of fraud; ICANN's error-riddled database of Web site and =
domain
name owners, he testified, already makes it difficult to track down
scammers. Businesses say that they will be forced to spend millions in
"defensive registrations" to prevent interlopers from claiming their =
brand
or product names; the new addresses, they say, will duplicate existing =
sites
and cause confusion. Nonprofits say that they cannot afford the stiff =
fees.
Representatives from these groups aired their complaints during a Senate
hearing Thursday - not that lawmakers have any power to resolve the
controversy.

ICANN reports to no one - a decision made when the group was created =
during
the Clinton administration to protect Internet independence. The group =
has
made some adjustments in response to concerns, including creation of a
trademark clearinghouse and a "rapid response" process to allow =
legitimate
rights holders to quickly knock out imposters. Officials have said that =
some
nonprofits may be permitted to pay lower fees.

Although the plan has been six years in the making, it is not ready for
prime time. ICANN officials acknowledge that they are still working out =
some
details, including certain protections for trademark holders. The =
Justice
Department and other law enforcement agencies have expressed concerns =
about
enforcement.

ICANN should not approve new names until enforcement and protection =
issues
are resolved. Even then, it should approve at most a few, to allow the
marketplace to absorb and weigh the changes. ICANN would be wise to move
slowly; its legitimacy and Internet efficacy are at stake.


---------------------------------------------------------------
Joly MacFie  218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast
WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com
 http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com
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