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<div style="direction: ltr;font-family: Tahoma;color: #000000;font-size: 10pt;">Milton is - mainly -correct:<br>
<br>
<span style="background-color: white;" lang="en-US">
<div style="margin: 0pt;"><font color="#333333" face="Times New Roman,serif" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font color="#1F497D" face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The opposite view mistakenly assumes that a domain name
registration has intrinsic value based on the meaning of the label </span></font></span></font></div>
<div style="margin: 0pt;"><font color="#333333" face="Times New Roman,serif" size="3"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><font color="#1F497D" face="Calibri,sans-serif" size="2"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">(it doesn't, as a bunch of investors are about to find
out).<br>
<br>
My comment: There's firms registering for defensive purposes, who feel a particular character string as gtld is better for them to have than anyone else.<br>
Those folks are subsidizing ICANN ad infinitum; so they can cross-subsidize the rest of us. No problem ; ) And also no problem for example for Apple, as one might surmise that management feels .apple has intrinsic value to Apple.<br>
<br>
Then there's the entrepreneurs and speculators, hoping to building a business around a character string. That's kind of like playing the lottery, with the odds being quite high there are more losers than winners, as Milton points out. Which is another cross-subsidy
for the rest of us, assuming cough cough that ICANN stays the same lean hyperefficient org it is and does not squander the new registration $ received. Even if we assume the fees are set at the current marginal cost for managing the process now, as ICANN learns
more its average cost per gtld should go down.<br>
<br>
What's not to like for the average user? Personally, I .love it.<br>
<br>
Lee<br>
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<div style="direction: ltr;" id="divRpF215275"><font color="#000000" face="Tahoma" size="2"><b>From:</b> governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org [governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org] on behalf of Milton L Mueller [mueller@syr.edu]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 14, 2012 12:32 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> 'governance@lists.igcaucus.org'; 'parminder'<br>
<b>Subject:</b> RE: [governance] Reminder: The Big Reveal is in One Hour<br>
</font><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<div style="border-width: medium medium medium 1.5pt; border-style: none none none solid; border-color: -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color -moz-use-text-color blue; -moz-border-top-colors: none; -moz-border-right-colors: none; -moz-border-bottom-colors: none; -moz-border-left-colors: none; -moz-border-image: none; padding: 0in 0in 0in 4pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">From those who know better, I will like to know whether the present new set of new tlds is of unrestricted gtlds like .com etc, which I understand should be open for anyone to register
a web space under, and no discrimination can be made (other then clear criteria of trademark etc) or are they all private tlds that the owner can decide to do whatever about. If the latter, such wholesale privatisation of language that CW speaks about is an
extremely serious issue.<br>
<br>
</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">No it isn't.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">First of all, there is no privatization of "language." There is an exclusive registration of a domain name identifier at the top level. IGP has
registered "internetgovernance" under .org, that does not permit us to prevent anyone from uttering those words, or from registering them in another context (e.g., under another TLD or as a TLD or as a company name or as part of their organization name, etc.)
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Or to make it a bit more pointed, your registration of ITforchange under the .net domain is not different in status and exclusivity than if someone
registered ITforchange as a TLD. Youre registration of that domain doesn’t prevent anyone from using that language anywhere else. But it does give you an exclusive assignment in the .net domain, because that is how DNS works. Each string much be uniquely assigned.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Whether registrants of these names operate as an open domain or not is simply a business model choice, which ICANN wisely refrained from trying
to dictate. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">In fact, the view that you and Wilkinson are putting forward is the most restrictive and inimical to freedom of expression, because it assumes
that some central authority has to decide who has the exclusive right to determine how particular names can be used in the DNS. This is the reason it has taken nearly 15 years to make the simple decision to add new TLDs to the Internet. Everyone assumes that
we must determine who has the God-given right to claim a certain character string, when the simple fact is that millions of people have the same right to claim it, and it is simply a matter of who gets there first or who values it the most. Barring trademark
violations, which involves infringing uses and not simple registration, anyone should be able to register anything.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">The opposite view mistakenly assumes that a domain name registration has intrinsic value based on the meaning of the label
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">(it doesn't, as a bunch of investors are about to find out).
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";"><br>
No one can be given a gtld with a word/name for private use unless one at least has an international trademark right to that word/name</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Factually and legally wrong.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Someone can be and will be assigned .music, for example.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">No one should be able to trademark that term as a generic, blanket exclusivity of course.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Even Apple Computer's strong trademark doesn’t prevent someone else from registering .apple if they are willing to enter into an expensive bidding
war and don't use it in a way that runs afoul of trademark law. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">Even while allocating generic tlds open for anyone to register, competition policy may require to exclude such companies that have clear vested interest in that particular bit of digital
real estate (and thus are more likely to indulgence in anti-competitive activities)</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Not unless there is market power and no competitive alternatives.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">When WILL you learn the basics of competition law/policy?
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif";">The present list of applicants mostly consists of companies seeking gtlds with names that clearly denote their core areas of business. Doesnt look like promoting a competitive domain
name space</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I would like to see an articulation of what you mean by a competitive domain name space.
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span></p>
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