[ga] Web Domain Name Chief Urges Patience, Perseverance

["Patrick Corliss" <patrick@quad.net.au>]

Web Domain Name Chief Urges Patience, Perseverance
August 17, 2001 03:51 PM ET
By Andy Sullivan
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=XUWAJ12TCRDOSCRBAEZSFEY
KEEATGIWD?type=internetnews&StoryID=165509

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the organization that oversees the
Internet's address system has advice for those trying to snag a domain like
www.mortgage.info or www.show.biz -- hang in there.

The process of expanding available addresses beyond ".com" and other
existing top-level domains has hit a few potholes, but M. Stuart Lynn, chief
executive of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or
ICANN, urged domain-name applicants not to give up hope.

"Stay with the process, work through it," Lynn said in an interview with
Reuters. "If it doesn't work, we'll certainly know about it ... this isn't a
research experiment using 10,000 rats."

ICANN approved seven new top-level domains last November to expand the
Internet's addressing system beyond the original seven, including .com, .net
and .org, set up in 1984.

But with only three of the new domains accepting applications, the process
has already descended into a miasma of lawsuits and fraud allegations.
NeuLevel Inc., responsible for the business-focused .biz domain, has become
embroiled in court challenges questioning the legality of its process, while
Afilias has struggled to curb abuses of the pre-registration process for its
.info domain.

ICANN itself has come under pressure from Internet users and members of
Congress who want the nonprofit corporation to pick up the pace and approve
more domains like .kids and .travel. At the same time, alternative
addressing systems have sprung up to challenge ICANN's authority.

Lynn, who joined ICANN in March after retiring as the University of
California system's computer chief, said the domain-name expansion was
proceeding as planned, warts and all. In the face of overwhelming public
demand for names like www.money.biz, conflicts are bound to arise, he said.

BUILT-IN AGGRAVATION

"Inherently, you have built-in aggravation. Why is that? Because there are
10,000 people who want a given name, and only one person will be happy,"
Lynn said.

ICANN's primary responsibility is to ensure that the new domains do not
disrupt the existing addressing system, he said, noting that the problems
encountered by .biz and .info domain managers have proved the wisdom of
ICANN's go-slow approach.

"We have lots of people telling us we need lots more top-level domains," he
said. "Think what would have happened if we had taken that advice."

Lynn said he hoped all seven domains would be operable by the end of the
year, but declined to say when ICANN might consider a second round of
domain-name expansion, or if domains not chosen in the first round last year
would be automatically reconsidered without having to pay another $50,000
fee.

"We appreciate the fact that so many proposals were submitted (in the first
round) and the funding was provided to fund the program. I think it shows a
great deal of public spirit," he said.

Lynn said he was certain the next round will proceed more smoothly. While
ICANN is unlikely to dictate one specific model for new domains in the
future, the organization will likely have a better idea of what works and
what doesn't, he said.

"Hopefully what we'll learn out of some of these things is a better way to
deal with the process," he said.


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