[ga] Gambling law takes away domain name rights

[Eric Dierker <eric@hi-tek.com>]

{referencing a new proposed bill taking away domain name rights}

Rep. Bob Goodlatte R-VA is a right wing ultra conservative.  But he is
also bent on using government regulation to control free speech and
Internet Assembly rights.  He also seems to have no problem in taking
away property rights (domain names) without due process.  In other words

he either understands and wants to violate the constitution or he is
ignorant.

He has failed at many such bills but now has become a little more
politically astute in that he has tempered his demands.  He has gotten
rid of his most strident opponents by letting state lotteries and,
off-track betting and dog racing out of the scope of his bill. (is this
a plan to get a foothold or genuine understanding of the issues?, I
think in that he is a politician it is a foothold - not to mention he is

a Zealot)

********

How this effects domain names is obvious.  It gives US government
authorities an unfettered right to remove one's rights to use their
intellectual property rights on the Internet.  It is not a suggestion to

give more power to officials to enforce existing laws (anti-terrorism -
child pornography) it is creating whole new encroachments into existing
rights.

One of the most galling features is the International ramifications.  It

is a literal violation of almost every BTA, NAFTA, WTO and WIPO concept
available.  The US does not have the moral or contractual right to
dictate morality to the world.  And certainly not by a Virginian ultra
conservative who holds the US Constitution in such contempt.

These agreements and properly open and transparent adoptions of policy
and laws have been used as a sword to take domain names from
individuals, in this case they must be used as a shield to protect all
domain name holders rights.

This makes the UDRP seem like an individual protection device.  We must
oppose this US centric attempt to deny domain name holders the rights to
use domain names as they see fit, and this blatant attack on individual
users right to chose.

e



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