Re: [wg-c] Competition policy and gTLDs

[Milton Mueller <mueller@syr.edu>]

john.c.lewis@bt.com wrote:

> I agree with the concept of elasticity but I suggest that we need to
> distinguish between competition for a given primary resource versus that for
> a differentiated product and also the distribution channels for that product
> (and its competitors) - I can't buy a Subaru Legacy made by Ford, but I can
> buy a Subaru Legacy from a range of car dealers.

Yes, this distinction is valid. It is pertinent to theshared gTLD issue,
obviously. I would note that car manufacturers
get to contract with whoever they use as dealers. There is no
compulsory, uniform regulation that all dealers get to sell all
brands of car. (Is that analogy OK, RC? ;-)) Also, some mfrs (e.g.
Dell computers) are exclusively direct.

> In this case I see the gTLD as the primary resource which offers particular
> added value according to its designation;

Here we disagree (partially) again. The designation of a gTLD willbe part of its
value, but it is not the only or even the primary source
of value. A lot of potentially desrable gTLDs, like .web or .zone,
do not provide specific clues as to what kind of content will be
found there. It may instead be special features of the registry or
the service and marketing provided by a registrar.

> I would not go to .shop for legal
> advice whereas I might expect .law to be the primary source for legal
> advice. That would not diminish the significance of a citizens' advice
> bureau at .co.uk but would narrow the search activity, which surely is a
> primary objective of intuitive domain name structures?

Again, to amplify my points from above, I believe you are puttingway too much
weight on the domain name and way too little on
reputation, marketing, and other factors. I hold the second-level
domain name "digital-convergence" but that does not establish
my little Center, alas, as the global leader in convergence-related
activities; most people have never heard of it.

People do not search the Internet by typing in a TLD and then seeing what
happens under it. At best, the TLD provides some basic cues about
identity. But mostly it's just a mnemonic. So I think it is fundamentally
incorrect to view domain names--at any level--as part of the search
process for content.

--
m i l t o n   m u e l l e r // m u e l l e r @ s y r . e d u
syracuse university          http://istweb.syr.edu/~mueller/