Re: [wg-c] straw poll -- reminder

[Elisabeth PORTENEUVE <Elisabeth.PORTENEUVE@cetp.ipsl.fr>]

I share reservations about a gTLD vote expressed here.

I wish add that as far as gTLDs are concerned I see only 
TM/IP concerns sometimes addressed. This is utmostly reducing.
The TM/IP community discovered that a wild registration
of Internet names in .com/.org/.net made a tremendous treatens
to worldwide economy (which economy is also a base of our
life), and had enough forces to bring governments attention
to that.

But there is another problem with wild registration
of Internet names in .com/.org/.net (or in any other gTLD).

All geographical and historical names (English and French alike,
probably other languages) are registered, then all English
dictionnary names are registrered. Automated systems
associated with dictionnaries on line (or on CDROM) make 
Internet domain name registration for some middlemen-cybersquatters
just yet another fast speculation activity.
Last June some newspapers reported about a company who succeded
to register ALL not-yet-taken 4 letters. In San Jose the pannel
of people discussing about Internet evolution for the next
year (Vint Cerf and others), concluded that in 2000
many if not all of two-words combinations in English will
be registered as domain names.

Whereas business and trademark community had some means
and money to fight with cybersquatters, the ordinary people,
and public institutions from all the world discover
with astonishment that they were stolen their national names.
Those people are treatened by dilution and misuse of their 
cultural ressources, and they do not have the business 
approach to go to courts, they do not have public taxes 
to be spent fighting for their legitimate names abused by
entrepreneurs.

Many discussions about rules for .com/.org/.net or gTLDs
stress out difficulties if not impossibilities
on the international level to have some law reinforced.
As the humanity did not succeed yet to have the same
culture, the same taste, the same behaviour on the Earth
-- it may happen that it takes some time, no necessary
to increase a number of gTLDs and add difficulties.

In many situation after some new discoveries were
implemented, then spread worldwide, the question of pollution
or health diseases or similar arises, and regulatory work
is necessary to preserve public order.
Sometimes a compromise is reached, sometimes not,
it happen also that a terrorism arrises.

Is it too pessimistic ?

Elisabeth Porteneuve

NB. I do not take an answer one of you gave me about .us.
    If a US federal agency in charge of .us sent a call for
    tender for the management of brand STLDs under .us
    (such as .law.us), I am absolutely convinced that many
    US compagnies will compete for it, because there is a profit.