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

[Milton Mueller <mueller@syr.edu>]

Elisabeth PORTENEUVE wrote:

> 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.

Elisabeth:I recognize the problem you are describing.

How can I make you understand that speculation
happens because of artificial limits on the
number of TLDs? Speculators gobble up these
names because there are so few of them available.
Speculation is by definition fueled by a gap between
supply and demand.

The only way to end speculation is to add LOTS of new
TLDs to completely eliminate the scarcity value of domain
names. That will solve your concern perfectly.

> 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.