Re: [wg-c] new TLDs

[Karl Auerbach <karl@CaveBear.com>]

> >But I object to generic words being assigned a priori meanings and
> >limitations in the domain name system.
> 
> What is your objection to .GmbH?

.gmbh is but one form of corporation in one country.

Under the rubric you put forth we'd need here in California alone TLDs to
cover non-close for-profit corporations, close for-profit corporations,
non-profit/public-benifit corporations, non-profit/charitable
corporations, general partnerships, limited partnerships, limited
liability corporations, sole proprietorships, etc etc.  We'd also need
categories for corporations chartered by special acts of the legislature.

And then we'd need 49 more variations for the other 50 states.

Then we'ed need to cross-matrix that for corporations that are 501(c) tax
exempt.

And then we'd need a third dimension about whether they are publicly
traded and on what exchange...

Then we'd need to do the same for every country in the world.

Then we can start out building a TLD taxonomy for non-commercial entities
- we'd need a .christian, (do we subdivide that into .baptist, .catholic
etc?), .mormon, .hindu, .islam ... even perhaps .scientology

What you are doing is isolating one attribute of an entity from a vast set
of ever-changing attributes (even corporation status can change due to
mergers or divestatures or simply reformations.)  And then that single
attribute is elevated above all others and made permanent.

Personally, I feel that top-down chartering of TLDs (as opposed to brand
building of TLDs) amounts to a quasi-government sponsored label.  It is a
situation ripe for the development of unnecessary bureaucracies to ensure
that labeling is "proper" and a situation ripe for abuse, such as payments
or other compensation for a candidate for inclusion into a prestigious TLD
to slide past some bothersome fuzzy areas.

I'd leave certification up to certification authorities.  And I'd leave
the legal liabilities of mis-cerfification to those same certification
authorities.

		--karl--