[bc-gnso] RE: [bc-gnso] FW: Politico: ICANN’s debating what’s in a domain name

[john@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

<div>Phil,</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for this.&nbsp; PoliticoPro is not a 
subscription I keep current!</div><div><br></div><div>From a communications 
point-of-view, ICANN has a real problem.&nbsp; There are too many 
people/organizations/institutions that can claim a legitimate voice on this 
matter but are without complicity in the history of the subject.&nbsp; There 
has been a discussion on the NTAG list about noise in DC (I have to figure it 
is WAY down the list of things to-do), but media attention is another 
matter.&nbsp; </div><div><br></div><div>Recall the media session in 
Toronto.&nbsp; Based on the discussion, the Politico story is exactly the kind 
of she-said, he-said back-and-forth that even the mainstream media can get 
their arms around.</div><div><br></div><div>I thought the news of China's 
hacking activities on the eve of the meeting in Beijing was going to be the 
story, but, if enough brand-name companies can be drawn into this one, it will 
take off.</div><div><br></div><div>Watch that 
space.</div><div><br></div><div>Berard<br></div><div><br></div><blockquote 
class="threadBlockQuote" style="border-left: 2px solid 
#C2C2C2;padding-left:3px;margin-left: 4px;" data-mce-style="border-left: 2px 
solid #C2C2C2; padding-left: 3px; margin-left: 4px;">--------- Original Message 
---------<div>Subject: [bc-gnso] FW: Politico: ICANN’s debating what’s in a 
domain name<br>From: Phil Corwin &lt;psc@xxxxxxxxxxx&gt;<br>Date: 2/20/13 7:54 
am<br>To: "bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx" &lt;bc-gnso@xxxxxxxxx&gt;<br><br>  <!--[if 
!mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><div class="WordSection1"><p 
class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D" data-mce-style="color: 
#1f497d;">&nbsp;</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D" 
data-mce-style="color: #1f497d;">FYI---</span></p><p 
class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal">This Politico story on “closed 
generics”, which was behind a paywall at Politico Pro yesterday, is the lead 
story in Politico’s Technology section today…</p><p 
class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a 
href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/icanns-debating-whats-in-a-domain-name-87816.html";
 
data-mce-href="http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/icanns-debating-whats-in-a-domain-name-87816.html";>http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/icanns-debating-whats-in-a-domain-name-87816.html</a><br
 data-mce-bogus="1"></p><p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p><table 
class="MsoNormalTable mceItemTable" style="width:487.5pt" 
data-mce-style="width: 487.5pt;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" 
width="650"><tbody><tr><td style="padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt" 
xml="lang" data-mce-style="padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;"><p 
class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.politico.com/"; 
data-mce-href="http://www.politico.com/";><strong><span 
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#003399;text-decoration:none"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
#003399; text-decoration: none;"><img id="Picture_x0020_1" 
src="cid:51253a22ba665" alt="http://images.politico.com/global/v3/homelogo.gif"; 
data-mce-src="cid:51253a22ba665" border="0" height="32" 
width="143"></span></strong></a><br data-mce-bogus="1"></p></td></tr><tr><td 
style="padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt" xml="lang" data-mce-style="padding: 
3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 
auto;"><strong><span 
style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 15.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">ICANN’s debating what’s in a domain name</span></strong><span 
style="font-size:15.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 15.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;"><br> </span><span 
style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:gray"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
gray;">By: </span><span 
style="font-size:8.5pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:red"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 8.5pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
red;">Michelle Quinn</span><span 
style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:gray"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
gray;"><br> February 20, 2013 04:41 AM EST </span></p></td></tr><tr><td 
style="padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt" xml="lang" data-mce-style="padding: 
3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;" valign="top"><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Should a company be allowed to run a generic term such as tire, 
insurance or book as a domain and wall off its use from 
competitors?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">That’s the question the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and 
Numbers is wrestling with as it prepares to begin awarding firms new top-level 
domains — the words to the right of the dot. The nonprofit firm has been 
evaluating about 1,900 applications for new domains, many of them common 
dictionary terms.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">There had been agreement that companies like Apple could win generic 
words such as apple because of its brand.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">But companies such as Amazon, Google, Goodyear, L’Oreal and others also 
applied for a wide array of words and indicated that they would like to operate 
the registry as “closed” — meaning they may not allow other firms to buy what 
are known as second-level domains.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Clearly, companies want to own and control generic words as domains so 
that they can offer their services. But with that comes the possibility of 
blocking competitors who want to attach their brand to a term. For example, 
Ford might want to buy ford.truck but be blocked from doing so by the owner of 
.truck.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Now ICANN, which has been largely silent on the issue, is soliciting 
public comment.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">“The train is leaving the station,” Akram Atallah, ICANN’s chief 
operating officer, said to POLITICO in an interview. “There are a few instances 
where stakeholders are feeling this is an issue that could limit competition, 
and therefore, we should bring it to the forefront.”</span></p><p 
class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">When it voted to expand the Internet names in 2010, ICANN leaders said 
they were doing so to encourage innovation. The firm did not specify in its 
domain name guidebook what terms like generic or closed might 
mean.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">In a letter to ICANN’s leaders, Russell Pangborn, assistant general 
counsel of trademarks at Microsoft, wrote that the “situation threatens the 
openness and freedom of the Internet and could have harmful consequences for 
Internet users worldwide. These applications also present a competitive threat 
to other companies.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">“Generic words used in a generic way belong to all people,” Michele 
Neylon of Blacknight, a European Web-hosting firm, wrote in another letter 
signed by others. “It is inherently in the public interest to allow access to … 
new [generic top-level domains] to the whole of the Internet Community, e.g., 
.BLOG, .MUSIC, .CLOUD.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 
auto;"><strong><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Philip Corwin, founding principal of Virtualaw, who has one client 
competing with Google for some of the terms, said he will begin to lobby 
officials in Washington and Europe. “It is emerging as a big issue and one that 
is beyond ICANN but the future of e-commerce,” he said.</span></strong></p><p 
class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice and policy vice 
chairman for the ICANN business constituency, said there are “legitimate 
concerns about competition and potential confusion for consumers if a single 
competitor has perpetual control of a generic keyword as a top-level 
domain.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">Atallah said that having a generic term is not a guaranteed ticket to 
success.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" 
style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto" 
data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span 
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:black"
 data-mce-style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: 
black;">The owner has to “do a lot of marketing and business development to be 
relevant in the marketplace,” he said. “It is not a given just by having the 
name, you have market share. It is not just the name that makes the 
name.”</span></p></td></tr><tr><td style="padding:3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt" 
xml="lang" data-mce-style="padding: 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt 3.75pt;"><p 
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 data-mce-style="font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: 'Georgia','serif'; color: 
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