EOIs for cites and brands
I would like to make some suggestions to the proposed EOI process in the specific case of cities and brands. As it has been pointed out, several cities are considering a new top- level domain themselves, but may be unable to procure the necessary EOI funds on short notice. Other cities are considering an RFP or an auction process, but many need additional time to complete that process. One solution to this is to have a lower deposit threshold for geographic names (possibly on the order of $5,000). This deposit would still be substantial enough to avoid spurious EOI applications – especially considering an authoritative signature is required in a geographic instance. On the other hand, it would be small enough that a city, or that a potential applicant working with a city could easily afford. A similar thought process might also apply for brands. As has been pointed out, many brands are waiting for the final go ahead from ICANN before committing to new TLDs. Requiring a much reduced EOI deposit for legitimate brand owners, seeking to do their .brand TLDs, would enable these brands to reserve their place in line should ICANN without committing large budgets. Eric Clawson .ventura applicant |