Open Letter to ICANN from Dot Web Group

["Contact" <contact@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

October 14, 2004



President Paul Twomey, and 
Board of Directors
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
Marina del Rey, CA 90292


Re: The Future of Namespace

Dear President Twomey,
Dear Board Members,


On September 30, 2004, ICANN published "Strategy: Introduction of New Top-Level 
Domains," in response to the United States Department of Commerce's call for 
the expansion of namespace. Dot Web Group (DWG) is pleased that ICANN is moving 
towards the goal of bringing competition to the domain industry. Not only will 
the diversification of the registry-level marketplace go far towards making 
namespace robust ? it will also ease the cost of branding and advertising that 
currently restrains every business looking to the Internet for advancement. In 
this manner, ICANN's service to the global community cannot be overstated; 
ICANN does not merely serve as guardian to 13 root servers -- it also 
contributes to the very underpinnings of eCommerce itself.


The application process of 2000 successfully indicates how  the next phase 
should unfold. As we come to understand that the infusion of new gTLDs has no 
deleterious impact on either the root servers or the marketplace, many of the 
constraints placed upon Plan 2000 can be lifted from the shoulders of Plan 
2005. Indeed, DWG maintains that further vitality of namespace is at hand and 
that as the global economy becomes more dependent upon the Internet, ICANN 
needs to remove all the artificial barriers. Like all living things, the Web 
should be allowed to follow its natural course, and in this manner, the next 
paradigm shall be established.


This past March, ICANN received ten applications for sponsored, restricted 
TLDs. DWG understands that there is a place for restricted strings that 
represent specific communities, niche markets and functions. It is DWG's 
position that so long as a given application for this category TLD adheres to 
objective technical criteria and has a plan to properly regulate the 
restriction parameters set forth by the application, said application should be 
approved. Furthermore, there should be a universal contract for all approved 
applicants (with slight variance tolerated only insofar as the uniqueness of 
the respective applications otherwise require), because, conversely, 
drastically divergent contracts will have the net effect of tacking on 
additional criteria not established in the approval process.


DWG maintains that the best TLD category is the unsponsored, unrestricted 
category. If ICANN truly represents the strength and interests of the broader 
public, it is with this category that global community will be served -- and it 
is with this category where genuine competition will be advanced. For this 
reason, DWG looks forward to the next gTLD rollout, and trusts that ICANN will 
establish a set of objective, unambiguous criteria by which all applications 
might be evaluated. Additionally, we hope that ICANN will not put an artificial 
lid on the number of applications that it will proffer to the US Department of 
Commerce to approve for inclusion in the Internet root, such as was the case in 
the 2000 "Proof of Concept" rollout.


It should come as no surprise that Dot Web Group supports the .Web zone above 
all other gTLDs. The .Web gTLD is the most logical extension.  Exceeding even 
the collective limits of .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, .pro, etc., it is open 
to every participant across every conceivable venue. It signifies the Internet 
itself, the connectivity of all peoples and the nature of all human activity. 
Furthermore, as an Internet descriptor, "Web" has been thoroughly embraced by 
the global culture, spanning every language and international populace. 


DWG is a coalition of .Web registrants who are, collectively and respectively, 
devoted to developing meaningful websites within the .Web zone once ICANN 
includes Image Online Design?s .Web in the main Internet root. When .Web was 
introduced in 1996, it possessed great potential. That potential is even more 
relevant today as more people connect to the Internet and more entities create 
a presence on the ?Web.? 


.Web registrants join ICANN in recognizing Image Online Design as the pioneer 
of the .Web gTLD. .Web registrants continue to express this recognition, 
through registrations, for the purpose of diversifying the online experience. 
Indeed, the .Web zone extends itself to the business community, not-for-profit 
ventures, education, communications, art, integrated living and more. 
Participants of every endeavor anxiously await the day they can participate in 
the online culture, via .Web.


Kind Regards,

Members of 
Dot Web Group
www.DotWebGroup.org