Comments on "defensive registrations" and new gTLD program

[Elisabeth Porteneuve <elisabeth.porteneuve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear ICANN,

Thank you for allowing comments on “defensive registrations”, I do hope 
you read and analyse them.
It seems to me that the whole process is aimed to allow for new gTLDs no 
matter how much harm will be done to anyone else.
My main concerns are not trademarks, but some well known organizations.

While GAC did raise the issue of Red Cross or International Olympic 
Committee, there are numbers of others, needing to protect their name, 
and trapped by a new ICANN’s season of hunting, which main purpose, as 
seen in projected budget for new fiscal year, is to double or triple 
ICANN’s revenues.
If one organization does not apply for a gTLD, it will be obligated 
forever to spent time to watch if anybody from the street is applying 
for its name as a gTLD. Not only till 12 of April 2012, but just forever.
If one organization decides to spend horrendous amount of money $185,000 
to apply for a gTLD corresponding to their name, they will be obligated 
to pledge they intent to run just one domain similar to the second 
level, to explain they do not fit into the ICANNesque ubuesque structure 
of registrars, EPP interfaces, bank guarantee and all that jazz.
The alternative is to bear cost of the permanent watching of new gTLDs 
at ICANN, permanent buzz and fuzz and disputes, waste of time. Because 
watching new gTLDs is simply boring, no doubts that new “services” will 
arise on the market, gTLD-watchers, doing that activity for expensive 
annual fees. ICANN is creating taxation on organizations.
By opening the new gTLD program to double or triple its revenues, ICANN 
creates enormous instability in the world. It is impacting a number of 
honourable organizations to put permanent enormous resources to defend 
them on new ICANN’s hunting field.


Elisabeth Porteneuve
Paris, France