> From: Dan Sheehy
> Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2004 7:18 PM
> To: XXXX@xxxxxxx
> Subject: Avoid Confusion Surrounding Your .Travel Domain Name -- Here's
How
> You Can Help
>
> Dear XXX
>
> *** We are contacting you to encourage you, as a dotTravel domain name
> registrant, to urge ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
> Numbers) to ensure that if a new .travel top-level domain is
> introduced that existing dotTravel customers around the world continue
> to have a place in the name space. It is also important to recognize
> that this issue could impact not only dotTravel name holders, but ALL
> Internet users, if a conflicting .travel name is released as it has
> the potential to cause consumer confusion and compromise Net stability
> -- principles that New.net has been dedicated to upholding since its
> inception over three years ago. ***
>
> For over three years, New.net's dotTravel registry has been
> successfully providing businesses in the travel industry, both large
> and small, with a compelling way to promote their services, reach new
> customers and enable customers to more easily find what they are
> looking for online. Businesses using dotTravel names are located
> throughout the U.S. and in many countries around the world, and
> dotTravel names have provided thousands of customers with innovative
> and more effective ways to use the Internet to support and enhance
> travel planning.
>
> As you may be aware, ICANN is in the process of considering adding new
> "sponsored" top-level domains (sTLDs) to the domain name system. The
> process for adding names to the ICANN system has faced considerable
> delays. The long delay in adding new top-level domains and the
> difficulty in reaching international agreement on new names is one of
> the main reasons that Internet leaders encouraged innovation in the
> domain name system. New.net responded to this challenge and has been
> a leading innovator in the domain name community, developing
> successful new TLDs including dotTravel since March 2001.
>
> Since 2003, New.net has been working toward a proposal to coordinate
> our dotTravel with the leading .travel applicant, a company called
> Tralliance. This proposal would avoid any customer confusion arising
> from adding the new extension without considering the nearly 175 million
> Internet users who already have access to dotTravel names. We have
> briefed ICANN and leading Internet policymakers in Washington on our
> proposed transition plan, and are prepared to move ahead with it
> immediately.
>
> Unfortunately, Tralliance has not responded to our proposal for
> coordinating the introduction of a new .travel in a way that 1) will
> not cause disruption for thousands of dotTravel customers, and 2) will
> not leave a 175 million user hole in ICANN's new .travel domain should
> ICANN choose to release a conflicting top-level domain. (If you're
> interested in learning more background about the history of these
> discussions, we encourage you to visit the New.net message board forum
> at www.new.net).
>
> *** We are writing to urgently enlist your support in our efforts to
> implement a transition plan for existing dotTravel customers to avoid
> any disruption of their businesses if a new .travel is introduced, and
> to oppose the creation of a new .travel until a transition plan
> protecting existing users is in place. ***
>
> ICANN must hear from those who will be affected by the lack of a clear
> transition plan BEFORE it approves a new .travel that lacks such a
> plan. Your comments must be received during the ICANN public comment
> period which ends on Friday, April 30, 2004. To submit comments,
> visit www.icann.org (then select the "New Sponsored TLD Applications"
> section) or go directly to:
> http://www.icann.org/tlds/stld-apps-19mar04/stld-public-comments.htm
>
> If you have any questions about this process or about the issues,
> please contact Brad Copeland at bradc@xxxxxxxx Otherwise, please
> post your comments to ICANN's public forum so your voice can be heard
> today.
>
> Thank you in advance for your help in this important effort.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Dan Sheehy
> CEO
> New.net, Inc.
>
>
> P.S. If you know anyone else who could be adversely impacted by the
> release of conflicting domain names, please forward this note and
> encourage them to participate in ICANN's public forum, too. In the
> event this issue does not receive the attention it deserves, we will
> be contacting you again shortly to advise you how to get in touch with
> key policymakers whom will be eager to hear your thoughts on
> this matter directly.