A little history:Image Online Design's Dot Web Registry has names in it because
it's been fully operational since 1996. In 1996, IANA, then under the direction of
the late Dr. Jon Postel, gave IOD permission to go live and register .WEB domains
as a proof of concept, just as Neulevel and Afilias are doing today. This point should
not be lost!! As far as I am concerned IOD's proof-of-concept has been extremely
successful given the previous points I made in the start of this thread...
IANA
was working on an RFC for the addition of new TLDs, and wanted IOD to show an operational
registry prior to the approval of the RFC and any new registries. That RFC process
was taken over by the Internet Society, from which IOD was forced to wait two full
years in the CORE debacle. Out of that debacle came the US Government white paper,
then ICANN, and finally what we have now.
The end result is that IOD's .Web registry
has been incontinuous operation since 1996, and from all indications continues to
operate and prove the concept that it is possible to create a technically robust
and properly-run registry...
As it stands now:
Having given you a little history it shouldn't come as a suprise that some of
the generic dot web's in IOD's registry are gone. That is a simple fact. You
won't find anyone who will disagree with you on that one. If ICANN approves IOD's
dot web next year, which I suspect they will, those individuals with generic dot
webs, or any other type dot web (business name) will finally be able to have them
universally resolve. To my knowledge the ratio of names purchased among different
individuals runs about the same as they do in dot com TLD. (Edelmen, 2001,
study of IOD's registry).
So when ICANN does approve IOD's dot web, what they will
be approving is a domain name that has been around before many of the TLDs offered
last year. According to congressional sources, those registries (such as IOD)
that existed before ICANN, should not be excluded from consideration by ICANN.
I suspect there will be some who say "this is not fair"....."I am entitled to
a generic dot web if IOD is selected"....Believe it or not I would agree with you
if you feel this way....That is fact...However just the same, is it fair not to recognize
the efforts of Image Online Design and what they have been able to do with the Dot
Web TLD [their product]...."No" I should say not...Also I would further agrue that
the reason for new TLDs in the legacy root is to alleviate the perceived "scarcity"
of TLDs...Will approving IOD's dot registry do that: "yes"....Will some people
be happy about that: "no". Are all the possible "name" combonations taken
in IOD's dot web...again: " a big no"...
The "generic domain right" issue
cannot be universally applied every time a new TLD comes out---a generic domain in
one persons hand is no different then anothers...If you then argrue the point that
you were not given the chance to register a domain, I would disagree with you, since
IOD has been running its dot web registry since 1996....This would be like someone
who "just heard about" the "new" dot info TLD. They too probably feel a little "slighted"
since most of the "generics" are gone {or would be even in light of the faulty Sunrise)...The
issue is that it doesn't matter if that person who just found out about the dot info
has a domain or not....The fact remains is that "someone" will use that domain, regardless
if you or I get it...Alas some of the "scarcity" problem is being eroded away...
Gregory