Would the idead that the money could go to ICANN for the advancement and effective
oversight of the Internet be appealing to you? I see that ICANN has a delegated
authority by U.S. and some global instutions, making it the likely body to administer
the funds and re-distribute them in a fiscally transparent manner. To charge
ICANN to manage the Interenet Names and Numbers business is no small fiat.
This operation should be self-sustaining, forward-thinking and enabling for those
who would otherwise not have access to the internet. It's almost like a universal-phone
line concept. The resources available to ICANN can, in turn, be appropriated
according to the consensus-driven/democratic processes of its membership, including
the Membership At Large, and its elected representatives. I just see good potential
in the issues that you raise. That is, potential for finding solutions should ICANN
decide to tackle them. Other alternatives may extist as to who keeps/administers
the funds, but aren't we trying to avoid fragmentation -- at least in the core administrative
sense -- and to encourage integration, efficiency and effectiveness? ICANN has precedent,
ligitimacy and the potential of becoming not just an unfunded goodwill organization,
ICANN can actually become the brainchild for a true INTER-NATIONAL Organizaton (as
Sotiris puts it).
The issue of trademarks is not incompatible with the idea proposed
here. Trademaks are no less restrictive or more restrictive under a "use friendly,
global directory" approach. Conventions and memoranda of understanding among nation-states
and interested parties is something that may be worked-out. If content drives a trademark,
then the whole idea of trademarks would less pressing in that self-similar contents
are already in existance, yet poeple/organizations are not yet bumping against each
other. I would think that some merit exists in pursuing trademark solutions,
first locally at the ccTLD, then regioanally, and lastly globally. To try to
do it all at once may be unproductive. Conventions among the stakeholders and
key players may harbor the type of dynamics to collectively and collaboratively seek
solutions to these valid issues that you raise, but which are not insurmountable.
The basic structure to find solutions to these issues, and others which may arise,
in fleshing out the proposed "user-frindly, global directory" is already in place
and, in my opinion, it resides with ICANN.
Very Truly Yours,
Nestor Requeno
Los Angeles, California USA