Instead of retrofitting .org, why not open a new TLD specifically for non-commercial
sites? I wholeheartedly agree that we need more non-commercial namespace, where
fan sites and critics alike can be free from accusations of cybersquatting.
That end need not come at the expense of .org, however. A new non-profit TLD
could add diversity without displacing existing .org-anisms and undermining the vested
expectations of those already in .org domains. At this date, it seems to
me that too many individuals and organizations have invested in sites identified
with .org domains, as encouraged not only by the catch-all description in the RFCs
but by Network Solutions itself (as in "xxx.com is not available, but would you like
xxx.net or xxx.org?" and "while you're buying xxx.com, why not buy xxx.org as well?").
For better or for worse, we've been encouraged to think of domain names as proprietary
identifiers, and trying to revoke existing .orgs can only generate confusion and
anger.
A "clean" space, on the other hand, could operate by different rules, make
clear from its inception that its domain strings were not source identifiers for
commerical products, and become recognized as the cyberspace locale for non-commerical
activities. There is plenty of room in the namespace for a new gTLD, such as
.nfp, to coexist with the current .org which should remain open as-is.
--Wendy