The introduction of a ".biz" TLD would create substantial confusion among Internet
users and also interfere with the ".bz" ccTLD and the existing rights of the country
of Belize due to identical pronunciations and the likely meanings under which each
TLD would be marketed. As has been seen with verbal references to domain names
using ".com," ".org," and ".gov" TLDs, the TLD portions of Internet addresses are
pronounced as the first syllable of "commercial," "organization," and "government"
respectively, rather than stating each letter separately. It is therefore expected
that verbal references to ".bz" or ".biz" domain names would pronounce the
TLD portion as "BIZ." Due to the identical pronunciations, Internet users hearing
of a ".bz" or ".biz" website would be confused as to which TLD must be used to locate
a resource. Thus, an Internet user would have to first ensure he or she has
the correct TLD spelling before accessing a domain name with a "BIZ" TLD that
was orally communicated. If each registry contains domain names that are also
registered in the other registries, an Internet user may be further confused by inadvertently
going to an active website in the wrong registry.
The country of Belize
has recently licensed its ccTLD for marketing domain names to businesses. The
present application for ".biz" also specifies an intent to target and license domain
names to businesses. Due to the identical pronunciations and business connotations
associated with ".biz" and ".bz," Internet users would be confused as to which TLD
must be used to locate a business related resource. The granting of a
".biz" TLD would therefore not enhance the diversity and services available under
the DNS but rather threaten them by allowing confusion to be created.
Since a
".biz" registrar would market domain names to business customers, its co-existence
with the ".bz" registrar would also diminish the value of domain names registered
with either the ".biz" or ".bz" registrars. This diminished value would make
it difficult for either ".biz" or ".bz" registrars to successfully compete against
other TLD registrars, thereby frustrating ICANN's overall objective for expanding
the list of generic TLDs in a manner which preserves the stability of the Internet.
A ".biz" TLD also would not benefit the Internet community or sensibly enhance
the domain name system (DNS) as identified in the Criteria for Assessing TLD Proposals.
A ".biz" registrar would likely target the same businesses and provide similar
services as a ".bz" registrar, thereby only duplicating what is already available
rather than create distinctive services for the diversity of needs of Internet users
and enhance the DNS. Thus, a ".biz" TLD would not meet any needs which are
not already met by the existing ".bz" registry.
JVTeam's application for ".biz"
should therefore be rejected.