Under current US law, US corporations can register hundreds of trademarks
and claim legal rights under all top-level domains. For example, Walt Disney Corporation
has rights to its own business name "waltdisney.com." Walt Disney Corporation also
owns hundreds of movies, cartoons, and television shows that are also trademarked.
Under the current US "anti-cybersquatting law" Walt Disney Corporation is also entitled
to disney.com, mouseketeer.com, mickeymouse.com, mickey.com, donaldduck.com, donald.com,
goofy.com etc. This overly broad law also grants Walt Disney Corporation all the
other domain names that contain similar sounding names but are spelled different,
like dizney.com, woltdisney.com, mikkimouse.com, and anything else that would "water
down" a trademark. The cybersquatting law has already been interpreted to grant trademark
rights across all other domains as well - ie: disney.net, mickey.firm, donald.web,
epcott.org.
The real nasty thing about this situation is that the
rest of the world has to deal with American trademark law and a US Congress that
takes money from these big US corporations to get elected. The US Congress passes
laws that protect big business at the expense of small business, individuals, and
the international community of internet users. What about the other five billion
seven hundred fifty thousand people on this planet that want fair and equal access
to the internet?
Most of the arguments for not releasing new top
level domains are, in my humble opinion, US specific. They show a geocentric bias
for American big businesses and US domain name speculators who got into the internet
early and have a lot to lose if their hoarded domains are suddenly worth a lot less.
There just isn't enough room in the current gTLDs for all foreign languages, international
business, and the billions of private individuals on the planet Earth that want a
domain name.
I urge ICANN to think of the internet as the property
of the world and not the private club of just a few rich American businessmen. The
internet will bring the world together if it is administered fairly and justly. If
not, other countries will break away or will not abide by ICANN's directives. Think
of all the people on the planet Earth when you make your decisions. Think like the
scientists that invented the internet, not like the businessmen that want to monopolize
it.
Please create a new global Top Level Domain (gTLD) for registered
United States trademarks. (I suggest .TM or .REG). Make it a policy that only registered
US trademarks can use this new gTLD. Make it a policy that all other gTLDs are free
from any trademark restrictions. If everyone in the world knew that there was a single
gTLD reserved for registered trademarks, there will be absolutely no confusion finding
a company by means of its trademark. This will help small US businesses grow on the
internet, it will help individuals retain their identity, it will help large companies
that want to protect trademarks, and international business. This suggestion would
also curtail lawsuits, dispute policies, domain hoarding, and cybersquatting. It
would be a step towards bringing the world together - not splitting it apart for
the sake of a few US monopolies. Remember, the internet is the property of the world.
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