It seems to me that it's pointless to launch new global
TLDs if they're unrestricted. All that will happen is that the people who already
own .com, .net and .org will dash in and register the same names in the new TLD.My
first proposal is simple: Anyone who owns (say) foo.com should be *prohibited* from
also owning foo.org, foo.net or the equivalent registration in any new domain. Companies
should have to pick a top-level domain and stick to it, not register in all of them
and have them all point at the same place.
A second proposal which would free up
massive amounts of namespace without having to introduce new TLDs: Prohibit companies
from keeping domains which simply point at another domain. So if you buy www.sports.com
and just point it at www.sportshop.com, tough luck, that's wasting domain space --
you should be required to relinquish one of the domains for someone else's use.
This would also prevent cybersquatters like George W Bush from registering dozens
of domains just to try and stifle debate.
Of course, there's not a chance ICANN
will go for either of these suggestions, because obviously the corporations who've
taken all the domain names like it that way, and they have the money. I just thought
I'd throw in the ideas so at least I know someone expressed them.