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Say No to URS

  • To: irt-final-report@xxxxxxxxx
  • Subject: Say No to URS
  • From: me@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:19:06 -0700

<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; 
font-size:10pt;"><P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT 
style="FONT-FAMILY: " size=2 face=Arial>ICANN,</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>We are tremendously concerned about the proposed Uniform 
Rapid Suspension (URS) as brought forth by the Implementation Recommendation 
Team (IRT).&nbsp; As per ICANN's Mission and Core Values</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial><A 
href="http://www.icann.org/en/committees/evol-reform/working-paper-mission-06may02.htm";><FONT
 style="COLOR: windowtext" color=windowtext><a 
href="http://www.icann.org/en/committees/evol-reform/working-paper-mission-06may02.htm";>http://www.icann.org/en/committees/evol-reform/working-paper-mission-06may02.htm</a></FONT></A></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>The primarily item ICANN has listed as its top Core 
Value...</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [a]. Preserve and enhance the 
operational stability, reliability, security, and global interoperability of 
the Internet.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>The URS will directly affect all of these things...</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>1.) Operational Stability - The proposed URS is 100% 
affecting operational stability of the Internet.&nbsp; It is a "Uniform Rapid 
Suspension" and will allow legitimate domain registrations and websites to be 
taken offline in an uncontrolled sense!&nbsp; As past UDRP decisions have 
proven, generic domains, two letter domains, common phrases and many more have 
been taken away from domain owners with no legitimate cause.&nbsp; And now it's 
being proposed that this system be cheaper, easier and more open to attacks and 
"rapid suspensions."&nbsp; Should the URS be adopted the operational stability 
of the web will be put in jeopardy.&nbsp; People will URS domains and get them 
shut down - costing businesses worldwide hundreds of millions, if not billions 
in revenue every year.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>2.) Reliability - The URS will allow anyone to file a 
suspension on any other website that might be similar in nature.&nbsp; There 
will be swaths of people abusing the system and reliability of the Internet 
will be at risk.&nbsp; Existing websites and domain names will now be reliant 
on a "rapid suspension", directly affecting the reliability of the Internet to 
their businesses, and putting many others out of business at the same 
time.&nbsp; Again, this is how the URS is in direct conflict with ICANN's core 
missions and goals.</FONT></P>
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size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>3.) Security - It's no surprise that the URS will pose 
significant security issues for every domain holder in the world!&nbsp; This is 
the biggest threat of the URS - directly affecting the security of company 
assets worldwide!&nbsp; Any company that owns a domain, of which most do, will 
have serious security issues to consider with the threat of URS.&nbsp; With the 
URS websites will be inadvertently taken down and every company will risk 
possibly lose their real estate for an extremely low cost to the 
complainant.&nbsp; For a mere few hundred dollars to the complainant in the 
worst case.&nbsp; In bulk it will be as little as only a few dollars!</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>4.) Global Interoperability of the Internet - The global 
operation of the Internet will be under serious legal threat and attack if the 
URS is adopted.&nbsp; Again, a large amount that ICANN stands for is being 
called into question with the URS, because it is so unfair and heavily 
weighted, that the global interoperability of the Internet will come into 
question.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>If you look at nearly any trademark database you will find 
people with trademarks covering virtually every common word in existence.&nbsp; 
"Amazon" is a great example.&nbsp; I do not believe the online store Amazon.com 
will abuse such a system, but just imagine any one of hundreds of thousands of 
less-than-ethical companies.&nbsp; Amazon could and likely would be able to 
shut down a website operated as AmazonRivers.ext that sells something 
online.&nbsp; This would be absurd and will create so many unforeseen 
issues.&nbsp; I won't even go into the hundreds of potential ways this 
seriously jeopardizes a company's assets, security and online presence!&nbsp; 
But imagine Amazon.com the online retailer going after everyone that sells 
something on their website and has "Amazon" in the domain.&nbsp; It would be 
chaotic.&nbsp; Even more, the "abusive" section of the URS says what would 
happen if the complainant is denied "three" times in a given year.&nbsp; Is 
this serious? &nbsp;A thief will break this security provision 
immediately.&nbsp; They will create 100 business identities and never see 3 
denied URS cases in any one business entity.&nbsp; Even more, I see where 
people will partner with hundreds of trademark owners to gain access of 
valuable domains.&nbsp; After all - the only thing a law firm needs to do is 
have 100 clients that never use URS, but they can split the added stolen value 
from awarded domains.&nbsp; The URS will create a legal niche whereby it only 
costs a few dollars to a few hundred try to URS a hundred valuable domains at a 
time - many of which are legitimate websites, sites with traffic and millions 
of dollars of traffic and marketing, and domains with significant value!&nbsp; 
And finally, we can see some will be getting trademarks in smaller markets just 
for the sole reason of filing URS and legally stealing domains from legitimate 
owners.</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>I think the comments from the National Arbitration forum are 
perfect.&nbsp; The prices suggested have not been investigated, and that alone 
is a clear indication of how poorly thought through the URS really is.<FONT 
style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </FONT>What will a URS case really cost?<FONT 
style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </FONT>If it's as little as two dollars, I 
really fear for the judgments and decisions that will be make for domain owners 
worldwide!&nbsp; If it's $200&nbsp;we're still extremely scared for registrants 
as well.<FONT style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </FONT>I have no idea who will 
front the other 90% of the cost that it takes for even one educated person to 
make such a judgement!</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>As everyone has seen in numerous past UDRP cases - the UDPR 
system currently works.&nbsp; If anything - it needs reform to protect domain 
owners better - because valuable businesses and business assets are being taken 
away for sometimes ridiculous reasons!&nbsp; The URS does not help this.&nbsp; 
On the contrary it encourages further widespread use and abuse, resulting in 
less customer faith in the global operations of the Internet!&nbsp; The URS is 
not helping protect, manage and maintain the Internet, but only enabling a 
"renegade" online environment when it comes to the future of domain names and 
digital assets.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Yes, the current URS proposes to be for the "new gTLDs" 
only.&nbsp; However - please seriously consider how things in our world really 
work.&nbsp; If the URS is approved for "new extensions" today, it only stands 
to reason in 2, 4 or 6 years this will work its way back into what is the 
fabric of the Internet...&nbsp; .Com, .Net, .Org, ccTLDs and other widely 
adopted top level domains.&nbsp; These are under direct threat from the URS, 
which is a poor plan with little legal backing or justification.</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Again - we strongly advise against the consideration of the 
proposed URS in any fashion.&nbsp; If it is ever considered, the most important 
thing ICANN should do is protect the current fabric of the Internet.&nbsp; The 
URS is directly going to attack these things!&nbsp; Directly creating issues 
that are in conflict with ICANN's core values and principals.&nbsp; So overall 
ICANN should say "no" because nothing the URS proposes is a good idea or plan 
for domain name owners worldwide!</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial></FONT>&nbsp;</P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Please do not let the proposal at hand create operational 
issues for domain owners, businesses and individuals worldwide!&nbsp; As we see 
it the URS is not in favor of "security", "reliability" or "operational 
stability" of the Internet.<FONT style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </FONT>Only 
something conjured up by highly funded law firms seeing to protect brands for 
the gTLD expansion.&nbsp; Accepting such a proposal would be accepting 
something that goes clearly in the face of ICANN's core values.</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Thank you for hearing our opinions.</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Keven Dabney</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT style="FONT-FAMILY: " 
size=2 face=Arial>Internet and Domain Professional</FONT></P>
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