|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
|
Web Regulators Mull New Addresses
From: Bruce Speyer (bruce.speyer@medispecialty.com)
Fri, 14 Jul 2000 08:45:21 -0500
- Messages sorted by: [ date ][ thread ][ subject ][ author ]
- Next message: Bruce Speyer: "TGIF: top 50 stupid technology questions"
- Previous message: Laurence C. Brevard: "Re: Office 2000 SR1A"
Web Regulators Mull New Addresses By JOSEPH COLEMAN Associated Press WriterYOKOHAMA, Japan (AP)--Bored with dot-com, dot-edu and dot-gov? Not to worry--conferees in Japan this week are about to give the Internet its first new ``dot-somethings'' since the 1980s.
The three-letter Web site labels are the focus of a conference by the private Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers _ known as ICANN--which manages the Net's address books.
The meeting opened Thursday, and ICANN's board of directors is scheduled to approve a measure Sunday to gradually increase the number of domain suffixes.
The move should boost competition among companies that sell and register domains for Web site owners, and give customers more names and vendors to choose from. It would also make it easier for Internet users to search the Web for specific topics. But that doesn't mean the approval process is easy.
As the first day of the conference illustrated Thursday, worries about the proposed changes range from trademark infringement to fears of network chaos.
There are an array of interest groups with stakes in the system, including Web businesses, companies that sell and register domains, and Net users.
That has made for a lengthy debate.
``It's been going on for at least four or five years--even more,'' said Theresa Swinehart, an attorney and member of the ICANN's Names Council.
The Internet now has a limited number of Top-Level Domain suffixes, including ''.com'', ''.mil'', ''.int'', ''.gov'', ''.org'', and ''.net'', in addition to special two-letter codes assigned to countries, such as ''.uk'' for Britain.
Most of the country codes were established in the mid-1990s, but no other new domain suffixes have been approved since the late 1980s.
ICANN, chosen by the U.S. government in 1998 to take over Internet naming duties, says it hasn't yet decided on what new names will be introduced or how they will be phased in.
But its Web site lists such examples as ''.travel'' for travel agencies, and ''.banc'' for financial institutions. Others, such as ''.shop'', would be open to all sorts of groups.
The Names Council is urging the gradual introduction of domain names to minimize Internet confusion and let ICANN address problems as they occur.
Trademark infringement is a major issue. Attendees will discuss, for example, how to handle a request for ``amazon.shop'' and whether that would infringe on the rights of the well-known ``amazon.com.''
ICANN members, while acknowledging a lot of the finer points have to be worked out, say there are legal and other precedents to prevent widespread confusion.
``There has been a history of protecting trademarks for over a century,'' said Jonathan Cohen, a member of the board and a specialist in intellectual property law.
Still, it's unclear how the system will work. At a morning orientation Thursday, ICANN officials were peppered with questions by the audience--and responded with few specifics.
``The process is the big topic of this meeting--it's not been determined yet,'' said Josh Elliot, a member of ICANN's special working group on the introduction of new domain suffixes.
One fear is that companies or individuals will register hundreds or thousands of choice names--such as ``beautiful.shop''--at bargain rates and then sell them for a hefty profit.
``It's going to be a bloody mess,'' said Martin Burack, trustee of the Internet Society, a Virginia-based group. ``It'll be like scalping tickets for a hot show--and this is the hottest show in town.''
ICANN officials say, however, that they are aware of the dangers and that existing safeguards will ensure the process doesn't spin out of control.
On the Net: ICANN: http://www.icann.org Independent site on ICANN: http://www.icannwatch.org Webcast of meetings: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/icann/yokohama
AP-NY-07-13-00 1522EDT Copyright 2000, The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP Online news report may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
- Next message: Bruce Speyer: "TGIF: top 50 stupid technology questions"
- Previous message: Laurence C. Brevard: "Re: Office 2000 SR1A"
|
Return to |
List Requests to TechTalk-request@obgyn.net Last Updated |