Re: Trademarks, random strings, sharing, reserved words

[davidk@ISI.EDU]

Albert,

> Albert Tramposch writes :
> 
> Michael Dillon wrote:
> >However, if you create the .ALT gTLD under the 3LD registration rules that
> >I have proposed it is simply impossible for any mark holder to lock out
> >other companies who have the same mark because the namespace begins to
> >approach infinity. That's because in the .ALT proposal no one can gain
> >exclusive use of an SLD and a particular string could be used at the third
> >level in a very large number of SLD's.
> 
> Unfortunately, this proposal to help trademark owners can become a trademark
> owner's nightmare:  that is, by making the number of spaces to police for
> trademark infringement infinite.
> 
> The solution in the IAHC draft attempts to balance the need for access to the
> DNS by trademark owners with the need to police the DNS for illegal uses of
> trademarks by others.
> 
> Albert Tramposch
> WIPO
> IAHC member, speaking on my own behalf

All discussions on this list have clearly shown that the trademark system
is not suitable for the DNS and a global Internet. There is no solution
that doesn't run into concerns of trademark owners. Given this, I don't
think it is reasonable to try to solve trademark issues in the
DNS/Internet.

The best what the IAHC can do is design a system that avoids lawsuits
against the IAHC, CORE, IANA, registrars and registries by trademark
owners and serves the needs of the Internet users (including commercial
ones). The IAHC shouldn't design a system that serves the needs of a
particular group of Internet users: trademark owners. It's the problem of
the trademark owners to police the DNS *and* not the problem of the IAHC
or anybody else involved in running the the DNS system.

David K.
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