Re: Good Monopolies/Bad Monopolies

[thomst@netcom.com (Thom Stark)]

Leo Smith maintains:

> Suppose that .law, .atty, .legal, and .divorce could each be a gTLD. If
> IAHC grants an EXCLUSIVE license to MY registry for ONLY .law, and grants
> another exclusive license to YOUR registry for .legal, and grants another
> exclusive license to JOE'S registry for .atty, then those Internet users
> interested in a law related gTLD will find as much competition among the
> three registries as we find among WENDY's MacDONALD's and BURGER KING.

The problem with this model is that it doesn't serve the interests of the
*user* community very well..and thus fails to serve the interests of the
*registrant* community well.  As far as I can see, what the *user* 
community wants (granting that no one..including the IAHC..has surveyed 
the user community to actually determine in some methodologically-
defensible way what it wants) is to be able to find things quickly and
in an intuitive way.  One thing which would help that effort enormously
is to have one and ONLY one gTLD name for each broad category of business.

In other words, if the .LAW domain is the only one of its type, "I" can
reasonably expect to find the law firm, (transcription service, arbitration
firm, etc.) which "I" seek somewhere in that domain.  Substitute "casual
Internet user" for "I", and I think you'll see my point.

> This is an example of multiple monopolies competing for marketshare the
> same marketplace. If it works well in fostering competition among the fast
> food monopolies, what rationale underlies the fear that it somehow won't
> work with registries and gTLDs?

Domain names are not fast food joints.  It's an invalid analogy.

Regards,

Thom Stark

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