The net is not only for commerce -- Was: Re: Trademarks, random strings, sharing, reserved words

[Karl Auerbach <karl@CaveBear.com>]

> I agree with your assessment of the need to recognize the rights of
> trademark holders  to apply trademark protection to domain names.

I expect those same "protections" to apply to the relationship of
domain names to the names of individual people, corporations,
associations, etc.

Trademark is but one way that people or organizations have rights with
respect to a sequence of characters.  The domain name system must not give priority
to the rights accorded by trademark law over the rights accorded by other laws.

The domain name registration system should be totally blind to
trademark.

The net is a vehicle for many forms of communication; trade is only
one such form.  To give trademark special recognition and priority
over other forms of name ownership in the net is unjustified.

> If a trademark holder has a problem with a domain name...go to the court of
> proper jurisdiction. Exercise your trademark rights till the cows come
> home. 

Agreed 100%.

			--karl--