Re: Use of Repository Data for Certain Purposes

[Kent Crispin <kent@songbird.com>]

Robert Frank allegedly said:
> 
[...]
>  Anyhow, for those hundreds of thousands of 
> responsible companies and businesses that each year order trademark
> searches before beginning to use a new name, the inability of having an
> accurate and reliable source of domain name data will mean that they
> will have to wait to release their name. 

That doesn't follow at all.  Domain names aren't trademarks.  The
people you describe need to search the *trademark* database to see if
there are fuzzy match conflicts, not the domain name database, to be
sure that their name doesn't conflict.  A domain name only conflicts
if it is an exact match, and they can find that out instantly. 

The only reason to do a fuzzy match search of a domain name database 
is for a person who already holds a trademark to see if there are 
infringing names.

> Already the major trademark 
> searching companies offer "update" searches for clients wherein
> watches are made of the PTO data (since data included in
> trademark search reports often is 2-3 weeks behind actual filings.)  The
> PTO is working on electronic filings which would reduce this to a day
> or so within a few years.

All this is concerning a database of trademark names, not domain names.

> Since everything on the net with respect to domain
> name applications and registrations is already electronic, there is no reason
> why that database cannot be ftp or otherwise made available on a daily basis.

All that is necessary for the purpose you describe is a list of 
domain names.  Once you find an infringing name you can look up the 
contact data via whois.

> And there is as much of a pressing business need for that as there is to
> have "right now" registrations.

Possibly :-)

-- 
Kent Crispin				"No reason to get excited",
kent@songbird.com,kc@llnl.gov		the thief he kindly spoke...
PGP fingerprint:   5A 16 DA 04 31 33 40 1E  87 DA 29 02 97 A3 46 2F