1. Number of gTLDs
Generally, how many new gTLDs do you think should be created?
[0 __] [1-10 __] [10-50 __] [50-150 __] [150 or more _X]
Ultimately, as the earth's population indulges in more and more pervasive
digital communications (IP based or not), you will run out names that are
both "meaningful" and "easily remembered" at transport layer level (IP).
How many meaningful words are commonly used in English or other wide spread
natural languages? How many commonNames or surNames are "meaningful"? Now
consider how many people, organizations and network end point (IP)
addresses they will be. Obviously an "impedance mismatch" of the first order.
I believe that we are headed towards directory and cert based sources of
identification over top of, and in many ways independent of, the transport
layer. This notion is already creeping into PCS. One would think this
would be good stuff for the ITU and Internet Societies to pursue globally.
"Meaningful" and "easily understood" names will have to be mediated on a
contextual basis by Universal Naming Systems (URNs), of which DNS/IP (v6?)
will likely be one of the underlying mechanisms.
This is why an associated directory information system must be a critical
part of any revised DNS system.
The core of the claim of trademark owners on DNS space has been the
possibly of association and potential confusion on the part of the public
(i.e. consumers) between well known trademarks and domain names.
The only way to resolve (all puns indented) that particular issue is to
have directories which shadow the DNS structure itself in a well know
manner with ancillary information which includes what trademark(s) (if any)
the domain registrant has asserted (or explicitly denied association to
head off a challenge).
Then the public CAN THEN KNOW FOR SURE if a domain was meant to be
associated with a given trademark or not. Wow, an administrative and
technical solution to an otherwise in intractable problem ... bet the
international trademark lawyers didn't suggest that ...
Just as RISC machines and more recent highly optimized CISC architectures
have proven it is better to optimize a low level instruction set for
automated use by compilers than hand coded "assemblers", so DNS will likely
wind up being one of the lower levels of indirection better best optimized
for higher level deferencing by specialized "search" engines and other
agents capable of maintaining a user's/applications context.
The more contexts the better, let 1000s of gTLD flowers bloom!
And it's inevitable!
3. Other Suggestions
Please make any other suggestion concerning the names of the new gTLDs not
covered
above.
Has anyone considered the hassle from lower level domains, that could lead
to trademark law suits all the way back up to the gTLD and ultimately to
their registars?
For example consider the possible abuse of "generic" second level domain
names (trade sectors, public service activities, etc.). Say a company had
"auto-insurance.com" as a domain and set up a comparative quote system with
a hostname "statefarm.auto-insurance.com". After all they "own" the domain
and administrate its lower levels. It is left as an exercise to the reader
to do a "whois" and to determine the current holder of "auto-insurance.com"
for real. In this case I am sure they would never do such a thing.
But imagine the fun that some might have with the proposed
"*.fastfood.firm" (not to be confused with the existent "*.fastfood.com"),
or maybe with "wipo.dispute.int", or with "gtld-mou.advisepoc.org, (of
course, "*.poc.org" already belongs to Pick of the Crop Dance (POC3-DOM)) ...
Therefore, no host name may be safe from trademark objections or other
natural language assertions, no matter how far down the DNS hierarchy into
"local" space... On the other hand, since domain names are consider to be
trademark bait, no trademark holder is safe from having to defend egregious
abuses from lower level domains. What a cat to have let out of the bag... :-)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. DuWors <mailto:rjd@csgroup.com> tel:+1.440.255.2869
Connected Systems Group 7638 Aster Drive, Mentor, Ohio 44060