Mediaboss Marketing

Back in September a number of domain name industry leaders wrote to ICANN to express deep-felt concerns about some companies' declared plans for generic domain name extensions.

We have sent ICANN another letter this week which is also planned to be distributed in a press release included below.

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Blacknight Asks ICANN to Clarify Position on Generic Key Word New TLDs Leading Irish registrar and hosting company say non-trademarked words belong to everyone

January 25, 2013, Carlow, Ireland - Blacknight has sent a second letter to ICANN urging the organization to formally clarify its position on Generic Key Word TLDs.

Blacknight and fellow signatories of the letter seek clarification on non-trade marked generic key word TLDs, specifically whether ICANN will allow them to be operated in a "closed" manner. The most recent version of the "Registry Operator Code of Conduct" states that any applicant who wishes to operate a closed TLD would file an exception request to operate the TLD thusly.

The letter encourages ICANN to consider the adoption of a process in which applicants who wish to operate a closed TLD, meet certain, transparent criteria.

The letter suggests that to gain an exception, a registry must only use the TLD for its exclusive use, not make domain names available for public registration and provide proof that "application of this Code of Conduct to the TLD is not necessary to protect the public interest."

While there are several issues regarding New gTLDs that remain unclear, this issue most directly affects the public.

Michele Neylon of Blacknight explains: "As a community, we supported a program that would expand the name space for competition, to further the Internet and to provide a broader choice for our customers. Our collective aim is to help the Internet into this next stage, not to take generic key words that essentially belong to "everyone" and tie him or her up."

Originally posted here:
ICANN Should Clarify Position On Key Word New TLDs