Petition to Preserve Open Internet New gTLD Namespaces Launched
[news release] A petition has been launched at Change.org to preserve open New Generic Top Level Domains for consumers and users.
“We believe this is an abuse of the New gTLD Program and it poses great risk of harm to consumers, business, and internet users globally,” declares Tom Gilles, NewgTLDsite.com TLD-vangelist and petition organiser. “These generic dictionary word top level domain names such as .app, .book, .music and the others should be open for the general public, not monopolised and closed off for use by one large corporation exclusively at their sole discretion.”
ICANN, the organisation that governs the Domain Name System (DNS) of the internet is poised to release over 1000 New Top Level Domains (TLDs) starting this year. These new website name endings will occupy the space that ‘com’ takes in website name addresses today. There will be ‘not-com’ website name address endings to represent brands (.Google, .Gucci), cities (.NYC, .Vegas, .London), consumer niches (.book, .music, .baby), interests (.art, .recipes, .game) and hundreds more. Once approved, a business could register and use ‘not-com’ names like sightseeing.london, or hiphop.music as their website name, for example.
But large companies, such as Amazon, and L’oreal are attempting to exploit loopholes in the process to acquire and control large swaths of website names for their exclusive use, according this article. The companies seek to close off some of the most popular niche category domain extensions from the public. Consumers, users and small businesses would be prohibited from using these new website name endings if these companies are succesful in their attempts. Access the public applications here
“If companies like Amazon and L’oreal have their way, there will be no .music website names for musicians and bands, no .salon domain names for real salon owners, no .APP web addresses for app developers.” states NewgTLDsite.com’s Tom Gilles “There are literally millions of possible innovative and commercial uses for website names that end with.shop – Amazon should not be sole arbiter and beneficiary of this valuable public resource.”
ICANN is charged with protecting the public interest when awarding stewardship of the new domain names, which should begin shortly after the global meeting of the organization in Beijing April 2013. The petition is hoped to demonstrate strong public sentiment toward preserving open generic namespaces, compelling ICANN to reject these takeover attempts.
Mr. Gilles hopes to deliver 100,000 petition signatures to the Board and Government Advisory Committee of ICANN at the meeting in April to achieve this.
The petition can be found at change.org
About NewgTLDsite.com
NewgTLDsite.com is the world’s first consumer awareness and education resource dedicated entirely to New Generic Top Level Domains. It’s mission is to educate consumers and small businesses about challenges they may face as well as opportunities that will emerge with the introduction of hundreds of new top level domain extensions by ICANN in 2013. NewgTLDsite is produced by one-time .tax and .dds TLD registry hopeful turned New TLD-vangelist , “not-com” Tom Gilles with the hope to help minimize harms and maximize benefits of New TLDs for consumers by providing useful insights and information not found at the ICANN website or anywhere else.
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