In February, I wrote a post criticizing ICANN's efforts to introduce new Generic Top-level Domains (gTLDs) such as ".store" and ".home" as creating an unnecessary burden on trademark owners and small companies alike. At the close of the first round of applications, Google applied for 101 gTLDs and Amazon applied for 76 (and 30 of them are in common). Each of these cost $185,000 per application plus thousands more in preparation fees.
The Authors Guild, presided over by Scott Turow, recently objected to the program on anticompetitve grounds:
The Authors Guild, presided over by Scott Turow, recently objected to the program on anticompetitve grounds:
"We strongly object to ICANN’s plans to sell the exclusive top-level domain rights for generic book-industry terms, such as .book, .author, and .read. Placing such generic domains in private hands is plainly anticompetitive, allowing already dominant, well-capitalized companies to expand and entrench their market power. The potential for abuse seems limitless." |
Mr. Turow is one of my favorite authors and I cannot do any better than to echo his views: "The potential for abuse seems limitless." ICANN should just give up on this whole idea.
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