RE: [wg-review] [DNDEF] WIPO and its outcome.

[Sotiropoulos <sotiris@hermesnetwork.com>]

1/11/01 1:12:55 AM, "Cindy Merry" <tomerrys@inter-linc.net> wrote:

>So I guess what I'm asking is how limiting TLDs controls the flow of
>information?

The problem lies in the de facto conflation of domains and trademarks.  If WIPO has its way, every generic or meaningful word in the English language 
will eventually be "repossessed" by some trademark holder or other, as there is a trademark somewhere in the wide world for pretty much every word in 
the Queen's lexicon.  At that point, even if new TLDs were introduced, such a status quo would then be applied to any new TLDs... right back where we 
started from and only the lawyers come out smelling like roses and reaping the benefits of their heinous activity... without even having paid a cent out of 
their own pockets.

Case in point: WIPO now has its drooling jowls set on GEOGRAPHIC INDICATIONS!  Now they wish to conflate geography and domain names.  So, 
anybody out there who owns a "geographic" designation, including yourstreetname.com (or whatever) is potentially at risk to lose their domain.  Problem 
with this WIPO smoke and mirrors trick is that there already exist GEOGRAPHIC Internet designations... they're referred to as ccTLDs (along with their 
sub-domains).  In the coming months you will see that WIPO is going to attempt to get away with this CRIME.  This time round, I think they'll find we're a 
little better prepared for their shenanigans and antics...  

Add to all of this the compound problem of diverse liguistic characters and the situation becomes even more precarious and volatile.  Witness the current 
dispute over control of Chinese character domains between the US Corporation VeriSign and the government of the People's Republic of China.  This 
sort of thing is going to start getting very embarassing for the head honchos in the USG and elsewhere.  The sooner the cheeks start flushing, the sooner 
WIPO and its grasping representatives will be flushed.  Look out beeloooww!! 

I hope this answers your question.

Sotiris Sotiropoulos
          Hermes Network, Inc.




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