Net Community to Debate New Domains

By Sushuma March 8, 2000 10:39 AM

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(IDG) -- After simmering on the back burner for several years, the debate over new Internet domains - such as .web and .arts - will reach full boil this week at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meeting in Cairo.?Observers say ICANN will probably adopt new global top-level domains (gTLD) before year-end.?At issue are how many new domains are adopted, what domains are chosen, how quickly they roll out and what protections are provided for trademark owners.?New gTLDs cause legal and management headaches for corporations that feel compelled to protect their brand names in every domain.?Most U.S.?companies want only a few new gTLDs to be approved, and they want owners of existing domain names to get the first right of refusal for the same names in the new gTLDs.?Meanwhile, domain name registrars, entrepreneurs and non-U.S.?companies are pushing for hundreds of new gTLDs to be adopted quickly and without as many provisions to protect corporate interests.?This camp argues for selling names in new gTLDs on a first-come, first-serve basis so new ventures can choose from an abundance of possible names.?About 200 Internet executives and users are expected to attend the meeting.

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