Changes to Internet Naming Policy May Lure Net-Squatters

On Thursday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Name Calling and Numbers (ICANN) voted to allow--in improver to more than traditional top-level domains (TLDs), such as as .com and .org--theoretically any TLD at all, as long as it is no longer than 64 fictional characters long. The application procedure for such as usage TLDs looks put to be arduous and the criteria reasonably rigorous, but perceivers state the new system will make confusion.

"This have the possible for arrant chaos," said Toilet Mackenzie, of the law house Pinsent Masons, on Friday. "The attractive force for cybersquatters is not going to be setting up a register that lucifers person else's brand; it will be in the generic TLDs. All of a sudden, every trade name will be forced to register their name at .shop, .buy and .london to halt anyone else getting it."

Mackenzie added that a similar consequence was seen when the .eu TLD was introduced. "Our clients didn't desire the .eu sphere name but they felt they had no choice," he told ZDNet Asia's sister land site ZDNet United Kingdom on Friday. "They had to register their trade name calling as .eu names. Before that, it was .info and .biz and all the others. Each clip a new TLD is introduced, big trade name calling pass a luck on defensive enrollments to avoid the greater disbursal of recovering the names from cybersquatters additional down the line. ICANN have just multiplied those costs. It's a trade name owner's nightmare."

Roy Illsley, a senior research analyst at the Butler Group, echoed Mackenzie's sentiments. "It's going to give trade name directors a monolithic headache," he said. "There will be a immense figure of possible extensions. If [the trade name owners] don't utilize them, then, if person else acquires them, it makes possible trade name damage."

"If you travel beyond the brand, it's [slogans like] 'Every small helps' from Tesco," Illsley continued. "Can anyone usage that? Once you've [made any TLD possible], you've really opened a tin of worms."

However, a interpreter for Nominet, the organisation that tallies the .uk TLD, told ZDNet United Kingdom on Friday that applying to put up a new TLD would affect "a important investment".

"Once you're up and running, you'll be in for the long haul," Nominet's interpreter said. "You will have got to turn out [beforehand that] that you've got the right operational accomplishments and technical background and substructure to keep stableness on the internet. It's hard to state exactly how it'll turn out. There is an 'opposition' form in there as well; people will be able to oppose certain applications. I don't believe [ICANN] have got made that portion of the procedure totally clear at the moment."