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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Actually this kind of marketing has been going on for years with or without new TLDs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I have gotten emails regularly over the years advising me to register <whatevernameI have> in every TLD, including .cn, and to register every alphabetic variation of it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Lauren is an old school internet type who has never quite gotten adjusted to the fact that the DNS has been commercialized. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>To answer your question directly, no, I don’t think there is any way that we want ICANN to try to exert control over how people market things, unless fraud is involved. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-left:solid blue 1.5pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 4.0pt'><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext'> NCSG-Discuss [mailto:NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Nicolas Adam<br><b>Sent:</b> Sunday, August 28, 2011 5:24 PM<br><b>To:</b> NCSG-DISCUSS@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU<br><b>Subject:</b> [NCSG-Discuss] Fwd: "Domain Protection Racket" Promotion on Network Solutions Home Page<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><br>You'll notice the "Protect Your Brand", in the center. It's not as big as the criticism below make it to be but it's there.<br><br>Would it be relevant and/or feasible to 'regulate' (read encourage/constrain ==> through types of means that i will leave open to discussion) the way registrar can market those new TLD?<br><br>First, it doesn't look good. <br><br>Second, while i don't think anybody (except perhaps established registrars) who are in favor of gTLD expansion have a clear view of what the emergent system of naming and names will or should be, i am pretty sure no-one so disposed would care to advocate that this system should establish itself mainly as a protection scheme. <br><br>Is forcing advertising to depart with the protection rhetoric a step forward? Is it feasible?<br><br>Just some thoughts.<br><br>Nicolas<br><br>-------- Original Message -------- <o:p></o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td nowrap valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><b>Subject: <o:p></o:p></b></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal>[ NNSquad ] "Domain Protection Racket" Promotion on Network Solutions Home Page<o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td nowrap valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><b>Date: <o:p></o:p></b></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal>Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:42:23 -0700<o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td nowrap valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><b>From: <o:p></o:p></b></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal>Lauren Weinstein <a href="mailto:lauren@vortex.com"><lauren@vortex.com></a><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr><tr><td nowrap valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'><b>To: <o:p></o:p></b></p></td><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><a href="mailto:nnsquad@nnsquad.org">nnsquad@nnsquad.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><pre>"Domain Protection Racket" Promotion on Network Solutions Home Page<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre>This "in your face" promotion currently running on the Network<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Solutions home page clearly illustrates how the current top-level<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>domains (gTLD) expansion plan is akin to a traditional "Sign up now or<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>something bad might, uh, happen to you, buddy!" protection racket.<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre><a href="http://j.mp/ofrzyv">http://j.mp/ofrzyv</a> (Lauren's Blog - Screen capture from networksolutions.com)<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre>As you can see, there is no concept of community service, social<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>responsibility, or even real "value-added" benefits. The promotion<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>for two TLDs is explicitly about *protection* -- as in protecting<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>yourself from someone else grabbing those domains and making you look<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>bad, confusing your customers, and worse -- whether you have any real<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>interest in those TLDs or not. <o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre>And this is *only the beginning*, my friends.<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre>--Lauren--<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Lauren Weinstein (<a href="mailto:lauren@vortex.com">lauren@vortex.com</a>): <a href="http://www.vortex.com/lauren">http://www.vortex.com/lauren</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: <a href="http://www.pfir.org">http://www.pfir.org</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Founder:<o:p></o:p></pre><pre> - Network Neutrality Squad: <a href="http://www.nnsquad.org">http://www.nnsquad.org</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre> - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: <a href="http://www.gctip.org">http://www.gctip.org</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre> - PRIVACY Forum: <a href="http://www.vortex.com">http://www.vortex.com</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy<o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Blog: <a href="http://lauren.vortex.com">http://lauren.vortex.com</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Google+: <a href="http://vortex.com/g+lauren">http://vortex.com/g+lauren</a><o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein">https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein</a> <o:p></o:p></pre><pre>Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com<o:p></o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre><pre><o:p> </o:p></pre></div></div></body></html>