what problem are we solving? (was Re: ICANN opens up Pandora's Box of new TLDs)

Fri Jun 27 18:34:11 UTC 2008

On Jun 27, 2008, at 1:57 PM, Bill Nash wrote:

> On Fri, 27 Jun 2008, Scott Francis wrote:
>
>> perhaps somebody with more insight can explain the rationale to me
>> (DRC?) - is there a purpose served here aside from corporate/legal
>> interests?
>
> It strikes me as fomenting another gold rush. The notion that  
> disputed TLDs go up for auction sounds like a request for a nice,  
> high quality money printing device. I may have skimmed over it, but  
> where does the money from these auctions go? At the risk of invoking  
> Ron Paul, this will turn TLDs into a fiat currency, and devalue the  
> rest of them. A small subset of people will profit, and everyone  
> else loses.
>
> Off the top of my head, I can see some high dollar fist fights  
> breaking out for .sex, .porn, .games, .hotel, etc. It'll be like  
> the .alt tree on usenet for people with money. There may also be an  
> actual fist fight over TLDs like .irc, .leet, .goatse, and .krad.  
> Maybe not .krad.
>

The Newdom WG was frequently insane, reaching its peak in the hack for  
which Eugene Kashpureff went to jail.
I for one would not want to go there again.

> I agree with Scott, I'd rather see ICANN spend time on current  
> problems instead of making new ones.
>

+1

> - billn
>

Marshall