The Alac is Wack (Part Deux)

Want more proof the people shaping rules that govern domain use have very little clue about the environment in which they exist? The 'at large advisory comittee' (ALAC) has just published a paper on the multitude of reasons we should terminate domain tasting (which we all agree is [at this late stage] a huge problem which has to be removed) ..  But consider this post thread:

Let's see, we have:

"2. Creation of consumer confusion

[...]

4. Facilitation of Trademark Abuse

[...]

5. Facilitation of Criminal Activity"

and

"a small number of registrars are tying up millions of domain names that could be registered by the remaining 600 registrars, inhibiting effective competition".

This report is a refreshing bold stand in favor enhanced competition in the areas of consumer confusion, trademark abuse, and criminal activity.

John Berryhill, Ph.d., Esq.
4 West Front St.
Media, PA  19063
(610) XXX-XXXX
(267) XXX-XXXX fax

John,

I'm confused... was that a for or against? Maybe it's too late here?

XXXXXX XXXXXXXX
Chief Executive Officer
XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XXX
XXXX X, XX XXXXXX XXXX
XXXXXXXX. XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX. XXXX
Ph: +XX X XXXXXXXX
Fax: +XX X XXXX 1970
Email: XXXXXXX@XXXXXXXXX.XXX
Web: www.XXXXXXXXXXXXX.com

>I'm confused... was that a for or against?

Precisely.  The document appears at odds with itself.

The issues report suggests that domain tasting consists of domain names that nobody should register.  The report also suggests that tasting prevents non-tasters from registering the domain names that nobody should register.

The conclusion appears to be that it is much better to have thousands of individuals engaged in typosquatting and other abuses using hundreds of different registrars, than it is to have a handful of individuals doing these things through just a few registrars.

The cybersquatting field would apparently benefit from greater competition and diversity among cybersquatters, according to the report.

If we can eliminate these abuses, then Mozilla can greatly increase its revenue, currently estimated at $72M, for including Google search as the default response for non-existing domains.  It won't change the user experience for the average user, but Firefox is indeed a great browser.

Comments

[Philip Corwin]

"2. Creation of consumer confusion

4. Facilitation of Trademark Abuse

5. Facilitation of Criminal Activity"

They're abosulutely right. In fact, they fail to go far enough. These are sins not just of domain tasters but of the Internet itself. Its multitudinous proliferation of asserted facts, opinions, political and religious dogmas, not to mention tens of thousands of competing products and services, is nothing less than a digital Tower of Babel and inherently confusing to consumers, who would much prefer having just a handful of pre-cleared, government-approved choices to select from.

Its global nature completely undermines the nation-tied locus of trademark monopolies, not to mention how it has decimated other IP sectors -- for God's sake, the recording industry is on life support, and if it collapses where will get get the Britney Spears and Fifty Cents of the future? And it clearly allows criminals and terrorists to gather previously controled data as well as to communicate surrepticiously.

It's quite clear that the Internet is unreformable, a veritable tool of Satan, and that the only solution is to shut it down, completely and permanently, by the weekend.

[josh/Swerve]

By the weekend?

Speed it up, Philip.

How about by this afternoon.