A CongressDaily reports on concerns from two House Judiciary
Committee's top Republicans who have written to Rod Beckstrom "to
express concerns about the proposed introduction of many new TLDs "and
the expiration later this month of" the JPA, although support for the
process was expressed by others.
In the letter "Lamar Smith and Courts and Competition Subcommittee
ranking member Howard Coble, R-N.C., said they are worried that a vast
expansion of domains will carry 'serious negative consequences' for
U.S. businesses and consumers."
Smith and Coble have expressed concerns on the "absence of price caps
in the new registry deals could mean that legitimate businesses could
be discriminated against and asked to pay a premium for each domain
they register or renew."
Richard Tindall, senior vice president of registry at eNom, reported to
be a supporter of the new TLDs, told CongressDaily the new TLDs will be
safer space for trademarks and that safeguards are being built into the
registry selection process and the registry/registrar contracts. He
also said ICANN is likely to adopt significant portions of the
recommendations for trademark protections offered by a committee of
trademark experts. Tindall believes the amount of cybersquatting is
likely to decrease with the new TLDs.
Concerns were also expressed by Smith and Coble on the future of the
JPA. CongressDaily reports that "given the late consideration of
intellectual property concerns and ICANN's 'less than stellar track
record,' Smith and Coble said they have 'serious misgivings' about the
scheduled expiration later this month.
"Smith and Coble ask Beckstrom to provide detailed answers by Sept. 22
to several questions about the domain name expansion and the
termination of the joint project agreement," the report says.
To read this CongressDaily report in full, see:
www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090916_9990.php
techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/09/gop-lawmakers-want-answers-fro.php