ICM has a money making XXX idea ? ok let's face it ? potentially it's a pretty good money making idea (at least for ICM & ICANN)?and yes?.given the opportunity, perhaps it?s something many of us wouldn?t have minded trying ourselves.
However, according to ICANN's own guidelines, the XXX TLD should never have been granted. The non-sponsoring ?sponsored community? was always vehemently against the proposal, with Governments too making no secret of their disdain. Nevertheless, ignoring all advice (except its own) ICANN decided to go for the money and so gave the world a glimpse into its workings and motivations.
That?s fine ? at least it would be if ICANN was a true commercial organisation subject to normal working parameters. However ICANN claims to be a "non-profit" (amongst other things) and it seems that as such it is afforded certain protections. But should ICANN continue to be regarded as a non-profit when acts more like a monopoly?
Alright, perhaps XXX was a one off. Perhaps it?s the first time ICANN has acted like this? Well actually, no it isn?t. Consider the ".biz" TLD saga in the early 2000s ..... Some years a group known as ARNI (AtlanticRoute Network Inc) opened a new ?.biz? TLD alongside ICANN?s ?.com? and ?.net? etc. What was the reaction of ?Non-Profit? ICANN? ICANN went straight in with a sledgehammer, and contrary to their own stated principles opened up a second .biz? TLD to collide directly with ARNI?s original ?.biz? TLD. There was no subtly or pretence in these actions. ICANN?s new TLD was not just similar to ARNI?s TLD. It wasn?t a ?.bus? or ?.trade? or something vaguely comparable. No, it was exactly the same ?.biz? TLD. It seems ICANN purposely ensured complete destruction of the original ?.biz? TLD without regard for ARNI, their employees or their clients. What happened afterwards? Well, ICANN went on as normal; ARNI didn?t.
But could a Microsoft or a Google have undertaken something similar, apparently without consequence? This seems highly unlikely. Perhaps without its ?Non-Profit? status, ICANN might have risked being hauled up in front of an antitrust/monopolies commission?.and if found guilty, then what?
ICANN's main aims have always been to convince Internet users that they're the only game in town and then try to herd everyone into a tiny part of an otherwise infinite universe. In this respect, ICANN has been quite successful. However, it's rather like telling people that the only place they can shop on the entire planet is that local Safeway (not that one...the other one) and that there's really nowhere else to go. Of course this is sheer nonsense and it?s understandable that people are starting to look for alternatives.
Today, Alternatives are making a comeback and ICANN is certainly not the only game in town. Anyone can now create their own set of Top Level Domains without reference to ICANN, simply by opting to register NON-ICANN Dashcom (not Dotcom) addresses. Now there is a part of the Internet that?s totally outside ICANN's control yet able to exist quite happily alongside it. At present, resolution is via an APP, but new ISP links are coming online to negate that need.
It?s only a matter of time before other new options surface, and none of them will have anything to with ICANN.
At a recent summit, porn industry leaders and an expert panel held a discussion with .XXX’s Vaughn Liley. The open industry Q and A, to form the industry’s business plans for the new TLD, did not go well.
Big Porn’s take-away illustrates a troubling future where vanity TLDs are nothing more than a frontier for prospectors that look more like copyright trolls than legitimate prospects.
ICANN’s board recently voted to increase the number of Internet domain name endings–generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)–from the current 22 to a unlimited number of new Top Level Domains. The vanity extensions could range from .apple to .zynga - but right now the very first of the vanity TLDs is getting ready for opening registration day: the porn extension .XXX.
In preparation, .XXX’s ICM Registry is sending their Director of Sales Vaughn Liley to adult conferences, summits and conventions to meet with porn industry leaders and “win hearts and minds.”
According to the ICM Registry website, “.XXX domains will be allocated to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Starts December 6, 2011.”
Watch the one-hour video of his appearance on a recent panel along with Connor Young (President and CTO of YNOT Group), Tom Hymes (AVN) and Eric M. Bernstein (Attorney at Law) with questions from a conference room of leading porn webmasters, and I think you’ll agree that the feeling is more of a sinking one, than a soaring one.
Read also:
Expectations were high before the summit discussion began.
“A lot of people are trying to decide what dot-xxx means for their business,” Young said. “This presentation will give everyone the details they need to make an informed decision, whichever way they decide to go.”
Liley stated, “With the launch of the registry less than 80 days away, I look forward to informing community members of the benefits of dot-xxx names and how and when to apply for them.”
Page 2: [Blocked domains: your problem - the future of unlimited number of vanity gTLDs] »
