Company plans to change some new TLD applications after pressure over “closed generics”.
Google plans to update four of its new top level domain applications to make the domains more open to registration outside of Google.
In comments submitted to ICANN regarding the concept of “closed generic” TLDs, the company said it will work to change its applications for .app, .blog, .cloud, and .search:
These terms have been identified by governments (via Early Warning) and others within the community as being potentially valuable and useful to industry as a whole. We also believe that for each of these terms we can create a strong set of user experiences and expectations without restricting the term to use with Google products.
However, the company said it remains opposed to ICANN changing the rules so late in the game to prevent applicants from deciding to keep generic terms closed. The company cites a number of factors, including possible innovative uses of closed generics, as reasons that closed domains should be allowed.
owen frager says
Lot of balls still in the air. This is far from settled and long from reaching the starting line.
James says
NO ONE should be able to register a PERFECT GENERIC as TLD.
It is very simple to understand for those who love Freeedom and Free competion.
Absolutely NOT.
Period
Tim Davids says
Google is so bad at service and support that anything they do that touches the public directly will probably fail anyway.
I agree with James above.
Dave Tyrer says
200 comments have been posted on the ICANN forum so far including two from me at SuperMonopolies. Some very powerful and influential corporations and organizations are contributing to the debate about the new domains. Like Microsoft protesting against various closed strings and Accor about .hotel and .hotels etc. Then there’s the Authors Guild objecting to .book and .author etc, and there is also the Japan Association of New Economy (JANE) which represents 693 companies – strongly against all closed TLD applications. The Japanese Government will be following this.
Here’s what JANE says:
“1. Could cause an anticompetitive threat
2. Could cause the invasion to the free and equal Internet industry
3. Could cause detriment to Internet users’ interests”
Whichever way this issue goes, it will be big.
The ICANN forum link is:
http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-closed-generic-05feb13/index.html
Google originally applied for 101 extensions, I think they abandoned a few, and by dropping just four closed applications as reported here at DNW they may just be trying to defuse public criticism. (Though I don’t know how many of their other applications are for closed registries.)
They may be sacrificing a few pawns and knights to save the Royals, though I’m quite surprised about .search. But strategically, that’s the one they have to give up, they are THE search company, that’s the one they know they have to give up.
If the SLDs then go to auction, Google will be able to vacuum up much of what they want anyway.
With regards to the ICANN forum, I’ve only had a quick look at 20 or 30 posts so far. Almost all are very strongly against closed generic TLDs.
However, Amazon is continuing it’s battle to acquire 76 “walled garden” domain strings as you can see from their ICANN post called:
Public Comment on “Open” v. “Closed” Registry Models Lorna Gradden .am
“The use of generic terms in the second level have traditionally been allowed by ICANN without question over competition issues. Why should a company be able to own “widget.com” and not “.widget”?
“…Amazon does not understand how the allocation or use of a gTLD or an SLD could have an impact on competition in a relevant market segment.”
All Amazon has to do is to read the other 199 comments on the forum to “understand” the answer.
Rob says
No generic nTLD should be closed to the general public or to the general business community. There are plenty of current and future trademarks that companies can and will always be able to apply for as nTLDs.
Freedom of competition is what has made, and will continue to make, the internet the newest and the greatest form of communication and commerce around the world!
Insurance Creator says
What a cluster this has all become.
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