AGTK 97172: Domain Names. 06.09.97 For More Information: Glenn B. Manishin, tel +1-202 955 6300; Aki Namioka +1-206 587 6825 Computer Professionals Urge "Open, Consensus-Based" Approach for Internet Naming System "The Internet system of domain names (DNS) is too important to the structure of the Internet for `reform' to proceed in a hasty or ill-conceived manner," Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) said in a filing today before the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). "Whatever its merits, the IAHC process was closed, rushed and unbalanced, leading to a proposal that should not be endorsed by the US government," said CPSR President Aki Namioka. She called for more input from "consumers and other users of the Internet." "There is no present `crisis' in DNS administration that require expedited implementation of any system for DNS reform, including those proposed by the Internet Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC), Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) and others," Namioka stated. CPSR said in its filing that "the DNS reform process should be slowed in order to permit the achievement of a consensus approach . . . No `rush to reform' is necessary." "The US government should not endorse, and should actively oppose, intervention by ITU and WIPO in the DNS administration process," CPSR stated. CPSR asked the US and other national governments to "encourage open, consensus-based Internet self-governance, intervening only to assure public debate and to prevent any single segment of the Internet community from asserting its special interests above those of all Internet users." It suggested that "the U.S. government can act as a catalyst in assisting the creation of the new self-governance organizations (open and balanced consortia of Internet professionals, providers and users) that will be necessary to complete the transition to a fully non-governmentally administered Internet." DNS is a combination of software, protocols, and computers that translate Internet computer names like "www.cpsr.org" to Internet numbers like 198.207.136.10. These numbers are then used by email clients, web browsers, and server software to deliver data to its intended destination. Since 1993, domain names in the most popular "top-level" domains ".com", ".org", and ".net" have been issued by Network Solutions, Inc.(NSI) , under the terms of a contract with the National Science Foundation. NSI has recently come under attack for failing to protect the rights of trademark holders while exercising monopolistic control over the top-level domains. In February of 1997, the Internet Ad-Hoc Committee (IAHC) issued a plan for reform of DNS management, including creation of new top-level domains, which would be shared by multiple entities, known as registrars, who would be able to assign names in these domains. This plan, known as the "Generic Top-Level Domain Memorandum of Understanding" (gTLD-MoU) calls for a bureaucratic structure for DNS management and a set of procedures for resolving disputes over domain names, along with the participation of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The CPSR submission to NTIA said that "international quasi-governmental organizations (ITU, WIPO, OECD, etc.) should have no formal role in Internet governance or domain name registration," and that "the extensive new bureaucracy for domain name management and oversight proposed by IAHC, including a Swiss-based Council of Registrars (CORE) and a higher level interim Policy Oversight Committee (iPOC), are unnecessary and counterproductive." "CPSR believes that the recent fascination of many parties with trademark rights to Internet domains is a short-run issue only in the Internet community," the organization said in its filing. It warned against holding "the important and competitively crucial matter of introducing competition to DNS administration hostage to a quixotic desire to create a new, international law of Internet trademark rights or to perfect an "efficient" trademark dispute mechanism that displaces national courts." "DNS has a profound effect upon the way that end users access the Internet," said Harry Hochheiser, a member of CPSR's board of directors. "Changes to DNS should be made on the basis of what's best for all constituencies involved, instead of simply focusing on the narrowly-defined needs of trademark owners or those who hope to build domain-registration businesses". # # # Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (www.cpsr.org) CPSR is a public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others interested in the impact of computer technology on society. CPSR's goal is to direct public attention to difficult choices concerning the applications of computing and how those choices affect society. --- MfG Martin Weissenboeck --- --- E-Mail: mweissen@ccc.at Tel: +43-1-369 88 58-10 --- Gatterburggasse 7, A-1190 Wien Fax: +43-1-369 88 58-77 ------- This message was distributed via the Listserver of the CCC (Computer Communications Club) - (e-mail 'ccc@ccc.or.at' for info's). 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