[DNS] [1]Re: [DNS] Generic Domain Names

[DNS] [1]Re: [DNS] Generic Domain Names

From: Mark Allen <mark_allen§hdy.com.au>
Date: 07 Jul 99 17:07:21 +1000
          Reply to:  [1]Re: [DNS] Generic Domain Names
Thank you for your message. I am on leave until 19 July 1999. Your message has been fowarded to my secretary, Robyn Keen who will take the appropriate action with it. Please call her on 9364 6300 if you want to give her any more information.

--------------------------------------
Date: 7/7/1999 4:34 PM
To: dns&#167;waia.asn.au
From: David_Wise


I agree with Mark's comments and his conclusion.   There should be no restrictions on registration of generic domain names.

Such restrictions are unnecessary given the infinite range of alternatives for any generic.   Also, it is impossible for such restrictions to be administered with an appearance of fairness, inviting  endless complaints about registration decisions and undermining the confidence of the Internet community in the ultimate registration authority.

auDA will not be able to function without the confidence of the Internet community.

David Wise
Freehill Hollingdale & Page
Brisbane

My views are not necessarily those of my employer.






Mark Davidson <davidson&#167;mmk.com.au> on 07/07/99 01:31:22 pm

Please respond to dns&#167;waia.asn.au
                                                                                                                                                                                           To:      dns&#167;waia.asn.au                                                                                                    cc:      (bcc: David Wise/Sydney/FHP/AU)                                                                                                                                                                                                                Subject: Re: [DNS] Generic Domain Names                                                                                    





My preferred result is that there should be a level playing field.

I doubt anyone disputes that there are generic domain names in use by some people today, but other people cannot now get generic domain names registered. This is clearly an unfair situation.

The situation has arisen partly because some people got in early (before restrictions which INA says it now applies) and partly because some people seem able - even after the adoption by INA of the rules against generic names - to register names which seem so generic as to be almost impossible to distinguish their "generic-ness" from other names which INA has refused to register because they were too generic.

If there are no restrictions on generic names then at least the .com.au registrar cannot give that reason to someone who wants a particular name.

I agree with most of what David Wise said below, but ... in my own view, it is clear that the owner of www.books.com.au does have an unfair advantage if no-one else can register (eg) bookshop.com.au because it offends the rule against generic names. I think David would acknowledge that is correct, because he also said "Internet users will become more sophisticated in their Internet habits and any advantage gained by the owner of www.books.com.au from users "stumbling"  onto their site will
wane". My
comment on that is - while we are waiting for the (potentially tremendous, in dollar terms) advantage to wane, some people are clearly gaining an advantage.

I consider that to be unfair, and I also think that the advantage will continue for at least the next couple of years (if not significantly more), so I think the situation should be fixed by allowing generic names to be registered pronto (plus, there is no strongly persuasive reason I can see why .com.au should differ from .com in the way we treat generic domain names).

Mark Davidson
Marshall Marks Kennedy Lawyers
Sydney


David_Wise&#167;fhp.com.au wrote:

> As I see it, many people are assuming that  a business with a domain name like "www.books.com.au"  would have an unfair advantage over any other business.
> In my view this is simply not true because:
>
> 1.  The success of an online business depends on many factors, only one of which is the domain name (ask any Internet business consultant).   "Branding" is perhaps the most important factor for success.   Generic names do not make good brands.
>
> 2. There are many other good domain names available apart from www.book.com.au.    For example:   book.com.au,  onlinebooks.com.au,   ebooks.com.au,  ibooks.com.au, cyberbooks.com.au,  goodbooks.com.au,  greatbooks.com.au,   bestbooks.com.au,  topbooks.com.au,  [nameofbookshop].com.au,   reading.com.au,  textbooks.com.au, paperbacks.com.au, novels.com.au, etc etc.    Not to mention all of the different words for "books" in Macquarie's thesaurus, and all of their derivatives.   Not to mention
all
> of the different TLDs that are available.   You are only limited by your imagination.
>
> 3.  Users are not terminally stupid.    Current average levels of Internet knowledge are low, but  in time Internet users will become more sophisticated in their Internet habits and any advantage gained by the owner of www.books.com.au from users "stumbling"  onto their site will wane.
>
> David Wise
> Freehill Hollingdale & Page
> Brisbane
>
> My views are not necessarily those of my employer.
>
> --
> This article is not to be reproduced or quoted beyond this forum without
> express permission of the author.  You don't know who really wrote it.
> 238 subscribers. Archived at http://lists.waia.asn.au/list/dns (dns/dns)
> Email "unsubscribe" to dns-request&#167;waia.asn.au to be removed.

--
This article is not to be reproduced or quoted beyond this forum without
express permission of the author.  You don't know who really wrote it.
238 subscribers. Archived at http://lists.waia.asn.au/list/dns (dns/dns)
Email "unsubscribe" to dns-request&#167;waia.asn.au to be removed.




--
This article is not to be reproduced or quoted beyond this forum without
express permission of the author.  You don't know who really wrote it.
238 subscribers. Archived at http://lists.waia.asn.au/list/dns (dns/dns)
Email "unsubscribe" to dns-request&#167;waia.asn.au to be removed.



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