[At-Large] [GTLD-WG] Amazon, Google And Others Going After Generics

[Antony Van Couvering]

Don't forget the absolutely daunting application process and terrifying acronym-laden bureaucracy - all in a different language/culture.  If you wanted to design something to scare people away you couldn't have done it more effectively.  

Most of it was constructed without any reason other than to mollify interests who cared nothing about Internet stability or security but were only fishing  around for excuses to stop the program.  

The lack of take-up on the funding offers came as no surprise as our company had offered free or very cheap services to disadvantaged applicants, and we had no takers. This tells me that money was not the issue. The impenetrability and complexity of ICANN seem to me to be far more likely culprits.  

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 17, 2012, at 22:42, Pranesh Prakash <pranesh at cis-india.org> wrote:

> John R. Levine [2012-06-17 19:55]:
>>> The three support applications are particularly disappointing in
>>> light of all three being from long-time ICANN participants.
>> 
>> A reasonable interpretation of the lack of African applicants is that 
>> people looked at the substantial cost and dubious benefits of a vanity TLD 
>> and everyone who wasn't already drunk on ICANN kool-aid came to a rational 
>> decision that their limited funds would better be spent elsewhere.
> 
> Plus, the 'substantial cost' is even more substantial in Africa than in the
> US because of the purchasing power differential. (Equally, domain names,
> which are cheap in the US, might not be that cheap in a country like India,
> even if it costs the same in both countries.)
> 
> ~ Pranesh
> 
> -- 
> Pranesh Prakash  · Programme Manager · Centre for Internet and Society
> @pranesh_prakash · PGP ID 0x1D5C5F07 · http://cis-india.org
> 
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