| ICANN Trademark Group: IRT is meant to protect your children! |
| Written by DKD Trade , Monday, 22 June 2009 | |
|
The new gTLDs debate took a much more radical turn this Sunday during a meeting of the Government Advisory Committee (GAC). While Europe thinks about the "Changing ICANN" their worldwide counterparts are still busy discussing the existing regime’s hottest topic, new gTLDs.
The IRT Team presented their which already stirred a lot of tension even if the meeting is not even officially started yet. While the Uniform Rapid Suspension may be a good idea to deter casual cybersquatters who just register typos “for the sake of it” and see the names deleted after a few days, the Global Protected Mark List (GPML) goes a step further in saying that some “global brands” should not even have to register under the new gTLDs in order to be protected. Coca-Cola is the most (the only?) quoted example, saying that since Coke is protected everywhere, the coca-cola company should get an easier way to protect its brand under new gTLDs. Not only this solution would fail for many other well known brands (the Montblanc brand, famous for its pen, is also used for many other products from other companies) but some even say there is a pretty strong argument that it violates US Constitution principles on Free Speech.Thus, it was almost embarrassing yesterday to see such a strong debate sum up by one of the more visible IRT member saying “We do this to protect your children, your families, your friends” [Quote in bold]. The Trademark issue of the Internet is an important one: 10 years after the creation of UDRP, things needs to be improved and many support the URS conept or even the clearing house. Polluting it with such a level of ill-advised fear does not improve matters in any way. Saying – as did the European-American Business Concil chair yesterday that “The IRT does not go far enough” not only shows a clear lose of touch with the Internet realities: it antagonizes parties that should work together for the betterment of the community. On Monday the meeting continues with an other session on new gTLDs… Stay tuned! |