On September 21st, 2009 members of the Internet community sent a letter to ICANN’s executive staff and board seeking the implementation ICANN’s plan for new TLDs. The letter can be found here. In the letter the case for new TLDs is again outlined. Among the supporting arguments the most compelling include:
Consumer Demand
Consumer demand is not currently met by available domain names. Most consumers can not register their first domain of choice 70 % of the time. Additionally, the secondary market for domain names has significantly increased the price for attractive domain names, effectively limiting access to consumer with larger budgets. Finally, category based TLDs will reduce trademark confusion.
Safety Considerations
New policies governing the registry process and the registry/registrar contract will limit current abusive practices. These include new registry obligations to support takedown procedures, reducing phishing and related attacks. Additionally, trademark protection recommendations from the Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) will likely be adopted.
Internet Stability
Without other options, the demand for memorable domains may cause fragmentation of the root. The increased usage of alternative address spaces may significantly increase the difficulty of trademark protection on the Internet.
Innovation
The creation of new TLDs will also result in new business creation. Some of these businesses will play direct roles in the registration and operation of these new TLDs, while others will see increased revenue from new growth in related projects.
ICANN’s own credibility
The creation of new TLDs is supported by the community and backed by transparent policy development processes. ICANN has committed in the past to support these transparent processes.
Many in the Internet community will be interested in ICANN’s response.