Domain Name Truce May Stall Suffixes

Last week’s truce among Network Solutions, the Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and the Commerce Department could slow--or even halt--the process of introducing new domain name suffixes that would ease congestion in the traditional .com, .net and .org domains.

The worry stems from an agreement that Network Solutions signed with ICANN, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit set to take over administration of the Internet naming system. ICANN has often pledged to “govern by consensus,” and the agreement spells out exactly what that will mean.

Some observers fear that the definition of “consensus”--posted online at https://www.icann.org/nsi/nsi-registry-agreement.htm--may be too close to the definition of “unanimous.” If so, ICANN may find itself unable to make decisions about controversial topics, such as adding new domain name suffixes such as .web, .firm and .store. Such additions have been opposed by some companies that think it will be more difficult to protect their trademarks in such an environment.

“This is a formula for paralysis, not for appropriately limited policymaking,” said Wayne State University law professor Jonathan Weinberg, who helped formulate the Clinton administration’s Internet policy during a stint at the Federal Communications Commission. “When it comes to adding new [suffixes], if the requirement for consensus means a few large trademark holders can hold up the entire process by objecting, that’s a bad thing for the Internet as a whole.”