IP: CATO Institute report on Domaine Name issue

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

CATO Institute report --
http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-033.html

INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES 
Privatization, Competition, and Freedom of Expression 
by Milton L. Mueller
Milton L. Mueller, an associate professor at the Syracuse University
School of Information Studies, is the author of many scholarly works on
telecommunications policy. 

Executive SummaryThere is growing confusion over the administration of
Internet top-level domain names (TLDs), the system of suffixes, such as
.com, .org, and .edu, that determines a person's e-mail or Web site
address on the Internet. We need to define rules and procedures that will
permit and encourage competition among administrators of TLDs in response
to market demand. Freedom of expression should be a primary concern.
Proposals for compulsory national TLDs should be rejected. National TLDs
would undermine the international character of the Internet and encourage
national governments to enact myriad petty regulations and restrictions
on free speech. Domain names should not be equated with trademarks or
brand names. We should reject attempts to forge inappropriate links
between domain name registration and trademark protection. The U.S.
government should encourage the development of property rights and
competition by moving the administration of Internet domain names into
the private sector. 



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"Photons have neither morals nor visas"  --  Dave Farber 1994
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