ICANN Says Domain Expansion Won’t Hurt UN, WTO

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is launching a large expansion of the available top-level domains on the internet on 12 January, has told international organisations the expansion will not hurt them.

According to a Reuters report, ICANN President Rod Beckstrom told reporters yesterday that safeguards will prevent unauthorised registrants from taking domains they do not deserve. The safeguards include the high cost of registration, the scrutiny that will be given applications before approval, and measures to contest domains after-the-fact.

More than two dozen international organisations, including the United Nations and World Trade Organization, sent a letter last month to ICANN expressing concerns about the expansion (IPW, Trademarks/Geographical Indications/Domains, 14 December 2011). The organisations were concerned about misleading registration and use of their names and acronyms.