New Internet Names Feared, Loathed By All

In an unusual alliance, major corporations are walking in lockstep with the federal government and international NGO’s to stop a reviled Internet naming scheme set to be unleashed in January. Too bad they’re probably too late.

The scheme in question involves turning the current internet naming system wide-open so that it’s possible to buy websites ending in anything—.disney, .redcross, .stevejobs, etc—and host content on them. ICANN, the body responsible for internet names, says the plan will unleash a flood of new innovation and internet commerce. The problem is that no one wants or likes the plan. Brand owners are fed up with the digital debris they must manage already (including “.biz”, “.travel” and now “.xxx” sites) and don’t want more. Meanwhile, government agencies and NGO’s fear that more internet names simply mean more fraud and phishing. The new scheme is particularly vexing to companies because it’s so expensive. Starting January 12, would-be registrants of “.chanel” or “.worldvision” must plunk down $185,000 to register the names or risk someone else grabbing them first.