Metzger, Denninger square off

[Damaged Justice <frogfarm@yakko.cs.wmich.edu>]

[Forwarded from Wired news. Let's cut to the chase: Which side is in the
right? Who can tell me, in plain and simple language, who is fighting for
individual freedom and property rights, and who is not?]

   [LINK] Foes Vow to Take Domain Name Fight to FCC
   by Gene Koprowski
   
   5:01 pm PST 6 Feb 97 - A proposal by the International Ad Hoc
   Committee (IAHC) to expand the number of Internet top-level domain
   names is stirring opposition among alternative domain name providers.
   
   Opponents call the plan "unenforceable," and are considering filing a
   protest with the Federal Communications Commission, indicating that
   the IAHC policy might violate the 1996 Telecommunication Act's open
   access provisions.
   
   "We didn't want to have to get my guns, rifles, and bombs out - but
   now we have to," Carl Denninger, president of Macro Computer
   Solutions, Chicago, a long-time opponent of IACH, tells Wired News.
   "If someone doesn't point a revolver at them, they will be able to do
   whatever they want to do."
   
   On Tuesday, the intergovernmental body issued a proposal to expand the
   number of generic top-level domains (GTLDs), adding seven new listings
   in addition to the existing ones, which include the familiar .com,
   .net, and .org. The new GTLDs would include .firm, for businesses;
   .store, for retail businesses; .web, for Web-related companies; .arts,
   for cultural organizations; .rec, for recreation and entertainment
   facilities; .info, for information services; and .nom, for
   individuals.
   
   Perry Metzger, a member of the IAHC board, said that the organization,
   whose members include the International Telecommunications Union and
   the World Intellectual Property Organization, will likely formally
   approval the proposal very quickly. "This is not a done deal. The
   paperwork needs to be signed. An association to handle this has to be
   set up," says Metzger. "But it will go forward very soon. I'm sure
   plenty of people will not be in favor of it. But the question is: What
   can they do to stop it?"
   
   The answer is plenty, says Denninger. He and others, like Eugene
   Kashpureff of Alternic, have long fought the IAHC's attempts to expand
   the number of GTLDs. They think the creation of these new categories
   may lead to trademark infringement and other intellectual property
   problems. They also think the new domain names will "fragment" the
   Internet, leaving some users unable to communicate with others, if a
   server does not recognize the name request.
   
   Denninger said he received a leaked copy of the IACH proposal earlier
   this week, and he and his colleagues are considering bringing their
   protests to the FCC. "We're given open access under the telecom law,"
   says Denninger. "We might talk to the FCC or the Clinton
   administration about this." Barring that, Denninger will lobby
   Internet service providers around the country, asking them not to
   recognize the new GTLDs. "There is no reason to support it. We will do
   everything in our power to convince ISPs not to go along," he says.
   
   As part of that, he is launching a national public relations and
   lobbying campaign to alert the Internet community about the IACH
   proposal. [LINK]
   
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