From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 06:54:17 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Cato Institute briefing paper on domain names
Message-ID: <v03007801b0718d77ab72@[168.161.105.141]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



***************

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 Summary

There 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.

###


-------------------------
Declan McCullagh
Time Inc.
The Netly News Network
Washington Correspondent
http://netlynews.com/