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The Amazon Rainforest Wants Its TLD Back From Amazon.com

Posted by samzenpus on from the take-it-back dept.

terrancem writes "The Seattle-based Amazon.com has applied for its brand to be a generic top-level domain name (.amazon), but South American governments argue this would prevent the use of this internet address for environmental protection, the promotion of indigenous rights and other public interest uses. Along with dozens of other disputed claims to names including ".patagonia" and ".shangrila", the issue cuts to the heart of debates about the purpose and governance of the internet."

17 of 186 comments (clear)

  1. Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by binarylarry · · Score: 5, Funny

    You better call Captain Planet, South America.

    Because little Jeff Bezos ain't giving that up without a serious fight.

    --
    Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
    1. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by rudy_wayne · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Will all these stupid new TLDs even be used? Right now, how often do you go to a legitimate website (non-spam, non-scam, non-malware) that doesn't use .com, .net, .org, .gov or .edu ? I'll bet it's pretty rare.

      Creating all of these new TLDs is nothing but a money making scam for ICANN.

    2. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Will all these stupid new TLDs even be used? Right now, how often do you go to a legitimate website (non-spam, non-scam, non-malware) that doesn't use .com, .net, .org, .gov or .edu ? I'll bet it's pretty rare.

      Creating all of these new TLDs is nothing but a money making scam for ICANN.

      Oh, not to worry, with the number of sneaky URL-lookalikes that a combination of gTLDs and unicode support will allow, it won't just be ICANN pulling off money making scams...

    3. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by Freshly+Exhumed · · Score: 3, Funny

      There's this group of women from Mars outside waiting to meet Bezos. They said something about his puny weapon being no match for their own.

      --
      I deny that I have not avoided attaining the opposite of that which I do not want.
    4. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

      You better call Captain Planet, South America.

      Because little Jeff Bezos ain't giving that up without a serious fight.

      Hey, both Amazons are leading distributors of dead trees, I think we've got a serious trademark issue here.

    5. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by rudy_wayne · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I go to .ca every days. I live in Canada. I also visit a lot of .fr, .de, .se and .uk, to name a few.

      So do I but that's not what I'm talking about. I don't know how it works, but I would imagine that I can't register a .ca domain if I'm not in Canada. (If you can then the system is even more fucked up than I thought).

      But anyone can register a domain using one of the hundreds of proposed new domains. And with the combination of those new TLDs, Unicode and a shady registrar, people will be able to create all sorts of sneaky look-a-like websites. Sure, they're doing that now, but things are about to get a whole lot worse.

      And meanwhile, nobody is going to type whatever.amazon into their web browser. They're just going to keep going to amazon.com. It's their name. In all of their advertisements, including TV commercials, they don't call themselves Amazon. They call themselves Amazon Dot Com.

    6. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Interesting

      nobody is going to type whatever.amazon into their web browser. They're just going to keep going to amazon.com.

      That's a very short-sighted way of looking at it.

      Think "rivers.amazon, fauna.amazon, flora.amazon, etc" or alternatively, "books.amazon, movies.amazon, cheap_crap.amazon etc".

      --
      "I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
    7. Re:Hahahahahahahaha Muahaha by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You may not be able to register a .ca from outside Canada, but you can register .cx outside Christmas Island .tv outside Tuvalu .bz outside Belize .to outside Tonga .mx outside Mexico .es outside Spain .in outside India

      This is not a complete list -- for example, I haven't mentioned that you can register .cc outside the Cocos Islands. I'm just pointing out that you can register some country code TLDs outside that country. That's probably true of most .tv domains and is possible even with larger countries like Mexico, Spain, and India.

      If anything, a .amazon domain should be safer than a .com domain. Both .co (Columbia) and .cm (Cameroon, with presence) are available (and it's possible to get .om with an Oman presence), but .mazon and .amaon seem unlikely.

  2. Why have TLDs at all? by Jeff+Fohl · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sometimes I wish there were no TLDs at all. They aren't really necessary. They actually make things worse, since any owner of a domain is forced to buy several TLD versions of their domain. They only make sense if you can actually enforce the meaning of the TLD, such as how .gov TLDs are enforced.

    1. Re:Why have TLDs at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I agree, then we could organize the WWW in some meaningful way -> alt.technology. And then instead of twitter/faceook being the defacto stanard for communication, we could use IRC. Just imagine how much better the world would be if people didn't reinvent things that do a worse job then the original.

  3. WWF by fermion · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Even the World Wrestling Federation eventually caved in to the world wildlife fund. It may have been for tax purposes, entertainment is treated differently than sport, but one does not win against the earth people.

    What Bezos needs to do buy and fund a TLD for the amazon. Obviously it is not going to be amazon. On the webpages have a link redirecting to the new domain. It will likely avoid huge legal costs and generate a good deal of good will.

    --
    "She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
    1. Re:WWF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      They both missed an opportunity to merge and create the Wildlife Wrestling Foundation. TV series dedicated to wildlife wrestling could have supported both groups.

  4. And what about mythological warrior women? by Megahard · · Score: 3, Insightful

    After all, that's the origin of the name.

    --
    I eat only the real part of complex carbohydrates.
  5. The original Amazons want their name back by giorgist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The original Amazons called and they want their name back from the rain forest.

  6. This Mess Was Predicted by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Lots of people predicted that this new TLD system was going to be a mess. And... it is. Seems like it has become even more of a mess each month that goes by.

    I really have to wonder why anybody would have thought that it would NOT be a mess.

  7. That was the point of the original TLDs by Solandri · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Amazon the company could be amazon.com. Amazon the environmental organization could be amazon.org (if it weren't parked and likely squatted). Amazon the ISP (if there was one) coupld be amazon.net. etc.

    But noooo, some bozos in charge decided that increasing the number of namespace collisions will somehow be better for their bank accou^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hthe Internet.

  8. Re:on a slightly related issue by OhANameWhatName · · Score: 4, Funny

    How are the pipfruit producers of the world doing in their battle to reclaim their good name form the company formerly run by Steve Jobs?

    They're holding out for the payout to ripen before squeezing for a juicy settlement.