The Avery decision is great news for every individual Netizen who is attacked by a large trademark holder with a specious claim of infringment. How many individuals can afford to go to court in order to retain their domain names when NSI's or ICANN's dispute policy takes it away though?
My son's domain name clorox.org was taken away by NSI because the Clorox bleach folks felt it constituted infringement. After hounding him at school with fedexes and angry phone calls, NSI simply took it away for them. By contract, all registrants agree to abide by the NSI "dispute policy."
Right now, ICANN is debating a new dispute policy that makes one long for the good old days of NSI. Meeting in Santiago, the board is busily resisting attempts by individuals and little guys to have a voice in selecting the policy.
The Cyberspace Association is seeking recognition as the individual's constituency, and has just been rejected... again. In the meantime, armies of trademark lawyers are setting up the new dispute policy in a way that amounts to big business' asserting total colonial occupation of cyberspace. Get ready, your domain name is free speech: under these new policies, all internet speech may be reduced to the status of property, which will be managed in the way that works best for business.
People should consider viewing the meetings (www.berkmancenter.org) and letting their viewpoints be known... or finding out more about the Cyberspace Association at www.democracy.org/idno.
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The Avery decision is great news for every individual Netizen who is attacked by a large trademark holder with a specious claim of infringment. How many individuals can afford to go to court in order to retain their domain names when NSI's or ICANN's dispute policy takes it away though?
... again. In the meantime, armies
My son's domain name clorox.org was taken away by NSI because the Clorox bleach folks felt it constituted infringement. After hounding him at school with fedexes and angry phone calls, NSI simply took it away for them. By contract, all registrants agree to abide by the NSI "dispute policy."
Right now, ICANN is debating a new dispute policy that makes one long for the good old days of NSI. Meeting in Santiago, the board is busily resisting attempts by individuals and little guys to have a voice in selecting the policy.
The Cyberspace Association is seeking recognition as the individual's constituency, and has just been rejected
of trademark lawyers are setting up the new dispute policy in a way that amounts to big business' asserting total colonial occupation of cyberspace. Get ready, your domain name is free speech: under these new policies, all internet speech may be reduced to the status of property, which will be managed in the way that works best for business.
People should consider viewing the meetings (www.berkmancenter.org) and letting their viewpoints be known... or finding out more about the Cyberspace Association at www.democracy.org/idno.