Christopher writes: ...and that we'd give trademark holders a period during which we wouldn't allow any new registrations in .Web, and would freeze the database so that they could inspect it and file UDRP challenges on existing names. Am I to understand that following that period it would be first come, first served, and I could equally register sun.web (assuming it was available) whether I was Sun MicroSystems or wanted to put up a Sun Tzu fansite? Mindful of course that if the latter I would no doubt then be faced with a UDRP action. And BTW sun.info does appear to be registered to Sun MicroSystems, and in line with the article it doesn't resolve.Regardless, while you did make some moves in the IP folks direction, I do think such things as sunrise gave other applicants more weight. That is, the more IP friendly you were, the more ICANN liked you, and there are no shortage of examples to show that that is always ICANN's M.O. As for competition for .com, it is far too late for that, barring some killer app addition that .com couldn't use. Not allowing real competition to Veri$ign is also ICANN's normal M.O., witness the decisions on .net divestiture and the WLS for just two examples. As to your question elsewhere on the thread regarding a legal cause of action, I watched the whole new TLD process as closely as an outsider could and it seemed quite clear to me that some ICANN staff were doing all they could to sandbag your application and, but for the last minute musings of Vint Cerf with an assist from Ken Fockler, Afilias would have been granted .web. Now this might just be that ICANN insiders don't like you (I don't know if they do or not, but if they don't I'd wear it as a badge of honor), or it could be more sinister and there may have been graft, bribes, and/or corruption in play. It would of course be up to a judge and/or jury to draw the same inferences I did, and it would take at the very least good lawyers and a bit of luck to prevail, but during the process of discovery I suspect that, short of the shredder working overtime, additional examples of how you (and some others) were sandbagged may well have come to light. I suspect that if you, or another applicant (and there were some rumblings of that being a possibility), had filed suit that ICANN would have been quick to settle out of court, and much more quick with another new TLD round. Of course you're a business, it isn't your job to be a white knight. I do think you should be given the chance to succeed or fail, along with most of the other applicants, and many others if they so wish. I also think that while you and others may not fail entirely, even in the aggregate, you would not provide any real competition to Veri$ign. -g
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