Branding, domain names et al.

[Glen Turner]

> hmmmm...I wonder if it's a simple as that.  Why can't the
> name be allowed to be several cybergeo places just like
> towns are?  Here's the analogy: Paris, Illinois is not
> Paris, France, but they both exist with the name Paris.
> Brighton, Victoria is not Brighton, SA is not Brighton,
> England, is not Brighton.  But all happily exist because
> there is a higher order qualifier in the hierarchy.

The problem is that the DNS name structure would then have
to match the brand registration structure.  These structures
vary by registration body.  This would make the system
unusable for both users and companies.

For example,

  cocacola.liquid.refreshment.sa.com.au
  cocacola.softdrink.nsw.com.au
  cococola.category18.vic.com.au

and so on.

Not particularly useful by anyone wanting to find ColaCola
Amatil Pty Ltd, which defeats the whole purpose of the DNS.
And it also lets Joe Blow set up

  cocacola.org.au

which doubtless thrills CCA no end.

There are also names that are not trademarks that are
problematic.  A good example are the programme names of the
UN (UNICEF, UNHCR, ...), the activities of the ICRC, and so
on.  It's hard to explain to people in the first world the
huge level of trust, goodwill and recognition that these
programme names have, and it is reasonable that a DNS name
that is the same as a programme name, is actually
administered by the programme.

There is also a strong belief in the computing community
that each company should have only one DNS name, not one
name per product.  The reason for this is best seen in
imagining a DNS with an entry for every film released by
Village Roadshow.

And, although the trademark lawyers can't cope with this
concept, there are other uses for trademarked names that the
DNS has to be able to cope with.  For example,

  die.younger.if.you.smoke.winfields.com.au

The best outcome is gained if the DNS is simply regarded as
a distinct namespace.  These already exist in a huge range
of areas.  The law already prevents you naming your boat
"ColaCola, Port Adelaide", so adequate protection already
exists in distinct namesapces for trademark holders.  But
the lure of e-commerce has made the lawyers tetchy about the
DNS, and the diplomats have seen the opportunuity for a
single global solution (that incidently, benefits US trade
interests most of all) rather than lawsuits in many, many
different courts over the globe.

Cheers,
glen

-- 
 Glen Turner                               Network Specialist
 Tel: (08) 8303 3936          Information Technology Services
 Fax: (08) 8303 4400         The University of Adelaide  5005
 Email: glen.turner@adelaide.edu.au           South Australia