Yes, it is good to know how he almost single handedly saved the world while establishing the sacred status of a few words in one script in one language in one naming system.  

yay

avri

On 2 Jul 2013, at 07:11, Carlos A. Afonso wrote:

> Parminder sent this to the [governance] list.
> 
> --c.a.
> 
> ====================
> 
> http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/icann-suspends-closed-generic-top-level-domain-bids/article4870401.ece
> 
> Technology » Internet
> 
> Published: July 2, 2013 00:09 IST | Updated: July 2, 2013 00:13 IST
> 
> ICANN suspends closed generic top level domain bids
> 
> Karthik Subramanian
> 
> Temporarily freezes move that could have led to global corporates
> monopolising the WWW by privatising domains like .beauty or .book
> 
> The Internet Corporation for Assigned Numbers and Names (ICANN) has put
> on hold a controversial decision to allot closed generic Top Level
> Domains (gTLD) to applicants. Governments and activists had feared that
> allotting such generic domains would lead to a global corporate monopoly
> over the World Wide Web, by claiming exclusive rights for domains such
> as .book or .beauty.
> 
> “Hopefully this is the end for closed generic Top Level Domains
> applications and it is a victory for those who have raised their voice
> against it,” said Parminder Jeet Singh, executive director of
> Bangalore-based NGO ‘IT for Change.’
> 
> Last week, a newly reconstituted gTLD committee paid heed to the
> objections raised by ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee, which had
> in April pointed out several problems in the process of handing out
> gTLDs under a “single registrant” business model.
> 
> This differs from the regular business model for TLD names like .com or
> .org where the domains names are then resold to other users in an open
> market on first come, first served basis. Under the single registrant
> model, companies like Amazon and Google could own exclusively .book or
> .cloud, both generic name strings, thus paving the way for monopolistic
> branding. The process of handing out the contracts to applicants has
> been put on hold for closed generic top level domains. It is speculated
> that over such 70 contract bids have been identified by ICANN.
> 
> In April, the Government Advisory Committee of ICANN met in Beijing and
> prepared what was called as “Beijing Communiqué” in which it had raised,
> among other things, objections over applications for the generic TLDs
> .islam or .halal. It raised fears that the applicants did not have
> community backing. It also requested ICANN to not proceed beyond initial
> assessment for the bids for domains such as .shenzen, .date, .spa and a
> few others. Parminder Jeet Singh, had in an article in September in The
> Hindu, noted that ICANN was taking a decision on behalf of the people of
> the world in handing out generic domain names to corporates that had the
> wherewithal to pay the registration fee of $185,000. They also had the
> potential to invest in building business models on such monopoly use of
> generic terms as their private top level domains.
> 
> However, ICANN has not officially said it has dropped the processing of
> the closed gTLD applications, but has merely frozen it, pending further
> consultations with governments. Such consultations may take place when
> ICANN meets in Durban, South Africa, later this month.
> 
> Keywords: ICANN, Top Level Domains, gTLD, world wide web, domain names,
> generic domain names, TLD, internet
> 
> Printable version | Jul 2, 2013 4:21:08 PM |
> http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet/icann-suspends-closed-generic-top-level-domain-bids/article4870401.ece
> 
> © The Hindu
>