The Cato Institue, which published this briefing paper is a
well-respected libertarian think-tank based in Washington DC.

Leni.

http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-033.html

                INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES
Privatization, Competition, and Freedom of Expression

                by Milton L. Mueller
Milton L. Mueller, an associate professor at the
Syracuse University School of Information Studies, is
the author of many scholarly works on
telecommunications policy.

                Executive Summary

There is growing confusion over the administration of
Internet top-level domain names (TLDs), the system of
suffixes, such as .com, .org, and .edu, that
determines a person's e-mail or Web site address on
the Internet.

We need to define rules and procedures that will
permit and encourage competition among administrators
of TLDs in response to market demand. Freedom of
expression should be a primary concern. Proposals for
compulsory national TLDs should be rejected. National
TLDs would undermine the international character of
the Internet and encourage national governments to
enact myriad petty regulations and restrictions on
free speech. Domain names should not be equated with
trademarks or brand names. We should reject attempts
to forge inappropriate links between domain name
registration and trademark protection.

The U.S. government should encourage the development
of property rights and competition by moving the
administration of Internet domain names into the
private sector.