EU: Internet domain names

The European Commission’s Competition Unit is studying the Council of Registrars’ (CORE) proposals for registration of Internet domain names. CORE has put forward new top-level domains, including .shop .firm and .arts. They plan to add these to .com, .org and .net, which are already in use. 88 companies have set themselves up as CORE registrars and more than 200 companies and Internet bodies have signed CORE’s Memorandum of Understanding, although they have not yet been given permission to operate by the US Government. The Commission has criticised the US for failing to mention CORE’s proposals in the Green Paper proposals for Administration of the Internet domain name system. There is currently a transatlantic feud between the US and the EU concerning regulation of the Internet, especially over who should register and administer such generic top-level domains; currently they are registered solely by Network Solutions Incorporated (NSI), a US company under contract to the US National Science Foundation. The US government plans to break NSI’s monopoly and companies would then compete, for profit, to register new Internet addresses with NSI and the new registries. This US plan completely contradicts CORE’s ambitions.