The GAC issued Its Advice from the ICANN meeting in Beijing and its a long one.
The very long list effecting hundreds of applications which is going to push back the program for some time and may shut the door on all closed generic applications unless the company can show issuing the close generic to one company is in the “public good”.
GAC does in fact have an issue with plural’s and singular strings as we long ago pointed out as being a problem, and is asking that those new gTLD applications be combined into contention sets.
The GAC wants all regulated fields including financial, professional, corporate identifiers, medical and health, education to provide safeguards which will restrict access to new gTLD’s,
For Example only a licensed attorney could register a .attorney or .law domain, or only a company that is actually incorporated could register a domain like domain.inc or domain.llc
I think its important for everyone to know the reasoning behind the GAC positions so I’m including the entire statement which on the new gTLD’s
The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) met in Beijing during the week of 4 April 2013.
Sixty-one (61) GAC Members participated in the meetings and (8) Observers.
The GAC has reached consensus on GAC Objection Advice according to Module 3.1 part I of the Applicant Guidebook on the following applications:
The application for .africa (Application number 1-1165-42560)
The application for .gcc (application number: 1-1936-2101)
The GAC recognizes that Religious terms are sensitive issues.
Some GAC members have raised sensitivities on the applications that relate to Islamic terms, specifically .islam and .halal.
The GAC members concerned have noted that the applications for .islam and .halal lack community involvement and support. It is the view of these GAC members that these applications should not proceed.
Safeguard Advice for New gTLDs
To reinforce existing processes for raising and addressing concerns the GAC is providing safeguard advice to apply to broad categories of strings:
Category 1
Consumer Protection, Sensitive Strings, and Regulated Markets:
The GAC Advises the ICANN Board:
Strings that are linked to regulated or professional sectors should operate in a way that is consistent with applicable laws.
These strings are likely to invoke a level of implied trust from consumers, and carry higher levels of risk associated with consumer harm.
The following safeguards should apply to strings that are related to these sectors:
Registry operators will include in its acceptable use policy that registrants comply with all applicable laws, including those that relate to privacy, data collection, consumer protection (including in relation to misleading and deceptive conduct), fair lending, debt collection, organic farming, disclosure of data, and financial disclosures.
Registry operators will require registrars at the time of registration to notify registrants of this requirement.
Registry operators will require that registrants who collect and maintain sensitive health and financial data implement reasonable and appropriate security measures commensurate with the offering of those services, as defined by applicable law and recognized industry standards.
Establish a working relationship with the relevant regulatory, or industry self-regulatory, bodies, including developing a strategy to mitigate as much as possible the risks of fraudulent, and other illegal, activities.
Registrants must be required by the registry operators to notify to them a single point of contact which must be kept up-to-date, for the notification of complaints or reports of registration abuse, as well as the contact details of the relevant regulatory, or industry self-regulatory, bodies in their main place of business.
In the current round the GAC has identified the following non-exhaustive list of strings that the above safeguards should apply to:
Children:
.kid, .kids, .kinder, .game, .games, .juegos, .play, .school, .schule, .toys
Environmental:
.earth, .eco, .green, .bio, .organic
Health and Fitness:
.care, .diet, .fit, .fitness, .health, .healthcare, .heart, .hiv, .hospital,, .med, .medical
.organic, .pharmacy, .rehab, .surgery, .clinic, .healthy (IDN Chinese equivalent), .dental
.dentist .doctor, .dds, .physio
Financial
.capital, . cash, .cashbackbonus, .broker, .brokers, .claims, .exchange, .finance, .financial, .fianancialaid, .forex, .fund, .investments, .lease, .loan, .loans, .market, . markets, .money, .pay, .payu, .retirement, .save, .trading, .autoinsurance, .bank, .banque, .carinsurance, .credit, .creditcard, .creditunion,.insurance, .insure, ira, .lifeinsurance, .mortgage, .mutualfunds, .mutuelle, .netbank, .reit, .tax, .travelersinsurance, .vermogensberater, .vermogensberatung and .vesicherung.
Gambling:
.bet, .bingo, .lotto, .poker, and .spreadbetting, .casino
Charity:
.care, .gives, .giving, .charity (and IDN Chinese equivalent)
Education:
.degree, .mba, .university
Intellectual Property
.audio, .book (and IDN equivalent), .broadway, .film, .game, .games, .juegos, .movie, .music, .software, .song, .tunes, .fashion (and IDN equivalent), .video, .app, .art, .author, .band, .beats, .cloud (and IDN equivalent), .data, .design, .digital, .download, .entertainment, .fan, .fans, .free, .gratis, .discount, .sale, .hiphop, .media, .news, .online, .pictures, .radio, .rip, .show, .theater, .theatre, .tour, .tours, .tvs, .video, .zip
Professional Services:
.abogado, .accountant, .accountants, .architect, .associates, .attorney, .broker, .brokers, .cpa, .doctor, .dentist, .dds, .engineer, .lawyer, .legal, .realtor, .realty, .vet
Corporate Identifiers:
.corp, .gmbh, .inc, .limited, .llc, .llp, .ltda, .ltd, .sarl, .srl, .sal
Generic Geographic Terms:
.town, .city, .capital .reise, .reisen .weather .engineering .law
Inherently Governmental Functions
.army, .navy, .airforce
In addition, applicants for the following strings should develop clear policies and processes to minimize the risk of cyber bullying/harassment:
.fail, .gripe, .sucks, .wtf
The GAC further advises the Board:
In addition, some of the above strings may require further targeted safeguards, to address specific risks, and to bring registry policies in line with arrangements in place offline.
In particular, a limited subset of the above strings are associated with market sectors which have clear and/or regulated entry requirements (such as: financial, gambling, professional services, environmental, health and fitness, corporate identifiers, and charity) in multiple jurisdictions, and the additional safeguards below should apply to some of the strings in those sectors:
At the time of registration, the registry operator must verify and validate the registrants’ authorizations, charters, licenses and/or other related credentials for participation in that sector.
In case of doubt with regard to the authenticity of licenses or credentials, Registry Operators should consult with relevant national supervisory authorities, or their equivalents.
The registry operator must conduct periodic post-registration checks to ensure registrants’ validity and compliance with the above requirements in order to ensure they continue to conform to appropriate regulations and licensing requirements and generally conduct their activities in the interests of the consumers they serve.
Category 2
Restricted Registration Policies The GAC advises the ICANN Board:
As an exception to the general rule that the gTLD domain name space is operated in an open manner registration may be restricted, in particular for strings mentioned under category 1 above.
In these cases, the registration restrictions should be appropriate for the types of risks associated with the TLD. The registry operator should administer access in these kinds of registries in a transparent way that does not give an undue preference to any registrars or registrants, including itself, and shall not subject registrars or registrants to an undue disadvantage.
Exclusive Access
For strings representing generic terms, exclusive registry access should serve a public interest goal.
In the current round, the GAC has identified the following non-exhaustive list of strings that it considers to be generic terms, where the applicant is currently proposing to provide exclusive registry access
.antivirus, .app, .autoinsurance, .baby, .beauty, .blog, .book, .broker, .carinsurance, .cars, .cloud, .courses, .cpa, .cruise, .data, .dvr, .financialaid, .flowers, .food, .game, .grocery, .hair, .hotel, .hotels .insurance, .jewelry, .mail, .makeup, .map, .mobile, .motorcycles, .movie, .music, .news, .phone, .salon, .search, .shop, .show, .skin, .song, .store, .tennis, .theater, .theatre, .tires, .tunes, .video, .watches, .weather, .yachts,
.クラウド <[cloud], .ストア [store], .[sale], ファッション [fashion], .家電 [consumer electronics], .<手表 [watches], .書籍 [book], .珠宝 [jewelry], .通販 [online shopping], .食品 <[food]
Strings for Further GAC Consideration
In addition to this safeguard advice, that GAC has identified certain gTLD strings where further GAC consideration may be warranted, including at the GAC meetings to be held in Durban.
Consequently, the GAC advises the ICANN Board to: not proceed beyond Initial Evaluation with the following strings :
.shenzhen (IDN in Chinese), .persiangulf, .guangzhou (IDN in Chinese), .amazon (and IDNs in Japanese and Chinese), .patagonia, .date, .spa, . yun, .thai, .zulu, .wine, .vin
Singular and plural versions of the same string as a TLD
The GAC believes that singular and plural versions of the string as a TLD could lead to potential consumer confusion.
Therefore the GAC advises the ICANN Board to:
Reconsider its decision to allow singular and plural versions of the same strings.
Protections for Intergovernmental Organizations, The GAC stresses that the IGOs perform an important global public mission with public funds, they are the creations of government under international law, and their names and acronyms warrant special protection in an expanded DNS. Such protection, which the GAC has previously advised, should be a priority.
This recognizes that IGOs are in an objectively different category to other rights holders, warranting special protection by ICANN in the DNS, while also preserving sufficient flexibility for workable implementation.
The GAC is mindful of outstanding implementation issues and commits to actively working with IGOs, the Board, and ICANN Staff to find a workable and timely way forward.
Pending the resolution of these implementation issues, the GAC reiterates its advice to the ICANN Board that:
]appropriate preventative initial protection for the IGO names and acronyms on the provided list be in place before any new gTLDs would launch.
Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA)
The GAC appreciates the improvements to the RAA that incorporate the 2009 GAC-Law Enforcement Recommendations.
The GAC is also pleased with the progress on providing verification and improving accuracy of registrant data and supports continuing efforts to identify preventative mechanisms that help deter criminal or other illegal activity. Furthermore the GAC urges all stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of accreditation programs for privacy and proxy services for WHOIS.
Safeguards on New gTLDs
The GAC considers that Safeguards should apply to broad categories of strings. For clarity, this means any application for a relevant string in the current or future rounds, in all languages applied for.
The GAC advises the Board that all safeguards highlighted in this document as well as any other safeguard requested by the ICANN Board and/or implemented by the new gTLD registry and registrars should be implemented in a manner that is fully respectful of human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in international and, as appropriate, regional declarations, conventions, treaties and other legal instruments – including, but not limited to, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, respect all substantive and procedural laws under the applicable jurisdictions and be operated in an open manner consistent with general principles of openness and non-discrimination.
Safeguards Applicable to all New gTLDs
The GAC Advises that the following six safeguards should apply to all new gTLDs and be subject to contractual oversight.
Whois
Registry operators will conduct checks on a statistically significant basis to identify registrations in its gTLD with deliberately false, inaccurate or incomplete WHOIS data at least twice a year. Registry operators will weight the sample towards registrars with the highest percentages of deliberately false, inaccurate or incomplete records in the previous checks. Registry operators will notify the relevant registrar of any inaccurate or incomplete records identified during the checks, triggering the registrar’s obligation to solicit accurate and complete information from the registrant.
Registry operators will ensure that terms of use for registrants include prohibitions against the distribution of malware, operation of botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary to applicable law.
Security checks
While respecting privacy and confidentiality, Registry operators will periodically conduct a technical analysis to assess whether domains in its gTLD are being used to perpetrate security threats, such as pharming, phishing, malware, and botnets. If Registry operator identifies security risks that pose an actual risk of harm, Registry operator will notify the relevant registrar and, if the registrar does not take immediate action, suspend the domain name until the matter is resolved. <
Documentation
Registry operators will maintain statistical reports that provide the number of inaccurate WHOIS records or security threats identified and actions taken as a result of its periodic WHOIS and security checks. Registry operators will maintain these reports for the agreed contracted period and provide them to ICANN upon request in connection with contractual obligations.
Making and Handling Complaints
Registry operators will ensure that there is a mechanism for making complaints to the registry operator that the WHOIS information is inaccurate or that the domain name registration is being used to facilitate or promote malware, operation of botnets, phishing, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement, fraudulent or deceptive practices, counterfeiting or otherwise engaging in activity contrary to applicable law.
Consequences
Consistent with applicable law and any related procedures, registry operators shall ensure that there are real and immediate consequences for the demonstrated provision of false WHOIS information and violations of the requirement that the domain name should not be used in breach of applicable law; these consequences should include suspension of the domain name.
Good luck, Amazon, in demonstrating how .SHOP closed registry is in the public interest.
Hate to say ‘I told you so’ but, well . . .
Welcome to GAC instituted ‘Metered Rollout’ of New gTLDs
This will tie up many applications for some time, but shouldn’t delay the entire program, just those strings affected. Many applications don’t face GAC, or other issues.
.menu
.fishing
.nyc
.london
etc
and many IDNs
Seems the main issue to resolve in order to start signing and delegating no conflict strings is the RAA.
Looks like an overall delay of a couple weeks.
What a surprise!
Honestly…not!
Hello MHB,
No surprise here. The Tar and Feathering backlash, as we have been saying all along, has now manifested. Anyone who uses these new extensions will be using a tainted Brand.
Good news is that Pure Play Generic .COM Business locators will flourish as Type-Ins become more common place.
Its clear who the real winners are.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
At last some measure of common sense!
In most of the closed generic applications I don’t think I ever saw the words Public or Community Service….
So, looking ahead, if Google gets .blog or .search, or Amazon gets .library, are they next going to ask the government to subsidise their public service efforts with public funding????
This place is a minefield folks… stay away…. .. stick to what you already know and what is tried, tested and proven…
Seems like GAC stepped in and offered some common sense here.
When it comes to string similarity not only do singular and plural tense have an issue, there is also a potential problem with synonyms.
On closed generics, their guidance is very clear. The string needs to be in the “public interest”. Either this new gTLD program was about public interest or it was not. Just awarding closed generics to the highest bidder is probably not in the public interest.
If you want to make the argument that giving closed generic strings to companies like Google or Amazon is in the “public interest” that is going to be a tough argument to make.
The vast majority of the public and business interests are against the anti-competitive nature of that.
Brad
Jeff, ok, can you explain why people would suddenly start typing in random .com addresses in the future when the trend for that activity has been in decline for over a decade. This will not change. Google owns the address bar and particularly on mobile devices where search suggestions appear automatically there. The type in era is long gone and never coming back.
Google updated their application the other day on .Search, .App, .Blog and .cloud to change them from a closed to open registry model.
http://www.thedomains.com/2013/04/09/google-lays-out-plans-for-a-dotless-search-new-gtld/
Without intending to sound too crude, I can see why there might be a case for ensuring “.toys” is safe guarded…
3D is my life
Type-Ins have increaed and will continue to increase dramatically. You are you getting fundamentally flawed Serch Engine propoganda. Search Engine Centric Marketing is obsolescing at a dramatic pace, you need to take your Google Glasses off to see the true picture. Its called Market Saturation Obsolescence.
By the way Google Glasses are a marketing surveilance device, that only the idiots will wear. You need to get educated about the true increased usage of type-ins your info. is biased.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
“Type-Ins have increaed and will continue to increase dramatically. ”
Wow.
What is the point of keeping this kook around?
The man has completely lost grasp of reality, his gibbering nonsense is without any apparent worth. Logging onto the blog and invariably seeing the last half dozen comments are made by him is not a positive user experience.
At least previous detractory entities like RobertCline or TheBigLieSociety were mostly benign or offered some degree of limited insight. This turd is utterly without any redeeming value.
People have been conditioned over the years to understand that if they type in some random generic, it will likely contain content of near zero value. Users seeks brands with reputation, sites they trust, not because it has a .com at the end. The vast majority of sites with that extension are a wasteland. There are a few major sites where commerce occurs and they continue to tighten their grip. If you’re a little guy, you’re better off selling through their channels. You don’t need a site anymore. Companies are making millions selling through FB, Apple, Google, and Amazon. To most, the rest of the web is irrelevant as far as buying anything. Put down your palm pilot and get up to speed with how business now happens on the web.
@ Gordo
It seems M.I.T. knows you are wrong as usual : Character assassination only shows your true ignorance. Read this and get educated
” With the advent of the new gTLDS being introduced, its effect will severely impact the Search Engine Marketing Sector. According to MIT (Mass. Inst.Tech.) type-In traffic will be expanded rapidly and will be common place. Consumers are very reluctant to change and there are studies to prove that they will avoid doing business on a non-.COM site. This splintering and dividing of the Search Engine Market bodes well for a brilliant future, for Pure Play Generic .COM Profit Centers. M I T foresees Type-Ins, We foresee a seachange shift into .COM Profit Centers. ”
All of us have the chance , if educated, to make the right moves with the release of confusion causing gTLDs. Future Web initiatives are desperately going to have to be trusted as legitimate destinations for consumers to spend their money.
Why ? because the .COM Brand is a granfathered legitimate Brand Consumers trust.
Gratefullly, Jeff schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
@ 3D is my life
R. E. = ” People have been conditioned over the years to understand that if they type in some random generic, it will likely contain content of near zero value. ”
I am currently convinced you have not one seminal ounce of sense, making a ridiculously ignorant statement like this. ( type in Salesforce.com or any of the many random generic destinations you site as having zero value. Do you know how silly you look to others? Get a Grip.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Hello MHB,
Google knows what ( Market Saturation Obsolescence) means, by being victim to it. Why do you think they are going to type-ins themselves.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Cite where MIT said type-in traffic will expand to .com.
Don’t babble.
Show us.
Harvard says you’re insane.
@ Gordo,
You need to put 2 and 2 together you obviously are not capable of that.
I have more important things to do than to argue with idiots like you.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
The MIT source Jeff cites is this opinion piece by a former editor of the Technology Review.
One guys opinion, apparently, is indisputable proof.
http://www.technologyreview.com/review/428911/icanns-boondoggle/
Jeff Scheinder & Gordo:
Will one of you please post a link to the alleged MIT & Harvard studies you cite?
I will post a link that reports on a study regarding TLD public trust – I wish one of you would back up your claims with evidence.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130410_ratings_are_in_measuring_orgs_trust_and_success_in_numbers/
More empirical data, rather than alleged quotes and opinions (Open challenge to Gordo & Metal Tiger / Jeff Schneider to produce the evidence they each cite):
http://www.investing.co.uk/new-report-by-afilias-shows-consumers-still-unaware-of-new-top-level-domains/
http://www.afilias.info/news/2013/04/01/dot-brand-or-dot-what-consumers-unaware-new-top-level-domains-including-google-micro
http://afilias.info/sites/afilias.info/files/Afilias_New-gTLD_Report_1.pdf
@Jeff – You have quoted that MIT report for weeks on multiple blogs and forums but as far as I can see, you have never posted a link to it when challenged.
As for type-ins, my experience shows they have been in a serious decline for over three years, starting in 2009.
For some of my generics it has been over 35% decline in true type-in traffic.
That does not mean the value of generic dot coms has declined, it just means you need to develop a generic dot com to unlock its’ true worth. You can not rely exclusively on type-in traffic anymore.
The decline, coincides with the rise of Google search volume.
“Will one of you please post a link to the alleged MIT & Harvard studies you cite?”
Haha, a real intellectual giant we have here. I’ll go slowly and hold your hand.
I was mocking him. There is no Harvard Study on Jeff Schneider, just as there is no MIT study on type-in traffic, as Jeff Schneider keeps claiming.
The man is loon. He makes things up. He’s an imagineer, and not in the cool Disney way; in the “pseudologia fantastica” way. The Walter Mitty way.
I don’t know why Berkens indulges this bullshit, I appreciate allowing the marketplace of ideas to sort out the morons from everyone else but there comes a point when the howling just gets disruptive and everyone else leaves.
@ Gordo , Mary,
There is a link to this on Michaels past threads look it up instead of being so Sophomoricaly nieve.
You both need to do Due Dilligence before you spout disinformation, its the professional way.
Gratefully, Jeff schneider (Contact group) (Metal Tiger)t
@jeff the proof is in the pudding.
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=health.com&cmpt=q
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=games.com&cmpt=q
http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=insurance.com&cmpt=q
All Interested Parties,
If you really want to be updated on the latest Online Marketing Trends for professionals.
Its my professional opinion you should go over to Domain King’s Joint Venture Group at LinkedIn.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Hello Michael,
I said in previous posts befdore this news came out that Google was 10 to 1 odds going to back out of Closed gTLDs
How Bout That ! just lucky right ?
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Hello Michael,
We could care less if Google files for open applications.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
@ Gordo,
Thanks for “slowly” clarifying that your Harvard reference was not a contradictory study on type-in traffic, but rather your best attempt at hilarity. I gave you the benefit of doubt that you were referencing something substantive rather than your own empty opinion. Since you are outside my wingspan, I am going to let your nastiness go like ‘agua off a fat duck’s back’. I’m letting go of your hand now.
lovingly @ Mary
This is Due Dilligence? Google generated Metrics?
Anyone can believe that google is terribly honest about traffic metrics, this is your proof in the pudding, not ours. Google lies about clicks in paying you as well, in our opinion.
You can believe what you want, we do not buy these links as any outsiders third party documentation of proof and is far from it.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Many of the applicants for closed gTLDs have already anticipated the public interest issue and have pre-emptively addressed it, or attempted to.
For example, in their closed .BEAUTY application, L’Oréal says they intend to be a leader in bringing ‘innovation in consumer choice’ to the .BEAUTY gTLD:
———————— Q U O T E
“L’Oréal believes that the .BEAUTY gTLD will provide a single trusted ecosystem experience for the hundreds of millions, if not billions of L’Oréal’s and its commercial partners’ existing and future consumers, who access content through existing online, print, mobile, and social platforms. By providing the foundation of this trusted ecosystem, all domain name registrants in the .BEAUTY gTLD will be able to share in the benefits of this collective resource. As the leader of the cosmetic and beauty products industry, L’Oréal believes that it can be a pioneer in bringing innovation in consumer choice to this new Internet medium, the .BEAUTY gTLD.”
L’Oréal .BEAUTY application.
————————————–
L’Oréal’s application also states their intention to launch up to 10,000 websites on the .beauty string. That’s a monumental innovation in consumer choice, you’ll have 10,000 new ways to access L’Oréal products – and with all their competitors blocked there’ll be no confusion – clearly this will be in the public interest, so they say.
Google originally applied for 101 domain strings, yet they believe that a ‘diffusion of gTLDs amongst diverse stakeholders’ will generate increased competition, and as everyone knows, fair competition is also in the public interest, as you can see from their closed .TALK application:
———————— Q U O T E
“Charleston Road Registry supports the advancement of registry operators as a whole and the diffusion of gTLDs amongst diverse stakeholders to generate increased competition for the benefit of the Internet public. Increased competition will result in more competitive prices for consumers, generate efficiencies and increase productivity in enterprises, and spur innovation in the gTLD space.
“The proposed gTLD will promote competition in the gTLD space by inciting competitors to respond with improved gTLD operations… and/or the creation of their own respective gTLDs, to the benefit of all Internet users.”
Google .TALK application.
————————————–
Google intends to promote competition by inciting their competitors to respond with improvements – that would be in the public interest. Right then.
If Bridgestone’s application for a closed .TIRES registry succeeds, then a ‘flow on effect’ will enable increased competition:
———————— Q U O T E
“The differentiation of .tires gTLD as a trusted site for BATO (Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations) will drive existing and new TLD registry operators to make improvements in mechanisms to improve consumer trust of their TLDs. Internet users will be encouraged to interact with domain names under .tires domain space. As a result, .tires will have a flow on effect to enable increased competition. Therefore, the benefits of the proposed .tires will be distributed not only to its direct customers, but to the internet community at large forcing improved services and competitive pricing in the market place.”
Bridgestone .TIRES application.
————————————–
The ‘flow on effect’ sounds like a feature of some new Bridgestone wet weather tire, but apparently it applies to domain names too. Once the GAC and ICANN understand how the ‘flow on effect’ works to increase competition, they’ll be able to approve all these closed gTLDs.
As I’ve noted at SuperMonopolies.com, the .tires domains will be interesting to watch as two of the three market leaders have applied for closed registries, Goodyear being the second, while there is only one application for an open registry from Donuts (great name for a tire company though).
@Dave
If you believe all this corporate double talk and codswallop, it is no wonder our world is in the dire state it is in!
If these go through, I would suggest we invest every penny we have into the space program so that we can get off this planet!
Seriously, is L’oreal the only stakeholder in the beauty industry???? Are corporates the only stakeholders even?
Please people, TradeMarks are not gods or kings!
The are greedy manipulative and selfish entities.
WHY DO YOU THINK THEY REGISTERED THEIR TRADEMARK IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Anyone who registers a Trademark will have a hard time convincing me that they are acting in the common good or for charity or for the betterment of anything but their bottom line…