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'Net names may change
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February 5, 1997: 6:49 p.m. ET
International committee proposes adding new domain names
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WASHINGTON (CNNfn) -- A new proposal unveiled this week by the International Ad Hoc Committee would add up to seven more top-level Internet domain names to the current system.
Currently, the domain names system conforms to a limited number of suffixes such as .com for commercial entitles, .org for non-profit organizations and others.
The new top-level domains would be .firm for businesses, .store for companies offering goods to purchase, .web for Web-related uses, .arts for cultural and entertainment sites, .rec for recreational activities, .info for information service providers and .nom for individual names.
Also, up to 28 new registrars will be established to hand out the new domain names. The registrars would be selected by lottery among applicants who fill requirements by the IAHC.
The group's plan is an effort to solve the approaching problem of name congestion. As more companies, groups and individuals seek a presence on the Web, the pool of available domain names is shrinking. The 11-member group formulated the plan after consulting organizations and government agencies worldwide.
Another growing problem is names that are copyrighted by a company or individual but have already been registered by someone else. The IAHC's plan would solve such disputes on-line. A domain name that contained an internationally-known trademark could only be held by the trademark owner under the plan.
The IAHC is a coalition of participants from the Internet community charged with enhancing the current domain name system. Members include the International Telecommunications Union, International Trademark Association, World Intellectual Property Organization and the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.
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