wfa press statement: wfa opposes icann decision for unlimited generic top-level domains

8/4/2019 WFA Press statement: WFA opposes ICANN decision for unlimited generic Top-Level Domains

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WFA Press statement

WFA opposes ICANN decision for unlimited generic Top-Level Domains(gTLDs)

Brussels, 31st August 2011: The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) has spoken out against the decision bythe Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to approve a plan to allow for unlimitedgeneric Top Line Domains (gTLDs). Currently there are 22 gTLDs on the internet (e.g. .com, .edu, .gov) and 250country-level domains (e.g. .de, .uk, .cn). The new proposal, scheduled to come into force in January 2012, couldsee the emergence of a myriad of new gTLDs, such as .pepsi, .google, .beer, .cars, .toys and so on.

WFA and its members have written to ICANN to express “the deep concerns and strong reservations held by theglobal marketer community” that this decision will lead to significant legal and financial risks for brands in relation

to the protection of domain names and monitoring of domain name abuse.

WFA believes that the changes are likely to introduce confusion in the marketplace, increase the likelihood of

„cybersquatting‟ and lead to trademark disputes. Brands could be forced to engage in costly defensiveregistrations of domain names in order to protect their trademarks and intellectual property, requiring significantdiversions of internal resources on top of the costs already associated with buying gTLDs. Applications for newgTLDs will incur a fee of $185,000 in addition to on-going yearly administration costs.

ICANN has now formally adopted its plan for new gTLDs, ignoring the potentially serious financial and legalimplications for brands around the world. In its letter, WFA calls on ICANN to abandon its plan in its current form.

Stephan Loerke, WFA Managing Director, said: “ICANN‟s decision flies in the face of their own impact

assessments, which highlight the potential dangers and massive costs that unlimited domain names could incur.Worse, it could lead to significant confusion among consumers and expose them to abuse by fraudulent operators .”

The sentiment was echoed by Alain Heureux, President of the Brussels-based Interactive Advertising Bureau (IABEurope): “ Allowing limitless domain endings opens the door to huge registration costs and significant potential damage to both publishers and advertisers. This decision jeopardizes both our brands‟ integrity and the safety of consumers ”.

The full letter can be downloaded here - Ends –

Notes for editors

For more information, please contact Will Gilroy

+32 499 20 32 [email protected]

About the WFA

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) is the voice of advertisers worldwide representing 90% of globalmarketing communications expenditures, roughly US$700 billion per annum, through a unique, global network:57 national advertiser associations on five continents as well as over 50 of the world's top 100 advertisers.Through the network, WFA represents more than 10,000 businesses operating in a broad spectrum of sectors atnational, regional and global levels. More information at www.wfanet.org

About IAB Europe

Established in 1998, IAB Europe exists to support and promote the growth of the European digital and interactivemarketing industry. Representing 27 National IABs and Partners across Europe and over 5,500 companies, IABEurope is the trade association of the European digital and interactive marketing industry.

http://info.wfa.be/WFA_letter_to_ICANN_final_draft.pdf



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wfa press statement: wfa opposes icann decision for unlimited generic top-level domains

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