ICANN

There are plenty of people on both sides of the fence regarding the proposal to add various TLD to the domain space. Companies, cities, and other individuals with enough financial backing may be able to apply for their own TLD. The impact on the domain industry, SEO, IP enforcement, TM protection…etc. constituencies will be enormous in some good and bad ways.
To form your own opinion, I invite you to read posts and blogs covering this topic from a few friends in the industry:   Be sure to check out Kevin’s opinion, Mike’s opinion, and Anthony’s blog for more information about this.

Castello Cities Internet Network, owners and operators of geo websites PalmSprings.com, Nashville.com, WestPalmBeach.com, LagunaBeach.com, Daycare.com, Whisky.com and many other great Internet properties, has been accepted into the ICANN Business Constituency. The Business Constituency is made up of Internet leaders such as Microsoft, Yahoo, Walt Disney, Ebay, and several other prominent companies. This is good news for the domain investment and development community, as CCIN has proven to be a leader in this space.
I had the chance to chat with David today:
EJS: As Chief Operating Officer of CCIN, how do you hope to contribute to the Business Constituency, and what does your company bring to the table?
David Castello: “CCIN develops domain names into successful, business entities. One of our priorities is to protect the property rights of professional domainers and developers. The current Bad Faith clause in UDRP arbitration must be maintained and not diluted. If anything, it should be strengthened to put more burden of proof on the Complainant. Over 80% of all UDRP arbitration ends in transferring the domain name. Of course, many of these complaints are totally justified and we are opposed to those who would purposely infringe on another’s trademark. However, we are also opposed to those who may wish to broaden trademark powers to the point where it would infringe on the property rights of generic domain name owners and leave them susceptible to reverse domain name hijacking.”
I believe David and his brother Michael have the knowledge, experience and personality that will allow them to transcend the invisible line that often pits domain investors against others in the Internet community. The Castello Brothers’ strong and rationale voice is a big win for the domain investment and development community, and I think it’s great that they are representing us in the Business Constituency.