Study gives clues on 'dot eu' plan
The full support of the European internet industry is key to the European Commission's plans for a pan-European registry of internet domain names, according to a study by staff at the University of Sussex. The Commission's Information Society Directorate announced plans in February 2000 for two initiatives intended to strengthen the development of electronic commerce within the European Union. It proposed a registry to regulate the assignment of domain names to internet users for use as part of their unique electronic address. It also recommends the creation of a new top level domain (TLD) name, .eu, as an alternative to names based on a two-letter country code or a generic non-geographical code such as .com, .net, or .org. The creation of the new TLD is intended to relieve a growing scarcity of suitable names under the current system. Meanwhile the proposed registry will manage the growing network of Internet addresses and prevent disputes over the rights to a particular address. The study by Daniel Pare, a postgraduate student at the University of Sussex Science Policy Research Unit, highlights some of the potential difficulties. He points to the lessons to be learned from the problems suffered by the US organisation created to regulate Internet nomenclature, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). These difficulties probably result from the anarchic origins of Internet culture -'issues relating to domain name management have been very divisive, with Internet stakeholders demonstrating a general unwillingness to co-operate or compromise when dealing with such matters.' Pare feels that the Commission can avoid facing similar difficulties over the authority of its own registry by taking immediate steps to ensure the active support of Internet Service providers and others in the industry. 'By assuming a pro-active role that emphasises constructive dialogue between European-based Internet stakeholders, ensures adequate levels of user representation, and prevents particular interests from exerting undue influence on the registry formation process, the Commission will facilitate the legitimisation of the institution responsible for managing and administering the .eu domain,' he concludes.