New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) at the 51st ICANN meeting in Los Angeles ruled to reconsider filed objections related to applications for domains .CAM and .通販. The decision is at least logical considering the circumstances in which the applications were rejected.
Initially, Rightside, Dot Agency and AC Webconnecting applied for the domain .CAM. However, the objection was filed by Verisign stating that domain .CAM is too similar in spelling to .COM, which would confuse users. After that the events unfolded in a very bizarre way. Verisign’s objection on Rightside’s application was accepted, but the same objection on Dot Agency’s and AC Webconnecting’s applications were rejected. Which means that in one case similarity between .CAM and .COM was excessive, but in the other case it wasn’t.
No less absurd is the case with Amazon’s application for domain .通販. This word means “online shopping” in Japanese. This was enough to reject the application and satisfy the objection of Commercial Connect, who administers .SHOP domain. Even though it is absolutely impossible to talk about similarity in spelling or pronouncing between .通販 and .SHOP.
Critics have repeatedly pointed out that such controversial and illogical decisions undermine the credibility of the whole New gTLD Program. We can give credit to ICANN, because the corporation recognized that these accusations were true and introduced appeal procedure. .CAM and .通販 cases will be reconsidered by the jury of three as part of the International Center for Dispute Resolution whose ruling will be final.
