Question: The companies applying for the .pro TLD want to set the criteria for who is a qualified doctor, lawyer, etc. This is a good idea, but what if another company comes along wanting a similar TLD for pros with slighter tougher (or weaker) criteria for certification of credentials?

Nominee Replies

Barbara Simons - posted on 2000-10-05 16:48:54 ICANN should not be telling the owners of TLDs what policies they should be using in determining who can obtain a domain name from them. If ICANN creates a great many new TLDs, which is what I advocate, then the false scarcity problem will be eliminated, and people in the market for domain names will be able to pick and choose. Donald Langenberg - posted on 2000-10-03 19:32:19 I'm not so sure it's a good idea. There are very long- and well-established procedures in place through which states determine whether a professional is qualified, i.e., licensed to practice, admitted to the bar, etc. Companies have no appropriate role in this process, in my opinion. Emerson Tiller, J.D., Ph.D. - posted on 2000-10-03 16:25:42 Let the market decide this issue, not ICANN regulators. ICANN should be sure that TLD operators are true to their missions (or at least require that the using public is aware of those missions and has a means to account), but it should not get into the business of writing the rules for individual TLD operators. Lawrence Lessig - posted on 2000-10-03 04:34:09 So long as the criteria are public, the more the better.