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[Comment-Ip] Comment on WIPO Final Report - Revised
Further to my earlier email message posted on this website, enclosing a
draft of a law review article discussing the WIPO Internet Domain Name Process,
please find attached a revised version of the article.
The paper suggests, in essence, that many of the problems identified and
debated in the context of the WIPO process cannot be addressed without
revisiting the present structure of the Internet domain name system, which lies
at the root of the problems. Having developed at a time when the Internet
had not yet become the global medium that it currently is and when the concept
of e-commerce did not yet exist, the system requires a structural overhaul to
accommodate the various functions currently taking place on the Internet.
My paper contains certain suggestions on how the enhanced system might look
like.
In this connection, it is important to understand that the domain name
system effectively serves as the Internet's "constitution,"
determining, from the user's point of view, the conceptual structure of the
Internet, allocating zones for the various activities, and generally structuring
the activities taking place thereon. The importance of a proper domain
name structure for the development of the Internet's communicative functions in
general and e-commerce in particular, as well as for the accommodation of these
two functions, should not be underestimated. The time seems ripe for the
establishment of a more comprehensive, coherent and user-friendly domain name
system.
The problems identified and debated in connection with the WIPO process
deserve careful consideration. No hasty decisions that would be prejudge
the structure of the domain name system should be taken.
Veijo Heiskanen
Director
Institute of International Economic
Law
P.O. Box 4
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
FINLAND
Tel.
+358-9-191 24 102
Fax +358-9-191 23 390
Wipo.wpd