[CCWG-ACCT] Resolution of Mission Language related to regulation and contract

[George Sadowsky]

So let's probe this a bit.

Does that mean that future guidebooks can't disallow any future strings from consideration, unlike round 1?  I think you'll find a lot of people who would disagree that

	.horribly_insulting_string

should be allowed to proceed, including possibly the GAC.  (You can make up your own example, I think.  I don't want to be in the position of specifying an example and inciting bad responses.)

Or does this prohibition apply only to ICANN, Inc. and not the "ICANN community?"

Much as I'd like to treat domain names as arbitrary strings that have no meaning for the computers that parse them, they do have semantic content, sometimes very strong and offensive semantic content, and they will evoke strong reactions.  

BTW, if they didn't have semantic content, they really would be useless to us, wouldn't they?  If that were the case, we might as well go back to using numbers instead.  POTS, anyone?

I think we had better get this right at the beginning rather than having it bedevil us in future new gTLD rounds.

George


> On Nov 24, 2015, at 2:29 PM, Andrew Sullivan <ajs at anvilwalrusden.com> wrote:
> 
> On Tue, Nov 24, 2015 at 02:05:49PM -0500, Greg Shatan wrote:
>> Wouldn't it just be easier to say: "Domain names" are not included in the
>> definition of "content" for purposes of this provision. ?
> 
> I'm not opposed to what you suggest.  I think the previous argument
> was that in some cases they seem to be, because some people think that
> regulations on offensive strings and so on are in effect content
> regulations.  I thought (though I confess my brain was a little
> addled) the way Becky put it was in line with what we said on the
> call; I'm just suggesting the little tweak.  (In case it's going to
> cause a lot of trouble, this is certainly not my ditch and I hope
> today is not my day.  I'm just pointing out that opening the door to
> names having a meaning is where the danger lies.)
> 
> A
> 
> -- 
> Andrew Sullivan
> ajs at anvilwalrusden.com
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