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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p style='background:white'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>ICANN acknowledges that “t</span><span lang=EN style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#555555'>he role of the String Similarity Panel is to assess whether a proposed gTLD string creates a <b>probability of user confusion</b> due to similarity with any reserved name, any existing TLD, any requested IDN ccTLD, or any new gTLD string applied for in the current application round”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span lang=EN style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#555555'>It seems more than a “probability” that consumers will be confused by singular and plurals. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span lang=EN style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#555555'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p style='background:white'><span lang=EN style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#555555'>Sarah <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> owner-bc-gnso@icann.org [mailto:owner-bc-gnso@icann.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Steve DelBianco<br><b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 01, 2013 6:50 PM<br><b>To:</b> bc - GNSO list<br><b>Subject:</b> [bc-gnso] Update: Contention sets for new gTLDs<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Wanted you all to see this. I think it will reflect poorly on ICANN's expansion of TLDs. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>ICANN hired an international expert panel to scour 1900 new TLD strings and determine which were confusingly similar, so they could be combines in the same contention set. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>This is to ensure we don't delegate 2 TLD strings that would confuse Internet users because they are too similar. I expected, for example, that the applications received for .hotel and .hotels would be in the same contention set, since it would be confusing for users to have both TLDs out there. (It would increase the cost of defensive registrations, too, since hotels would have to buy domains in both TLDs. )<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>After several months of careful study, ICANN's experts published their contention sets yesterday. (<a href="http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-26feb13-en.htm">link</a>) <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><blockquote style='margin-left:30.0pt;margin-right:0in'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><div><div><div><div><blockquote style='margin-left:30.0pt;margin-right:0in'><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>They "identified" 230 "exact match contention sets" where multiple applicants sought the exact same string.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>And they found just 2 "non-exact match contention sets" (unicom and unicorm; hoteis and hotels )<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Unbelievably, they did not consider the singular and plural versions of key words to be confusingly similar. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>This means we will get new TLDs for both the singular and plural versions of keywords such as:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>ACCOUNTANT<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>ACCOUNTANTS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>AUTO <span class=apple-tab-span> </span>AUTOS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>CAR<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>CARS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>CAREER<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>CAREERS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>COUPON<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>COUPONS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>CRUISE<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>CRUISES<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>DEAL<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>DEALS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>FAN<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>FANS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>GAME<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>GAMES<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>GIFT<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>GIFTS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>HOME<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>HOMES<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>HOTEL<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>HOTELS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>HOTEL<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>HOTELES<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>KID<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>KIDS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>LOAN<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>LOANS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>MARKET<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>MARKETS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>NEW<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>NEWS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>PET<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>PETS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>PHOTO<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>PHOTOS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>REVIEW<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>REVIEWS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>SPORT<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>SPORTS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>TOUR<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>TOURS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>WEB<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>WEBS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>WORK<span class=apple-tab-span> </span>WORKS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>What are the implications for applicants? Well, let's take an example. The 2 Applicants for .GIFT just got a huge gift from ICANN when they were not placed in the same contention set as the 2 applicants for .GIFTS<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>One of the 2 .GIFT guys must prevail in their "singular" contention set. They can then proceed to delegation, as they planned. Or they can negotiate to be bought-out by the winning applicant from the plural contention set ( .GIFTS ).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoPlainText><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>In other words, many applicants dodged a bullet by escaping from contention with their singular/plural form competitors. My guess is they want to explore ways to monetize their good fortune. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> --<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Steve DelBianco<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>Executive Director<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>NetChoice<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><a href="http://www.NetChoice.org">http://www.NetChoice.org</a> and <a href="http://blog.netchoice.org">http://blog.netchoice.org</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'>+1.202.420.7482 <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoPlainText><span lang=EN-GB style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>