[CPWG] Geographical Names and ISO 4217 alpha3 currency codes - CPWG discussion papers for Marrakech.

[Evan Leibovitch]

Hi all.

TL;DR: I don't care about currency codes in domains, and neither should
ALAC.

Much as I appreciate the work Christopher has put into this issue, I am
drawn to ask "why should *end-users* care at all if currency codes are
protected or not?"

I mean this in all seriousness. Over the years ALAC has fought many battles
about what domains are protected and which are not, but very few of these
battles have had a legitimate *end-user*-interest component. I am proud to
have been part of a PDP that helped protect Red Cross names because abuse
of those names can clearly lead to fraud and even lost lives. In the same
meetings I argued against spurious attempt of the International Olympic
Committee to claim similar privilege.

Going forward I suggest that At-Large, as an activity to sustain its
relevance on the ecosystem and reduce volunteer burnout, triage incoming
issues so to concentrate FULLY on ramifications of ICANN actions to
*end-users*, and not those of other constituencies already represented
within ICANN. Registrants are already well represented through other
vectors and perfectly capable of speaking in favour of their own interests,
which do not always match those of end users. What value to se add by
piling onto that? What does it do for us?

The fight over whether "USD", EUR" "JPY" etc ought to be protected is, in
my mind, a fight between the domain industry and others who perceive of
something to protect. Do they have a point or not? Convince me why I should
care. I fail to see any end-user implications from whether the codes are
banned, reserved, left as a free-for-all or ignored.

I take issue with Christopher's assertion, backed up by nothing concrete of
which I am aware, that a Registry provides a public service. The public is
neither a market for its services nor a source of its accountability. The
public may be impacted by applicant and registry interactions with ICANN,
registrars and registrants but I have yet to see how -- in the case of
currency codes -- there is a public interest either for or against them
being used in domains. IMO such codes are not particularly interesting,
unique or unambiguous -- for instance, the code for the Canadian Dollar is,
in geek circles, more known as the acronym for Content Delivery Networks as
a currency. And "EUR" is as often used as an abbreviation for Europe as for
Euro. Opportunity for misuse is  no more than for any other TLD.

In all, while I'm sure that some in ICANN's vested interests find this
topic wildly impactful, I remain unconvinced that end users give any care
at all towards it (and thus that ICANN should waste any cycles on it). And
perhaps, in this age of increase scrutiny, ALAC should concentrate on those
areas actually mandated in its bylaws -- the ones *directly impacting end
users* -- and stop taking sides in battles between factions and on issues
in which we have no demonstrated interest.

Chris' papers may be quite complete -- maybe even compelling -- in the
debate between those who care about whether or not currency codes should be
reserved. I have yet to be convinced that end users should care either way
-- THAT argument exists nowhere in the documentation.

Cheers,
Evan
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