Vint Cerf: I think a only a few fresh TLDs will be notably successful
Cerf discusses fresh TLDs and Google’s involvement.
Vint Cerf, former chairman of ICANN’s board and current Google Chief Internet Evangelist, has dished out a bit of opinion on fresh top level domains.
CNET asked Cerf this question:
Namespaces are a notorious problem in computer science. Is the GTLD expansion actually adding value, or is it just making things more complicated and adding fresh trademark headaches for brand owners? I know Google is getting involved, but is that since Google excited by the possibilities or worried regarding the consequences of not defending its brand?
To which Cerf responded:
We are interested in fresh ways to use Google brands and fresh ideas for using GTLDs. The trademark/domain name interaction has always been problematic since trademarks are not unique. I think ICANN has provided strong guidance on sunrise processes to help protect trademark owners and faster dispute resolution mechanisms. I think only a few fresh TLDs will be notably successful, but I could be wrong.
Google disclosed limited details regarding its fresh TLD plans the prior week, counting applying for .youtube and .lol.
Cerf’s statement regarding success and fresh TLDs has three hedges — “think”, “notably”, and “I could be wrong”.
What makes a TLD successful is a matter of great debate and ultimately up to its backer. Brand TLDs have different metrics than generic TLDs. I think we’ll see a lot of TLDs with 50,000 names that are deemed successful by their backers since they are profitable. If you run enough TLDs you can amortize overhead across them and make a have a nice business.
