If ICANN cared about your trademarks, it wouldn't be doing this--
But to ameliorate the damage ICANN is doing to global commerce, trademarks, and intellectual property generally, with its massive "explosion" of new gTLDs, ICANN encourages you to use their programs (it will cost you $$$ fees of course!) for "trademark protection." You can read all about it here -- Protect Your Trademark | ICANN New gTLDs (frankly, it all sounds like some kind of "protection racket" to me).
Why would anyone other than multi-billion dollar corporations, pay annual fees to ICANN, or any other entity, to "protect trademarks" that wouldn't need to be "protected" but for the irresponsible actions of ICANN in its megalomanic expansion of gTLDs?
Second, does anyone at ICANN have any idea how many common law trademarks there are? These are not registered marks entitled to use ICANN's so-called Trademark Clearinghouse. Let me tell you what ICANN and most Trademark Attorneys will not -- the number of common law trademarks in the world are magnitudes of times greater than the number of registered marks. ICANN gives common law trademark holders NO protection under its new gTLDs and Trademark Clearinghouse. ICANN's schemes to make money, enable the theft and exploitation of property from businesses and other organizations, whether in the form of criminal acts or other unlawful takings, increase administrative and registration costs, attorney fees, litigation costs, and otherwise create encumbrances and other costs of doing business, are irresponsible. None of this kind of exploitation was ever intended by Congress or the US Department of Commerce in its delegation of powers and duties to ICANN.
Bottom line:
ICANN is irresponsible.
ICANN apparently only cares about the money and/or is beholden to special interests.
ICANN needs to be replaced and at this point I don't care if it is the ITU or some other responsible and accountable international organization which understands that most commercial enterprises in the world are not multi-billion dollar corporations who can retain hundreds of lawyers, and pay thousands of dollars annually, to protect their business names and other intellectual property.
What can you do about all of this? If you live in the US contact your Congressman, Senators, and the White House and apprise them of this situation and your position. If you live elsewhere, make your governmental representatives aware of this situation and your position.
-- John Poole, Domain Mondo, January 16, 2014
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