The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its objection to the proposed gTLD .Baby and .Virgin. Virgin Group applied fpr .Virgin and Johnson & Johnson applied for .Baby .
The Saudi Agency has also objected to other gTLD applications,such as :
.Adult
.Gay
.Poker
.Porn
.Sex
.Style
.Tattoo
.Hot
.Bar
.Casino
.Wine
.Vodka
.Pub
“We are concerned that the gTLD strings will be used to promote and glamorise the consumption of alcohol which, in turn, is responsible for the prevalence of alcohol-related disease and a range of social ills,” said the Saudi government in the objection .
The Commission also said in its objection to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that the new gTLD .Baby will probably be used in the same way as .XXX to host pornographic sites .
“Many individuals and societies may find this string offensive on religious and/or cultural grounds. We oppose the introduction of this gTLD string on both of these grounds, and because pornography causes huge damage to society’s social fabric. Pornography undermines gender equality and threatens public morals by objectifying and exploiting women. The values expressed in pornography clash with the family concept and they undermine the traditional values that promote marriage, family, and children. Pornography frequently depicts irresponsible behaviour by parties who take no long-term responsibility for their actions.”
ICANN’s extension of the closing date for comments on new gTLD applications has drawn support from US politicians that recently criticised the organisation for not allowing enough time for comments on the 1927 applications for new gTLDs.
“A program of this reach and magnitude deserves to have extensive input from the public,” Sen. Patrick Leahy noted in an emailed release according to Tech Daily Dose. “I welcome ICANN’s commitment to keep the public comment forum open throughout the application process, but more can still be done. I urge ICANN to take meaningful steps to inform the public about this program and to listen to the concerns and comments that are raised.”
About 13 per cent (776 of 6,151) of the comments on the ICANN Application Comments forum for new gTLDs are directed to the applications for the .ADULT, .SEX and .PORN gTLDs, XBIZ.com reports.
Saudi Arabia has filed objections to the gTLD application for .BABY according to a report in The Domains.
“We consider there is a risk that this string is used in the same way as .XXX to host pornographic websites,” The Domains noted of the comments filed by the Communication and Information Technology Commission, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tobias Flatz, CEO of Sedo, reflects on the past six months in his new role in an article he penned for Domain Name Wire. Flatz notes “there are other opportunities for growth, such as in parking. While parking views per user may be declining, developing markets around the world bring new internet traffic.” He also says “there’s a lot more competition in the domain monetization arena” meaning “Sedo—and the industry as a whole—has to focus on innovation within the domain parking sector.”
The domain name denver.com recently sold for a seven-figure sum to Denver real estate executive Peter Niederman who describes the purchase as “priceless” in an interview for the Denver Post. Niederman owns more than 600 domains and has been investing for over 12 years.
“A businessman has been banned from selling Michael Jackson memorabilia and using the singer’s name online, after a US judge ruled he was guilty of copyright infringement,” reports BBC News.
“District Judge Dean Pregerson granted an injunction blocking Howard Mann from using his sites including MJgives.com and michaeljacksonsecretvault.com.”
