INTERNET-DRAFT Simon Higgs
Expires 1/7/1997 Higgs America
June 1996
Top Level Domain Classification and Catagorization
< draft-higgs-tld-cat-01.txt >
Status of this Memo
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Abstract
This document is being distributed to members of the Internet
community in order to solicit their reactions to the proposals
contained in it. It is a combination of two previous drafts, one on
the uses and classes of the top level domain space, and the
other on the introduction of new top level domains as an extension to
the existing international commercial namespace (.COM). This
document suggests some ideas for the management of the establishment
of new top level domains, some procedures for domain name
registries, and some constraints on top level domain names.
This document does not attempt to provide a direct solution for
preventing or resolving the domain name or trademark conflicts we
have recently witnessed, but it does create a foundation where
domain name conflict solutions can have maximum effect.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Trademarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Domain Name Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
4. Top Level Domain Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
5. Description of TLD Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6. Registry Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7. Well-Known Domain Name Registrations . . . . . . . . . . . .
8. Fees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
9. Expanding .COM to address domain name conflicts . . . . . .
10. Appeals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12. Acknowlegements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
13. Author's Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Introduction
Due to the overwhelming adoption of the internet by the general
public, the use and expectations of the internet population have
changed in the last few years. Many issues, such as the legal status
of the domain name space need to be addressed more clearly. This
document sets no legal prcedent and carries no legal weight in its
present form. It does provide a strategic outline for addressing
the future needs of the top level, and suggests ways in which to
do this.
Since the Internet's future is going to be driven by commercial
market forces (i.e. the use of domain names to identify corporate
business units which are known to the public as "brand names"), we
should think about how to use those commercial aspects to the net's
advantage. This document covers only the framework necessary to
define the function, delegation, and use of new top level domains.
Several factors need to be addressed such as why the TLD exists in
the first place, who accepts registrations for the TLD, and what
special purpose (if any) the TLD serves. These questions can be
answered by the recognition of TLD "classes".
This document also provisions to expand the .COM TLD by the
introduction of 41 new commercial international top level domains.
Many catagorization schemes have been examined to find a method that
would allow similarly named domain names to exist without conflict.
The least painful one is to divide the namespace into business areas,
and so the International Trademark Schedule of Goods and Services is
used as a template. These new top level domains are intended to
supplement the existing domain name space, and the existing top
level domains will remain in use unchanged. '.COM', in particular,
will be absorbed into this map as miscellaneous catagory 42,
replacing the need to create all 42 catagories. Additional top level
domains may still be created to cover other non-commercial
activities.
2. Trademarks
In Bruce Lehmans (Commissioner of the US Patent and Trademark
Office) own words:
A trademark is nothing more than official recognition of something
that already exists. It is the consumer's perception that something
is in fact a trade name. It is from this perception that names can
acquire secondary meaning through their use, and in doing so, come
to be understood by the consuming public as the source of a
particular good or service. If the name cannot be recognized as the
source of a particular good or service, then that name is not a
trademark. For example, a person's name is not a trademark. But, if
a person goes into business using a particular name, that name might
become a trademark.
The trademark law, unlike the patent law and the copyright law,
exists to serve the consumer, not to serve the interests of the
trademark owner. The primary operating principle of it is that the
consumer is not supposed to be confused by a plethora of different
products all bearing what appear to be similar names.
When the consumer thinks of a name, he knows that he's getting
something that comes from the source he identifies traditionally as
being that name. So if the letters that make up the name have
acquired, in the minds of consumers, the reputation that they
represent products in a given field (that only come from that one
company), then the name has become a trademark.
Two points must be kept in mind when understanding trademark issues
on the internet: (a) domain names are and must be unique, and (b)
trademarked names are not necessarily unique (and there are many
examples of non-unique trademarks).
There are no international trademarks. There is no official
international registry of world wide trademarks. Trademarks may be
registered per country (and in the United States (at least) per
State). The World Intellectual Property Organization offers an
international arbitration service on such matters.
3. Domain Name Space
3.1 The History of Domain Names
The history of domain names can be found in [RFC 1034]. Domain name
implementation and specification can be found in [RFC 1035].
3.2 Structure
The domain name space is a tree structure:
|
|
---------------------------------------------------------
| | | | | | | |
.COM .EDU .NET .ORG .GOV .US .UK [other TLDs]
|
USPTO
|
WWW
Each top level domain has multiple domains registered under it.
The above example describes the internet host ..
where GOV is the US government top level domain, USPTO is the
domain used by the US Patent and Trademark office, and WWW
identifies that organization's host (computer) that functions as
their web server.
3.3 Political decisions
The political decisions about the top levels of the tree
originated in [RFC-920], with current information in [RFC-1591].
The current policy for the top level and second level domains is
discussed in [RFC-1032]. [RFC-1178] describes the choices in
naming a host. MILNET conversion issues are covered in [RFC-1031].
3.4 Use and trademark implications
This document recognizes that the use of the domain name space has
changed since it was first introduced. This change was not brought
about by conscious choice or any one person, but the change in the
demographics of the internet population as a whole.
As the internet population increases, and the demographic changes
from an academic to a consumer population, more importance is
placed on the identity of the source of goods or services on the
internet. Although there is no legal status attached to a domain
name when it is issued, through its use, a domain name can aquire
secondary meaning in the eyes of the internet consumer (typically
this is anyone who operates a client application on the internet).
As such, the legal status of a domain name, taken on a domain by
domain basis, could include the form of a trademark.
The draft does not address the use of names outside the internet.
Many of the problems regarding domain names as trademarks arise
because they incorporate terms that have already aquired secondary
meaning outside the internet. Certain words or phrases already have
associations with products or services in the minds of consumers.
One of the questions this poses is whether an existing trademark
gives any entitlement to a domain name. The answer is not clear,
and probably will never be entirely clear. New businesses started
on the net with a similar domain name but that do not compete with
an existing trademark holder have already faced litigation. Others
in the same position have not.
It should be noted that certain generic elements, such as the top
level domain, should not infer any special status, nor should
common prefixes such as www, ftp, gopher, or similarly used
common nmemonics. In special circumstances, it may be possible
that a combination of domain name elements is allowed, but this
can only be decided by a duly appointed trademark examiner at
the time of a trademark registration, or by a court decision. In
either case, this can only be done on an individual domain by
domain basis like names used outside of the internet.
The domain name space was never intended to be a directory service,
and this document does not describe a method of indexing the name
space. It must be acknowledged however, that by identifying the
source of goods or services, the domain name space becomes, in the
eyes of the consumer, a limited form of directory service that can
assist in the location of a particular good or service on the
internet.
4. Top Level Domain Creation
4.1. Delegation
As with existing top level domain policy, TLD's shall be
delegated to organizations for management by the IANA. The
application process will be documented by IANA in a future memo.
4.2. TLD Charter
Each new TLD must be created with an identifiable purpose. A
written charter will identify and explain the function and
purpose of each TLD.
In the case of the Specialized and Corporate TLD classes
(described below), the corporation or organization acting as
the registry will be responsible for creating the TLD's charter.
This will be part of the TLD application process. Guidelines
for charter creation will be made publically available by IANA.
The following items must be identified in the charter:
4.2.1 Registration procedure, documenting all steps
4.2.2 Service guarantees
4.2.3 Error resolution policy
4.2.4 Refund policy
4.2.5 Procedure for dealing with domain name and trademark
conflicts.
Provided these guidelines are followed, the legal liability of
each registry will be limited. This prevents any registry from
producing a self-serving policy which denies due process to
either the infinged or infringing parties.
It is recommended (see RFC1591) that the registry invoke a hands
off policy, clearly documented in the charter, and act in a
similar manner to an address issuer such as a postal service.
Until such time as the domain name holder, or a qualified court
hearing determines otherwise, the registry has an absolute
obligation to ensure that the domain name's primary and
secondary DNS information is continually available to the
internet via the root name servers, whois, and other
applicable databases or their successors.
4.3. Registrys Failure To Enforce Charter
In processing registrations, each registry must observe the
procedures laid out in the charter for each TLD. Should a
delegated registry be unable or unwilling to enforce a TLD
charter, then at an appointed review board's discretion, the
authority to accept or process registrations for that TLD
would be removed, and the TLD would be assigned to another
registry.
5. TLD Classes
Top level domains can be divided into three groups. There are those
which are non-exclusive, and which can be served by multiple
registries. There are those that may need to be served by a single,
specialized registry that has the necessary expertize to address
specific industry issues, and there are a very small number which
may be required in the future to serve single large entities, such
as multinational corporations.
5.1. Openly Competitive TLD Class
The Openly Competitive TLD Class contains TLD's which are
represented to the public by multiple registries. Most of the
existing TLD's will be included in this category. New TLD's may
also be created in this category, such as the 42 TLDs created at
the end of this document. These TLD's must be maintained by
multiple registries whose services are openly competitive.
This TLD class is subject to meeting specific criteria:
5.1.1. the TLD is readily definable and identifiable in the
form of a short name
5.1.2. the TLD is EITHER open to international registrations
from organizations in any geographical location *OR* it
specifically limits registrations to organizations within
the geographic boundaries that the TLD identifies
The two types of TLD in this class are defined by:
5.1.2.1. Geographical Location (.US, .UK, .CA, etc.)
These TLD's will be served by multiple registries
within a reasonable geographical boundary (i.e. it
would be impractical, even though theoretically
possible, for the .UK TLD to be serviced by an
Australian registry)
5.1.2.2. Type of Service (.COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU, etc.)
These TLD's will be served by multiple registries
located in any geographical area (i.e. these TLD's
are international and should be served by
international registries)
Further explanation can be found in RFC1591.
5.2. Specialized TLD Class
The Specialized TLD Class describes TLDs that are
industry-specific, or where a high-level of domain name control
is needed. These TLD's are operated by a single registry in a
monopoly situation. Registration is only open to organizations
within the specific areas defined in the TLDs charter. The
registry must be able to address any industry-specific issues
arising from the use of and delegation of domains. These TLD's
could represent specific industries, or other closely defined
market niches.
Examples of existing TLDs in this class include .MIL and .INT
(which are both closely controlled).
Creation of a TLD in this class is subject to meeting specific
criteria:
5.2.1 the area of specialization is readily definable and
identifiable in the form of a short name
5.2.2 the registry displays direct expertise in the chosen area
of specialization and is able to constructively address
industry issues in the context of running a TLD registry
5.2.3 the TLD namespace is international
Existing domains under the other TLD's that are held by
organizations qualifying for a specialized TLD may or may not
be affected, depending on the TLD's Charter.
Using the TLD "*.NEWS" as the example - news organizations would
be able to register secondary domains under "*.NEWS" provided
they follow the guidelines set by that TLD's registry.
Example:
*.ap.news Used by Associated Press
*.bbc.news Used by BBC
*.cnn.news Used by CNN
*.reuters.news Used by Reuters
Note that each organization under this TLD may be international,
national, or regional. The defining criteria is based upon area
of business and not geography even though registration is
open internationally.
This would obviously give an organization a unique presence on
the net by immediately identifying their area of business. The
cost of using this type of TLD would be reflected within the
industry itself by its own market forces.
5.3. Corporate TLD
In certain rare instances, it may be possible for a qualifying
internationally known corporation to be identified on the
Internet by their own exclusive TLD. This is reminiscent of
earlier days before the .COM TLD was created.
This TLD category is subject to meeting specific criteria:
5.3.1 the company is readily identifiable by a suitable short
name. This could be their name, their stock market ticker
ID, a word made up from their various holdings
5.3.2 the company is readily identifiable as an internationally
trading company with existing international trademarks
and has the ability to defend it's trademarks around the
world
5.3.3 the company operates at least one root nameserver
ensuring they have an international Internet presence
5.3.4 the company makes peering arrangements with NAP's if they
run their own backbones between NAP's
5.3.5 payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (proceeds would go directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
Existing domains that the company holds under the other TLD's
would be revoked, and, if necessary, placed under permanent
reservation in order to prevent trademark disputes arising. It
may be plausible to allow the corporation to retain certain
domain names under other TLD's if specific circumstances warrant
this. This decision should be made by IANA or a committee
designated by IANA.
Using IBM as the example - the domains IBM.* would go into a
state of permanent reservation making them unusable under other
TLD's. IBM would be granted exclusive use of the TLD "*.IBM" for
all their worldwide corporate needs. They would be able to use
the secondary domains under "*.IBM" as they wished provided they
follow sensible guidelines.
Example:
*.us.ibm Used by IBM USA
*.ja.ibm Used by IBM Japan
*.net.ibm Used by IBM Network/Routers/Backbone
*.corp.ibm Used by IBM corporate HQ
Note that a user transferring from IBM US to IBM Japan would
ideally be able to change his/her email account from
"@sales.us.ibm" to "@sales.ja.ibm" to simplify the
moving logistics. Obviously, this responsibility would be
entirely controlled by the company's management/registration
department as defined in the TLD charter.
This would give this type of company a unique presense
on the net. It is important to realize that the TLD holder would
have to guarantee a level of service in its obligation to
running root nameservers plus a substantial investment in the
creation and operation of the Internet infrastructure in exchange
for the TLD. Having a truely international presence, and the
ability to run a root-server in Antarctica is a definite plus.
6. Registry Selection
The function of the registry is to support and maintain the TLD(s)
that it is responsible for, by meeting the TLD's charter. It is
important to understand that the registries serve the TLD's, and not
the other way around. Therefore registries must be selected to meet
the needs of each TLD.
Registrations should be as straightforward as possible. Ideally
there should be at least three registries to choose from when
applying for a domain name. Thus the need for the Openly Competitive
Class. The process will be similar to the present day method, and
registrations will be accepted on a first come first served basis.
The exceptions to this will be the Specialized and Commercial TLDs,
however, it is expected that the majority of registrations will fall
into the Openly Competitive class.
The new registries (INPs) will be selected by the IANA, and given a
specific TLD "franchise". [Note the use of the word "franchise" does
not in any way convey the legal implications of a franchised
operation, either to IANA, or the registry. It is merely a
convenient word to describe the scope of the registry. Maybe a
better word to use is license.]
The following criteria are in addition to those either in existance
or proposed in other drafts.
6.1. Openly Competitive TLD Class
Each openly competitive TLD MUST be operated by multiple
registries. Each registry is responsible for registering
secondary domains in a competitive marketplace alongside other
registries. It is recommended that a single registry does not
provide registration services for all the TLD's due to
limitations imposed on the geographical TLD's.
Each registry must meet specific criteria:
6.1.1. the registry must qualify in an openly competitive
bidding process as defined by IANA
6.1.2. the registry has the ability to operate at least two
root nameservers
6.1.3. the registry makes peering arrangements with NAP's if
they run their own backbones between NAP locations or
commonly used backbone data exchange points
6.1.4 payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (Proceeds would directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
6.1.5. the registry must observe and enforce the charter of
each TLD
6.2. Specialized TLD Class
Each Specialized TLD is operated by a single registry who is
granted a monopoly status within a specific area of business,
and is responsible for registering all secondary domains.
The registry must meet specific criteria:
6.2.1. the registry displays direct expertise in the chosen area
of business and is able to constructively address
industry issues in the context of running a TLD registry
for that industry
6.2.2. the registry must have the ability to operate at least
two root nameservers
6.2.3. the registry makes peering arrangements with NAP's if
they run their own backbones between NAP locations or
commonly used backbone data exchange points
6.2.4. payment of a set up fee and annual license fee to operate
the TLD (Proceeds would go directly to administration,
construction and operation of public areas of the
Internet infrastructure)
6.2.5. the registry must observe and enforce the charter of
each TLD
6.3. Corporate TLD Class
Each Corporate TLD is operated by a single company who has
exclusive use of the TLD. It is that company's responsibilty
for all registrations under this TLD, including a charter.
7. Well-Known Domain Name Registrations
It seems inevitable that a trademark holder will want a domain
name that reflects the name of the trademark held.
There are "strong" trademarks that are registered in many
countries and are vigorously defended. These may come close to
being unique. There are many "not so strong" trademarks that may be
regional or business sector specific (for example, United Air Lines
and United Van Lines, or the Acme Brick Company and the Acme
Electric Corporation)).
There are two conflicting goals of different trademark holders with
respect to domain names: (a) to protect their trademarks against
infringement, and (2) to have access to the domain name system to
use their trademarks in a domain name.
Trademark infringement is the use of a trademarked name in a way
that may confuse the consumer about the source or quality of a
product or service. For strong trademarks there may also be
infringement if the use of a trademarked name dilutes the value of
the trademark.
Holders of not so strong trademarks want the ability to use their
trademarked name in a domain name while some other holder of the
same mark for a different purpose also can use their trademarked
name in a domain name. These people would say it is essential to
create additional top-level domains to permit fair access to domain
names by holders of not so strong trademarks.
The number of not so strong trademarks far exceeds the number of
strong trademarks and that the domain name system should provide
for the needs of the many rather than protecting the privileges of
the few. It is because of this need that the top level domain space
should be expanded beyond the 42 commercial TLD's recommended below.
It may be prudent, in the case of the Specialized TLD class, that
they implement a very restrictive TLD charter. For example, it may
be a requirement that the domain applicant is in possesion of an
International call-sign to register a domain in .RADIO. Or be a
recognized news source to register in .NEWS.
In the case of a few specific TLD's, a new process may be required
that binds all potential parties to a pre-determined course of
action. This would be clearly stated in the TLD charter.
Given that no rights or legal status are provided with a domain
name, it may be possible to auction domain names off to the highest
bidder in the same way the FCC auctions off block of the radio
frequency spectrum. A registry's course of action may work along
these lines:
7.1 Announcement
The registry(s) responsible for the applicable TLD should
announce its intention to register domain names in the TLD, and
solicite registration applications from interested parties. The
terms and conditions and subsequent course of action should be
clearly stated in the announcement. One such term is that the
applicant hold the registry and IANA harmless should they be
unsuccessful in obtaining the requested name. A deadline is set,
and applications after the deadline are refused.
7.2 Compilation of Entries and Announcement of Auction
Applications are compiled and published for the public record.
Invoices of a predetermined fee are sent out to all applicants
who have requested a unique domain name. Their domain name is
activated.
For those whose application is not unique, i.e. someone else has
applied for exactly the same domain name, the auction process
will start.
The registry(s) announce the time and date of the action. At this
point the registry may include other domains for auction as well.
7.3 The Auction
The auction itself can be performed online, electronically, or at
an auction venue. The physical venue is preferable as it
constitutes an open process that can be publically monitored.
The legal liability of auctioning the domain names should be
investigated and included in the TLD charter when it is created,
if at all possible.
8. Fees for TLD Registries
The INPs may be charged a fee by the IANA.
8.1. Openly Competitive Class
The fee paid by the each registry in this category should be
based upon the market value of redistributing multiple TLD's in
an open market. The registry will set its prices competitively
but will be required to guarantee a minimum level of service.
A set-up fee and an annual renewal fee will be required. An
annual registry fee will be proportional to the number of domains
issued.
8.2. Specialized Class
The fee paid by the Specialized TLD registry for its exclusive
franchise should be based upon the market value of redistributing
domains within the applicable industry. The registry may set its
prices accordingly within its area of business by publishing its
rates openly. It must not abuse its monopoly power.
It is assumed that most Specialized TLD registries will be in
start-up mode so a start-up fee will be minimal. An annual
registry fee will be proportional to the number of domains
issued.
8.3. Corporate Class
The fee paid by the international company should be based upon
the market value of having an internationally recognized TLD. A
set-up fee and an annual renewal fee will be required in order
to obtain exclusive use of a top level domain. These fees should
be high enough to deter companies from licensing their own TLD.
The TLD holder should also carry a guaranteed minimum level of
public backbone traffic, in additon to the fee.
9. Expanding .COM to address domain name conflicts
[Please read this section twice. Just because a new TLD is created,
and it generally describes an business catagory that also co-incides
with an existing trademark catagory, does not mean, imply, or create,
any guarantee or obligation on behalf of the issuing registry(s),
nor does it imply any kind of regional, national, or international
trademark status. It is merely a catagory, in the same manner .COM
describes commercial domains, and .EDU describes 4-year educational
institutions.]
A catagory scheme is needed to avoid, or at the very least,
limit the number of disputes in the domain name space. By allowing
organizations to obtain and use domain names within their specific
area of business, two companies with the same business name, can
operate domain names on the internet without causing confusion to
the consumer in exactly the same way they would outside the
internet. By placing each company under a top level domain that
describes its business catagory, it will be easier to determine that
., the hamburger company, is not ., the gas
station chain. The mapping scheme is primarily designed to protect
the consumer from fraud by describing the area of business and to
establish an identity of the source of goods and services provided
over the internet. It does not provide any trademark recognition or
status.
Most of the conflicts are occuring under the .COM TLD. Since .COM
is an international name space, each business catagory will require
its own TLD with international status. This creates new TLDs, but
what do we do with .COM? As .COM is a miscellaneous collection of
commercial entities, it is appropriate to label it under catagory
42 miscellaneous. Companies that are unhappy under the
miscellaneous catagory are encouraged to vacate .COM and be issued
with a domain
The International Trademark Schedule of Goods and Services is
presented here mostly through lack of better alternatives. It is the
foundation for classifying the area of business for a given source
of goods or services. This catagorization is not perfect and it is
still possible for conflicts to occur, as it is still possible for
two organizations that do not directly compete in a way to confuse
the consumer to be both registered under the same catagory under
the same name outside of the internet. This is especially true in
the international realm where companies can have identical names and
never meet to compete geographically. However, this is an area
where, after a year of many folks on the internet asking, the
experts continually say there is no solution readily at hand. The
International Trademark Schedule of Goods and Services is used here
as a TEMPLATE only. No direct mapping of existing trademarks, future
trademarks, or other intellectual property is implied or provided.
At the very worst, this removes most of the existing legal pressure
from the .COM TLD.
Currently the International Trademark Schedule of Goods and
Services has 42 commercial catagories. There are other catagories,
which existing TLDs appear to cover (like .ORG for organizations).
Other new TLDs may still need to be created.
As it is completely impractical to infer any kind of trademark
ownership to an assigned domain name at the time it is issued, the
domain names issued still have to aquire that secondary meaning
through use, and through its ability to determine the source of
the goods and services provided, in order for a trademark to be
recognizable or assigned by a trademark authority.
Some companies say, "So what? We'll go and register under every
TLD." The answer is in the TLD charter described above and the
obligation of each registry to enforce that charter. If a TLD's
catagory/description is for soap, a company should only be able to
register in that catagory if it has a legitimate soap business. If a
company has a chemical division, and an oil division, they can
legitimately be in two TLD's provided that each presence is
distinguishable from the other. If the company is large enough to
fill all the catagories, maybe it should think of removing itself
from this part of the namespace and apply for it's own TLD.
Provisions for this are also described above.
The problem this also addresses is the one faced by most companies
of how to direct their internet presence. Faced with one home
page, those areas fighting for attention include the annual report
to shareholders, PR & press releases, assorted company divisions
publishing their business-to-business information, as well as the
main consumer presence (tech. support, product info, online
upgrades, etc.). This mapping scheme could, in theory, allow each
business unit to establish its own internet presence without
competing against other internal company resources or outside
competitors.
Given that the current choice is the confusion and litigation
currently witnessed in .COM, or the adoption of new TLD's that can
catagorize the commercial part of the namespace, it makes sense to
extend .COM in this manner. If .COM is assigned into this name space
it should be catagory 42 - Miscellaneous. Some companies will want
to migrate, but it allows the existing namespace to remain intact.
[As this document is still a draft, I welcome suggestions for the
naming of the following top level domains. Ideally these should be
as short as possible (such as three letters), but this may prove to
be impossible. At any rate, names should be no longer than twelve
characters. Also, alternative catagorization schemes are also
solicited.]
9.1 Goods
TLD International Trademark Schedule of Goods and Services
--- ------------------------------------------------------
.CHEM 1. Chemicals used in industry, science and photography, as
well as in agriculture, horticulture and forestry;
unprocessed artificial resins, unprocessed plastics;
manures; fire extinguishing compositions; tempering and
soldering preparations; chemical substances for
preserving foodstuffs; tanning substances; adhesives
used in industry.
.PAINT 2. Paints, varnishes, lacquers; preservatives against rust
and against deterioration of wood; colorants; mordants;
raw natural resins; metals in foil and powder form for
painters, decorators, printers and artists.
.SOAP 3. Bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry
use; cleaning polishing, scouring and abrasive
preparations; soaps; perfumery, essential oils,
cosmetics, hair lotions; dentifrices.
.OIL 4. Industrial oils and greases; lubricants; dust absorbing,
wetting and binding compositions; fuels (including motor
spirit) and illuminants; candles, wicks.
.PHARM 5. Pharmaceutical, veterinary and sanitary preparations;
dietetic substances adapted for medical use, food for
babies; plasters, materials for dressings; material for
stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations
for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.
.METAL 6. Common metals and their alloys; metal building
materials; transportable buildings of metal; materials
of metal for railway tracks; non-electric cables and
wires of common metal; ironmongery, small items of metal
hardware; pipes and tubes of metal; safes; goods of
common metal not included in other classes; ores.
.MECHTOOL 7. Machines and machine tools; motors and engines (except
for land vehicles); machine coupling and transmission
components (except for land vehicles); agricultural
implements; incubators for eggs.
.HANDTOOL 8. Hand tools and implements (hand operated); cutlery;
side arms; razors.
.DATA 9. Scientific, nautical, surveying, electric, photographic,
cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring,
signalling, checking (supervision), life-saving and
teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus for
recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or
images; magnetic data carriers, recording discs;
automatic vending machines and mechanisms for coin
operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating
machines, data processing equipment and computers;
fire-extinguishing apparatus.
.CYBORG 10. Surgical, medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and
instruments, artificial limbs, eyes and teeth;
orthopedic articles; suture materials.
.UTIL 11. Apparatus for lighting, heating, steam generating,
cooking, refrigerating, drying, ventilating, water
supply and sanitary purposes.
.VEHICLE 12. Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or
water.
.WEAPON 13. Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives;
fireworks.
.JEWEL 14. Precious metals and their alloys and goods in precious
metals or coated therewith, not included in other
classes; jewelry, precious stones; horological and
chronometric instruments.
.MUSIC 15. Musical instruments.
.PRINT 16. Paper, cardboard and goods made from these materials,
not included in other classes; printed matter,
bookbinding material; photographs; stationery;
adhesives for stationery or household purposes;
artists' materials; paint brushes; typewriters and
office requisites (except furniture); instructional
and teaching material (except apparatus); playing
cards; printers' type; printing blocks.
.PLASTIC 17. Rubber, gutta-percha, gum asbestos, mica and goods
made from these materials and not included in other
classes; plastics in extruded form for use in
manufacture; packing, stopping and insulating
materials; flexible pipes, not of metal.
.LEATHER 18. Leather and imitations of leather, and goods made of
these materials and not included in other classes;
animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags;
umbrellas, parasols and walking sticks; whips,
harness and saddlery.
.BUILD 19. Building materials (non-metallic); non-metallic rigid
pipes for building; asphalt, pitch and bitumen;
non-metallic transportable buildings; monuments, not
of metal.
.FURN 20. Furniture, mirrors, picture frames; goods (not
included in other classes) of wood, cork, reed, cane,
wicker, horn, bone, ivory, whalebone, shell, amber,
mother-of-pearl, meerschaum and substitutes for all
these materials, or of plastics.
.HOUSE 21. Household or kitchen utensils and containers (not of
precious metal or coated therewith); combs and sponges;
brushes (except paint brushes); brush-making materials;
articles for cleaning purposes; steel wool; unworked or
semi-worked glass (except glass used in building);
glassware, porcelain and earthenware not included in
other classes.
.ROPE 22. Ropes, string, nets, tents, awnings, tarpaulins, sails,
sacks and bags (not included in other classes); padding
and stuffing materials) except of rubber or plastics);
raw fibrous textile materials.
.YARN 23. Yarns and threads, for textile use.
.TEXTILE 24. Textiles and textile goods, not included in other
classes; bed and table covers.
.CLOTHES 25. Clothing, footwear, headgear.
.CRAFT 26. Lace and embroidery, ribbons and braid; buttons, hooks
and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers.
.FLOOR 27. Carpets, rugs, mates and matting, linoleum and other
materials for covering existing floors; wall hangings
(non-textile).
.GAME 28. Games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles
not included in other classes; decorations for
Christmas trees.
.MEAT 29. Meat, fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved,
dried and cooked fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams,
fruit sauces; eggs, milk and milk products; edible oils
and fats.
.COND 30. Coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, rice tapioca, sago,
artificial coffee; flour and preparations made from
cereals, bread, pastry and confectionery, honey,
treacle; yeast, baking-powder; salt, mustard; vinegar,
sauces (condiments); spices; ice.
.AGRI 31. Agricultural, horticultural and forestry products and
grains not included in other classes; live animals;
fresh fruits and vegetables; seeds, natural plants and
flowers; foodstuffs for animals, malt.
.SODA 32. Beers; mineral and aerated waters and other
non-alcoholic drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices;
syrups and other preparations for making beverages.
.ALCOHOL 33. Alcoholic beverages (except beers).
.TOBACCO 34. Tobacco; smokers' articles; matches.
9.2 Services
TLD International Trademark Schedule of Goods and Services
--- ------------------------------------------------------
.BUS 35. Advertising; business management; business
administration; office functions.
.FIN 36. Insurance; financial affairs; monetary affairs; real
estate affairs.
.CONST 37. Building construction; repair; installation services.
.TEL 38. Telecommunications.
.TRAVEL 39. Transport; packaging and storage of goods; travel
arrangement.
.TREAT 40. Treatment of materials.
.EDUTAIN 41. Education; providing of training; entertainment;
sporting and cultural activities.
.COM 42. Providing of food and drink; temporary accommodation;
medical, hygienic and beauty care; veterinary and
agricultural services; legal services; scientific and
industrial research; computer programming; services
that cannot be placed in other classes.
10. Appeals
An appeals process has yet to be defined, and will appear in a
later draft. IANA is accepted as the appeals body for the purpose
of this draft.
11. Security Considerations
There are no known security considerations beyond those already
existent in the DNS.
12. Acknowlegements
This memo includes material discussed in the , and
mailing lists. The International
Trademark Schedule for Goods and Services is from documentation
provided by the USPTO. Commissioner Bruce Lehman's words in Section
2 are from an interview by me in 1993. Some minor passages are
taken from Jon Postel's current internet domain name registry
draft.
Valuable feedback, review, and inspiration have been provided by:
Jon Postel
Karl Denniger
Michael Dillon
Dan Burk
Greg Woods
Many others have contributed in one way or another. I am grateful
to the many people that point out that "it'll never work!"
13. Author's Address
Simon Higgs
Higgs America
P.O. Box XXXX
XXXXXXXX, XX XXXXX-XXXX
Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Fax: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Email: XXXXX@XXXXX.XXX
Expires 1/7/97
