Disclaimer: I have been working 8 solid years for a standardization organization, so please understand that I am biased. In the standardization community it is often said that standards are as good as they are being used. In other words, a little used standard is not worth much. My question is: how much is the ISO-3166-3 used? There might be some obscure (to the end user) applications, although Elisabeth can prove me wrong, but I am under the impression that, while the ISO-3166-2 are widely used (and therefore recognized), the ISO-3166-3 are not. Who can name ISO-3166-3 applications? About ISO-3166-2 I can name ccTLDs, IBAN, currencies (in the sense that the 3-letter currency code has the alpha-2 as its first 2 letters), and more. But the alpha-3? And that's exactly pointed out by Seun's "mistake" and Jaap's "correction". The fact is that there are plenty of three-letters country codes, created by different bodies. IOC is one, but FIFA also has its own, plus the international car license plates, and many more. Let's go for a few examples. * the Holy See, VA in ISO-3166-2, is VAT (yes, like Value Added Tax) in ISO-3166-3, but SCV in license plates. They are not a member neither of IOC nor FIFA (although I have learned to play football - soccer in North America - in the neighborhood catholic parish), but God only knows what their code would be in the sports environment. Now, to the point, ask any person in Italy, and in Rome in particular, what a 3-letter code for the Holy See would be, and I bet the answer would be SCV. Ask them what VAT means, and you all can guess what the answer would be. So, whats the point in reserving VAT, that is widely used for something else, and not SCV, that is recognized as belonging to the Holy See? * Angola, AO in alpha-2, AGO in alpha-3. Why on earth? Simply because AN was taken by Dutch Antilles (now discontinued). The alpha-3 was mirrored on alpha-2, and makes an equally incomprehensible (by the man in the street) code. But their IOC and FIFA codes are ANG, and if I were to create a TLD to pretend I am authoritative for Angola, I would obviously choose ANG, not AGO. So to protect AGO is pointless. * Just take the time to browse the codes. Tell me which codes you would use to fake a countrys authority. For Algeria, DYA or ALG? For Denmark, DNK or DEN? For Ireland, IRL or EIR? What would you think about regional accepted codes, some of which have become or are becoming gTLDs, like CAT, SCO, etc. should we protect them also, on top of the ISO-3166-3 codes As ALAC, we should be concerned, IMHO, about avoiding consumer confusion. To protect country codes that are by and large unused and unknown by people unless they happen to correspond to widely known codes like IOC or FIFA or license plates, does not make a lot of sense to me. If we have a moratorium on new gTLDs (not an endless one, but a time frame that allows to have some serious thought about the shortcomings of the first run) we can possibly have promotion/education activities related to gTLDs in the areas (geographical, political, social, economic, and whatever else) that were not well served in the first run. I believe that in a couple of years countries would be sufficiently aware of the issues to raise an objection to the use by a rogue party of a TLD that they consider (rightfully or not but thats not ICANNs role to decide) their property. Cheers, Roberto
-----Messaggio originale----- Da: at-large-bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org [mailto:at-large- bounces@atlarge-lists.icann.org] Per conto di Jaap Akkerhuis Inviato: mercoledì 23 settembre 2015 19:29 A: Seun Ojedeji Cc: At-Large Worldwide Oggetto: Re: [At-Large] At-Large Use of Country and Territory Names as Top Level Domains
Seun Ojedeji writes:
If .NG is under ccNSO and .NGR under GNSO there is no guarantee that this would be the case. Could .NGR be run by a Registry based outside
Nigeria? Would this introduce competition to the local ccTLD? Would this
siphon money out of Nigeria rather than keeping it in the local economy?
I cannot resist to remark that NGR is not an ISO 3166 alpha-3 code. Check the database at <https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/> for the code and notice it is actually NGA.
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