See below. Question: Are their practical options for the wider community - non-professional musicians and listeners - to object to a restricted TLD in favor of an open one? j http://domainincite.com/riaa-backs-music-new-gtld-bid/ RIAA backs .music new gTLD bid Kevin Murphy, February 7, 2012, 11:33:31 (UTC), Domain Registries The Recording Industry Association of America has picked a side. It's supporting Far Further's application for the .music generic top-level domain, according to the company. <snip> The RIAA wrote to the US Department of Commerce last August to demand that any music-themed gTLD should implement "heightened security measures" to prevent copyright infringement. And that's pretty much what Far Further has promised. Its .music would be restricted, along the same lines as gTLDs such a .pro, to card-carrying members of what the company calls "accredited Global Music Community Members". "It's not open to everyone," Styll said. "You'd have to join an organization." Amateur bands would have to be members of an accredited songwriters association to get a .music address, for example. In addition, the content of .music web sites would be policed in a similar way to .xxx or .cat, with regular spidering to ensure the content does not break the rules. <snip> Far Further is not the only known .music applicant, of course. Constantine Roussos of Music.us and MyTLD has been passionately campaigning for the gTLD for years, and his enthusiasm has not waned even if his chances have. "We're still going after .music," he confirmed yesterday. He added that he expects it to be a two-horse race, given these recent developments. Make no mistake, with backing from the RIAA and other influential industry groups Far Further is now the runaway favorite in the battle for .music. Roussos has quite a fight on his hands. -- --------------------------------------------------------------- Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com http://pinstand.com - http://punkcast.com VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org -------------------------------------------------------------- -