Hi all,

Thanks to Kurt, Karla and others for the update on newTLDs in Paris, which I greatly appreciated.  It did raise a couple questions for me though.

1.)  If newTLD Base Contract must be accepted unless demonstrated ‘need’ for changes (i.e. IGOs or gov’ts, which would require Board approval of changes), this may create an unfair situation since many if not all incumbent gTLD registries negotiated their contracts individually.  Should that situation be addressed upon incumbent’s renewal, by forcing renewing registries into the revised base contract unless they have demonstrated ‘need’ for differences?  I think this should be added as a Blue Sky issue, but meanwhile I am curious to hear Staff feedback on this issue (particularly if I’ve misinterpreted it).

2.)  If two applicants contend for the same or confusingly similar TLD strings, one wants an open and unrestricted TLD like .com/net/org/biz/info, and another wants a “community based” TLD that has restrictions on who can register, like .travel/jobs/cat/museum/coop/aero.  What are the criteria on which they would be compared to determine who wins?

Thanks.

Mike