Google’s new gTLD application to operate the .APP new gTLD come under fire yesterday by the The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT).
In a a letter to Dr. Stephen D. Crocker Chairman of the Board of Directors and Mr. Fadi Chehadé President and CEO of ICANN, Jonathan Zuck President of the The Association for Competitive Technology which boosts having over 5,000 small and mid-size mobile application “app” developers and information technology firms.
“ACT is an international group of leading members of the app industry (“Industry”).”
“In addition to its small business membership, ACT includes sponsors such as Apple, AT&T, BlackBerry, eBay, Facebook, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, PayPal, VeriSign, and Verizon.”
“ACT has been a prominent advocate and educational organization at a crucial time in the rapid expansion of the Industry. As a voice of the Industry, ACT has several concerns regarding ICANN’s preliminary acceptance of Google’s amended application for the .APP gTLD on May 14, 2013.”
Google’s “Eligibility Criteria” Will Stifle Innovation, Consumer Choice, and Competition
Google’s amended application is problematic because it allows Google alone to set eligibility criteria by defining app developers and the Industry as a whole. The amended application states:
Charleston Road Registry plans to develop and publish eligibility criteria for all registrants in the proposed gTLD and will work with its registrars to execute the eligibility verification process.”
Google is limiting the use of .APP to “provide a dedicated domain space for application developers.”
It will “develop and publish eligibility criteria for all registrants in the proposed gTLD.”
“An .APP gTLD should provide consumers with apps or content relevant to apps and allow developers a reliable space to promote their products. Innovation in the Industry means apps appear in new places every day. For example, apps are beginning to appear in cars, watches, and even refrigerators. Any eligibility criteria must therefore be broad enough to allow for further innovation within the Industry. Given that Google is a competitor in the Industry, its control over setting eligibility criteria and defining “app developer” is troubling.”
“These concerns are heightened when Google’s amended application suggests that it intends to use the eligibility criteria to promote its own economic interests. Google states that it will be “defining the meaning of the gTLD term, providing for the verification of registrants who will offer content in the proposed gTLD environment, and encouraging a specific use.”4 Google’s amended application retains the language from the previous version, asserting that it “considers the proposed gTLD to be a platform for innovation with existing and future Google products and services.”
As these quotes indicate, Google is poised to set restrictive criteria to register an .APP TLD, thereby stifling Industry growth and consumer choice.…
