Internet Governance & Multilingual Domain Names (MDNs) Milton Mueller Syracuse University School of Information Studies Internet Governance Project

A complex mix of semantics, geopolitics and technology

Multilingual-ization of DNS is: A global governance issue A global governance issue A standardization issue A standardization issue A revision of property rights issue A revision of property rights issue A market entry/trade barrier issue A market entry/trade barrier issue

Standardization MDN country codes MDN country codes –Fast or slow? –Top-down, bottom up? –Codes or “names” Battles over translation of scripts into Unicode Battles over translation of scripts into Unicode Control over “official” scripts Control over “official” scripts Alternate DNS roots (competing implementations) Alternate DNS roots (competing implementations)

Revising Property boundaries Exclusivity requires boundaries Exclusivity requires boundaries Are domain names with the same meaning in different scripts the same or different names? Are domain names with the same meaning in different scripts the same or different names? –Example:.com,.gongsi Transliteration, translation, typographical similarity Transliteration, translation, typographical similarity

Market Entry / Trade Fantastic opportunities for competitive entry Fantastic opportunities for competitive entry –Example: a Chinese.com Role of ccTLDs Role of ccTLDs –Similar to national PTT monopolies in telecom –Special claims on TLDs in “their” script? –Use of MDNs as trade barriers

ICANN & Global Governance ICANN, IETF ICANN, IETF –Internet old guard: delay and resistance –Over-collectivized decision making Language communities Language communities ITU, national governments ITU, national governments Possibility of alternate roots Possibility of alternate roots –.cn’s Chinese-character equivalents of.com and.net are de facto national roots