In response to ICANN's request for public comment on “Closed Generic TLDs," ITIF recommends that ICANN not attempt to classify certain strings as “generic.” Instead, it should retain its policy of allowing public comment on all proposed TLDs and address any disputes that arise through this process. Second, ITIF recommends that ICANN not impose open registration policies on TLD operators for non-legacy TLDs (e.g., “.COM”, “.ORG”, etc.), including any “generic” TLDs. Open registration policies would allow any member of the public to purchase domains from the TLD operator; closed registration policies would allow the TLD operator to set its own rules for who, if anyone, could purchase domains for a particular TLD.
