dotDE: "A liberal approach serves the internet community"
The .DE zone is an internet phenomenon; the second largest in the world after .COM. In this exclusive interview, Sabine Dolder, a DENIC Director, explains why.
Sabine Dolderer Member of the Board, DENIC http://www.denic.de
There are more than 7 million domain names registered now under .DE. How do you explain the zone’s success?
Anyone can register a domain name in Germany, it is easy and inexpensive. Many registration bureaus offer this service. DENIC has a very liberal registration policy. For example, there is no limit to the number of names a single person may register.
The French registry, AFNIC, has a policy based on security. They claim to have only a single domain dispute per year. However, there are fewer than 180 000 names registered under .FR. Has DENIC policy always been designed to promote high volumes?
Our policy has always been to further the interests of the internet community in Germany. In our opinion, the best way to do this is a liberal approach designed to make it as simple as possible to use a domain name. If people need a domain name, they will try to satisfy that need. If they cannot do it using their own country’s extension then they will turn to generic extensions instead. For example, instead of choosing an .FR or .DE they will get a .COM or .NET.
Some claim that a liberal registration policy implies a greater risk of name disputes. This is not correct. In Germany, the number of domain disputes has been constant for years. The percentage of litigation per thousand domains is constantly low.
dotDE success is particularly impressive given that the zone is not completely open, since a German administrative contact is required at least. Could you explain how policy has evolved with time?
Until August 15, 2000, registration was allowed only for German residents. Then we removed that constraint. However for non-German registrants a German resident administrative contact is required to represent the foreign registrant.
There had been no other modifications in our registration policy until the very recent introduction of IDNs (internationalized domain names) on March 1st, 2004. Domain name volumes have grown regularly, from 1000 in 1994 to more than 7 million today.
Only 50 000 foreign registrants.
Would you break down that figure of 7 million. What percentage is registered by Germans and foreigners, by private persons and by companies, … ?
About 50 000 out of the 7 million are registered to foreigners, of which only about 1000 French. About one fifth of names registered in Germany belong to companies. That proportion has been constant during the past 3 years. DENIC handles .DE names through a network of approximately 200 approved registration bureaus.
In France there are many more .COM names registered than there are .FR. Do you have an idea of the equivalent statistics in Germany?
Companies with international operations may obviously need extensions other than .DE, but since there is no restriction under .DE, they are not forced to look elsewhere as they might be under more restrictive extensions. So the owners of a domain name have a lot of flexibility to register their names under the extensions that suit their situation, whether .DE or others.
Other European zones which are completely open such as .CO.UK (United Kingdom) and .BE (Belgium) have not reached your level in terms of numbers of domain names. How do you see these zones in relation to .DE?
It is difficult to compare extensions as the situations are very different from one country to the next. For instance, you have to take into account the population and industrial sectors to which local companies belong.
No reason to change because of .EU
.EU is coming. Will it, in your opinion, threaten the success of .DE? Do you have any plans to change .DE registration parameters to take this into account?
In our view, .EU is just an additional identity for companies with an international presence, rather than a substitute, especially if you consider private individuals. So we see no reason to change our policies.
Internet is still mainly an Anglo-Saxon world. But Germany, as the largest world zone after .COM, might see it as an opportunity to spread its own cultural values. Are there national and cultural reasons for creating a strong national extension?
For German internet users it is perfectly logical to establish their web presence through a .DE name and to expect to find German content on sites using these names. So there is a cultural identity dimension to .DE. I might add that, in Germany, creating websites is very popular. According to an OCDE poll conducted last year, Germany is well ahead in terms of number of websites per head.
In the same vein, would you say that IDNs are a technical gadget or a way to allow cultures other than Anglo-Saxon to spread on the internet?
IDNs give their owners a chance to appear on the internet under the same name as in ‘real life”. As such, they are a means of representing their own cultural identity. The same is true for trademarks. For domain name owners this is real added value.
People often claim that IDNs make the internet medium less global. The contrary is true. Thanks to IDNs cultures other than Anglo-Saxon can thrive in their own living language both written and spoken. Most websites really do not cater to a global audience but rather to a local community.
ICANN competent for everything? An absurd notion!
From a technical point of view, Europe is still dependent on the USA if only via the “IANA function” which, theoretically at least, gives ICANN the power to switch any zone on or off at will. European registries are opposed to ICANN management of national extensions. What is your position?
Along with other naming organizations within CENTR (Council of European National Top Level Domains – an organization which brings together some European national registries), we believe that ICANN should remain in its role as technical coordinator. This includes making sure the “IANA function” is properly exercised.
We are for a strict separation of individual responsibilities. Things that are only of interest to the local community, such as the setting of naming rules for an extension, should be managed at the local level, not by ICANN.
In your opinion, should ICANN continue to govern internet naming, or does the system need to be changed?
ICANN is no doubt not the perfect solution, at least not yet. However, the principle behind ICANN is valid. They just need to steer away from the absurd notion that they should settle everything and be competent on everything.
The internet will take a great step forward when ICANN concentrates on real and effective technical management of central resources and strengthening of local responsibilities.
• Focussed on user satisfaction Our policy has always been to further the interests of the internet community in Germany. In our opinion, the best way to do this is a liberal approach. • Few foreign registrants About 50 000 out of the 7 million .DE names are registered to foreigners. • German logic For German internet users it is perfectly logical to establish their web presence through a .DE name and to expect to find German content on sites using these names. • Not just for English speakers Thanks to IDNs cultures other than Anglo-Saxon can thrive in their own living language both written and spoken. • Technical coordinator We believe that ICANN should remain in its role as technical coordinator.
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