From: Brian Goodchild
Sent: Thursday, 22 July 2004 1:14 PM
To: Jo.lim@auda.org.au
Cc: Paul Harcombe
Subject: Restriction on Geographic Names in com.au and net.au

Jo

On behalf of the Committee for Geographical Names in Australasia I wish to express my concern and 
opposition to any changes to the current restriction on the use of geographical names in com.au 
and net.au

I have been involved with this policy since 1997-98 when I first had contact with Melbourne IT, 
and have always regarded it as sensible and logical.  Your review document advises it was 
introduced in order to protect geographic names from commercial exploitation on the Internet. 
What has changed in this respect that you should now consider changing it? Surely there is no 
less  a need to protect these names from commercial expolitation now!

The changes that have taken place which preserve Australian geographic names for community use in 
the Community Geographic 2LDs is not an alternative way that geographic names can be used, but is 
an effective orderly way of managing geographic names.  If the restrictions in com.au and net.au 
are removed then commercial exploitation will occur, and I can imagine there could be chaos  when 
these names are first available - who is going to determine the most deserving case for use of a 
geographic name? Surely the community still own their names, not business, and as business in 
Australia has managed successfully without using geographic names in com.au and net.au for 7 years 
now, why should it be changed?

The work of CGNA and its member state and territory names authorities over the last 7 years will 
be cast aside by removing the current restriction. I urge auDA, in the interest of all Australians, 
to retain the current restriction on the use of geographical names.

Brian Goodchild
Chairman, CGNA