Question:

(by Elly Plooij-van Gorsel (ELDR) and Jules Maaten (ELDR) to the Commission)

(17 September 2001)

Subject: Internet domain names

1. Is the Commission aware that SIDN (Stichting Internet Domeinregistratie), the umbrella organisation for the registration and release of Internet domain names in the Netherlands, refuses to register domain names consisting only of numbers (e.g. www.001.nl)?

2. It is, however, possible to register numbers-only domain names in other European countries, e.g. Switzerland and Italy. Furthermore, there are now the necessary domain extensions (.com, .net, .org, .tv) with which numbers-only names can in fact be used, and these can be registered by private individuals and businesses themselves. What is more, the rules of various RFCs quite often appear to be contradictory or vague. This results in a lack of clarity and in uncertainty. Does the Commission take the view that this could lead to distortion of competition within the European Union?

3. If so, how does the Commission propose to prevent it?

Answer:
(given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission)

(13 November 2001)

Individual registries in the Member States primarily deal with registry policies for country-code Top Level Domains (ccTLDs), including naming policies. Internet management generally is based on the principles of self-management and self-regulation. In this respect, the Commission recalls Parliament's resolution of 2001 on the Commission communication to the Council and Parliament on 'The Organisation and Management of the Internet - International and European Policy Issues 1998-2000' .

In this resolution2, Parliament argued that neither the Commission, nor national governments should interfere in the organisation and management of the Internet. Parliament stipulated that Commission and national governments should give the Internet sufficient independence and a legal basis at international level so that it can be an independent network.

The Commission is aware that the types of names that can be registered under the Top Level Domain currently vary between European ccTLDs. It is also aware that some ccTLDs in the Member States apply restrictions on the use of certain configurations of numbers in domain names. The Commission understands that decisions to restrict the use of these domain names appear to have been made for technical reasons related to the need to ensure stability on the Internet, as well as to minimise confusion amongst users. From the information available to the Commission, it is not clear in which way these restrictions could give rise to a distortion of competition at European level.
Furthermore, it has to be pointed out that the Internet Engineering Task Force issues Internet Requests for Comments (RFCs), not the Commission.

As far as competition policy considerations are concerned, the Commission has not received any antitrust complaint relating to the registration of domain names of numbers only. Under the circumstances described by the Honourable Member, the Commission is not in a position to conclude that there are distortions of competition, which would justify an own initiative procedure. The Commission is however investigating other cases where potential abuse of a market-dominating position may be occurring in the form of restriction on ccTLD name registration.