Amazon's attempt to control the .amazon domain name, one of many the company has applied for, has run into strong opposition from a group of South American countries--including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay--and a committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has recommended that .amazon "not be approved for use as a so-called global top-level domain," the New York Times reported. The countries had sent a letter of objection to ICANN in anticipation of a meeting in Durban, South Africa, at which the organization reviewed applications for new domain suffixes.
"In particular '.amazon' is a geographic name that represents important territories of some of our countries, which have relevant communities, with their own culture and identity directly connected with the name," the letter pointed out "Beyond the specifics, this should also be understood as a matter of principle."
The Times noted the decision by ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee "is not necessarily final. The ICANN board could overrule the committee, though in practice it rarely does so."
In a statement, Amazon said it was "reviewing the G.A.C. advice and we look forward to working with ICANN and other stakeholders to resolve these issues as the process moves forward."
Amazon received a more positive outcome in its attempt to control the domain name .pin when the World Intellectual Property Organization ruled against an objection filed in March by Pinterest "arguing in part that domain names on .pin--clothes.pin, say, or whatever Amazon has in mind--would cause confusion around the term 'pin,' " CNet News reported, noting that the domain extension "doesn't automatically go to Amazon."
