Whenever I hear the misinformed harping on about how “anyone will be able to get their own TLD” I sigh deeply.
If only it was that simple.
The most recent assault on the new gTLDs comes from the Olympics – the International Olympic Committee to be precise.
You can read the full text of their nastygram over here
The closing line of the letter is particularly unpleasant:
The IOC reserves its right to take action against ICANN for damages resulting to the IOC or the Olympic Movement from the implementation of the gTLD proposal.
As Stephane points out, while any trademark holder has unique rights only a few would have the clout to actually make a serious threat.