31 October 2000
Cape Town, South Africa — South Africa could be the first country to make a challenge for the right to own its own Internet domain name in the largest of the high-level domain names - dot com.
Communications Director General Andile Ngcaba said an application claiming the www.southafrica.com domain would be lodged with the World Intellectual Property Organisation or WIPO.
South Africa intends to establish a portal that would be used as a strategic marketing tool in promoting trade and tourism, among other things. It will also be a key element of a project aimed at promoting the image of the country internationally.
Ngcaba said it was South Africa's position that countries had the first right to own their own domain names.
South Africa would lodge its application with WIPO by 10 November, and expects to have a decision within 45 days, he added.
African communication ministers last week voiced their support for South Africa's position and have established an Internet Task Team to look at various Internet policy matters impacting the continent, including the matter of country domain names. The Task Team is expected to table a report in March.
With the globalisation and commercialisation of the Internet, domain names have taken on new significance for businesses world-wide.
In the current environment, the most dominant high-level domain name is the "dot.com" address. With the number of domain names expected to double within the next two years, the simplicity of the domain name and its obvious association with a particular product or activity or organisation is critical to ensuring that millions of Internet users can easily find the site they are looking for.
"We are confident that we will win our case," Ngcaba said.
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