Masters of their domains New Internet terms will help ease name crunch >BY CHRIS BUCHOLTZ, Intelligence & Software Editor

In a move indicative of the Internet's rapid growth, an international Internet management group has proposed seven new "top-level" domains.

These new domains-which will join the now-familiar ".com," ".org," ".edu" and others as the block of letters at the end of every Internet address-were suggested by the International Ad Hoc Committee, a group comprising members of Internet standards-setting bodies and communications and legal experts.

The new domains-".web," ".store," ".info," ".firm," ".arts," ".rec" and ".nom"-will reflect a specific type of site on the World Wide Web. For example, ".rec" will denote a site devoted to recreational and entertainment and ".store" will indicate a site dealing primarily in on-line retailing.

The committee saw a need for new top-level domains as the result of an increasing number of conflicts arising over the use of trademarks for site names-for example, the recent legal dispute between children's game manufacturer Hasbro and an adult on-line service over the address "candyland.com.

For carriers and their Internet service provider businesses, the new domain names would have two positive effects, according to analysts. Disputes between business customers could be defused before they sour customers' experiences, and new home users could find it easier and more logical to find sites that are important to them.

The downside of the proposal was that, with the exception of the ".store" domain, the committee had elected to continue using "technospeak" for the domains rather than more easily understood terminology, said Dan Vendrell, a Web site designer for Mountain View, Calif.-based advertising firm Lai Venuti and Lai.

The proposal includes provisions to resolve conflicts over the use of trademarked names in addresses. Under the committee plan, anyone applying for a new Internet address will have to agree to resolve disputes through on-line mediation under the rules of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Panels composed of international experts on intellectual property, trademarks and the Internet will mediate these disputes. Challenges initiated within 60 days of an address registration must be resolved within 30 days.