Breaking Windows

A lawsuit accusing a key Internet agency of stymieing innovation could lead to fundamental changes in the way the global network is run, threatening an already tenuous balance between commercial and public interests online. VeriSign last week lashed out against the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), saying the group violated antitrust laws by repeatedly preventing Mountain View, Ca.-based VeriSign from launching new services based on its control over the master database for Net addresses that end in .com and .net. On one level, the lawsuit represents a straightforward business dispute between two powerful groups, the nonprofit ICANN and the for-profit VeriSign, over terms in a densely worded contract. On another, though, it stands as the first outbreak of public hostilities between the twin titans that effectively control the domain name structure that is the defining characteristic of the Internet. The result could have a long-term impact on e-mail, Web browsing, and how domain names are bought and sold. Source: C|Net News.com