Thanks for the good conversation, Andrew. It is a very difficult, and possibly impossible problem, with many differing opinions.

why isn't it your problem as a registrant to find these things (maybe using NaliniAlgo™ ;-) ) and register the ones you find problematic?

I suspect that moving forward I should create a product / service around, as you say, NaliniAlgo™. Look forward to seeing you in Chicago. Thanks, Nalini Elkins Inside Products, Inc. www.insidethestack.com (831) 659-8360 -------------------------------------------- On Mon, 3/13/17, Andrew Sullivan <ajs@anvilwalrusden.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [UA-discuss] FW: I-D Action: draft-klensin-idna-rfc5891bis-00.txt To: ua-discuss@icann.org Date: Monday, March 13, 2017, 8:46 AM On Mon, Mar 13, 2017 at 03:30:23PM +0000, nalini.elkins@insidethestack.com wrote> 

I wonder.   So, if the problem is hard, then we give up?

I do not believe that the problem is merely "hard".  It is literally impossible to fix in a general and algorithmic way, if by "fix" you mean "allow a vastly larger number of code points for registration and allow users to use things that are intuitive mnemonics for them and not have collisions".  If you're willing to give up one of those dimensions, then that's fine; but you might be willing to give up a different one than someone else.  Large TM Holder Corp will want to restrict names as much as possible -- ideally only to TM holders. Individuals might feel differently, and the tussle we have here boils down to that one.

One relatively easy suggestion might be that registries, ALL registries, attempt to detect such names.   

And do what?  What you're saying is that the people who got into the zone first win not only what they registered, but everything else that someone might want to register that could even possibly be mistaken for it.  For the root zone -- necessarily a global resource -- I am probably prepared to support such a view.  For other zones, I am less convinced: why isn't it your problem as a registrant to find these things (maybe using NaliniAlgo™ ;-) ) and register the ones you find problematic?

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.   I think I have heard you, actually, quote that in some presentation.

Often.  But our problem here is not the definition of "perfect".  It's the definition of "good". A -- Andrew Sullivan ajs@anvilwalrusden.com