Gary wrote:

>
>...  No-one sues the Road Transport Authority for a text number
>plate which is the same as a company name (eg BHP 001)
>

Probably because no-one uses a number plate for anything else than identifying 
a car, usually to tehe police. You certainly never use a numebr plate to 'find' 
a business or an address.

>...  and no-one claims
>that because a developer names residential building as say gateway that
>that developer has authorised its use...
>

Except when the building name closley matches the Business Name (ie, BHP House) 
in which case the building name is definately used to identify and locate the 
buisiness, and is jealously guarded by that business.

Whilst I understand the DNS is not a directory, but is purely a mechanism to 
map names (shich humans can remember) to IP numbers (which humans cannot 
remember), in tha absence of anything else it _IS_ being used as one. Any 
attempt to ignore conventions or current reality _WILL_ cause legal and social 
chaos, which is why most common law is based oin precedents (ie, conventions).

Creating competing commercial name spaces will certainly increase the DNA 
revenue, as major companies ensure they have the same entry in each name space. 
This is commercial reality, especially as the cost is small compared to 
building name costs or advertising costs.

Dougal Holmes

Disclaimer: These are my thoughts, and potentially not  those of my employer