dotCANNABIS – Digital Identity for the Cannabis Industry

Support statements // Domain reservation

Background:

dotCANNABIS, LLC will submit an application for the domain extension ‘.cannabis’. Internet domain names like ‘www.DENVER.cannabis‘ or ‘www.AURORA.cannabis‘ will become available to eligible, authenticated members of the CANNABIS community by 2022..

We need your support:

The domain extension ‘.cannabis’ will be applied for with ICANN in 2022. Other entities might be applying for ‘.cannabis’ as well. There is however a special procedure that grants priority for applications targeting the name of a “community” and having the community’s backing: hence we will apply for ‘.cannabis’ as a “community priority applicant” for the “Cannabis community”.

A for-profit, commercial applicant who has no ties to the Cannabis community would operate ‘.cannabis’ the same way as ‘.com’ is operated today: everybody would get access to ‘.cannabis’ domain names such as www.DENVER.cannabis or www.AURORA.cannabis:

  • Domain squatters and “speculators” (trying to sell the domains to the relevant Cannabis community entities later)

  • Business entities that aren’t Cannabis community members but try to use the “Internet traffic” for other purposes:

    • www.shop.cannabis (trying to sell “magic mushrooms” or other substances)

    • www.miami.cannabis (trying to sell bongs - not cannabis)

    • www.medicalcard.cannabis (trying to sell medical insurance policies)

    which would not benefit the Cannabis business community.

In order to discourage third parties to apply for the domain suffix ‘.cannabis’ with ICANN and in order to show case community support for dotCANNABIS, LLC’s public-benefit, non-profit effort we need a letter of support from you:

  • Associations and organizations representing the Cannabis business community

  • Cannabis businesses

  • Cannabis media

  • Any entity that is representing a part of the Cannabis community


Here how the letter should look like:

Addressed: To the ICANN Board

A short paragraph about who you are. Whom you represent, how many members / employees (revenue), your mission. Why you are well known in Cannabis community.

A very short summary of what you understand it is that the dotCANNABIS project is about. Read www.dotCANNABIS.org/faq and extract what you like most about it. Alternatively I can provide you with a suggestion.

Express your concern that a third party that is not affiliated or endorsed by the Cannabis community might apply for the operation of ‘.cannabis’ - and that this would incur harm to the Cannabis community. Upon request I can provide you with a suggestion here as well.

In case you are interested in owning specific .cannabis domains: State which domains you want; it show cases “demand”- and I try to make happen that you get “your” domains.

Finally the call for action: request the ICANN board to not grant the right to operate ‘.cannabis’ (and affiliated terms like ‘.weed’ or ‘.marijuana’) to any third party that is not affiliated with and supported by the Cannabis community.

If you have questions regarding the support letter: please contact me! For the main website for dotCANNABIS click dotCANNABIS.org



For more information please send an email to alexander.schubert@dotcannabis.org or call +1(202)684-6806