Brazil outlines compromise proposal for .amazon issue

Brazil has outlined a proposal to end the seven-year dispute over the .amazon domain name. Amazon.com Inc. has been seeking the right to the domain name which has been opposed by Amazon basin countries; Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname. The countries cited that the name refers to their geographic region and cannot be owned by an organisation. Outlining the proposal, Brazil’s deputy Foreign Minister Otavio Brandelli mentioned ‘As a compromise solution for the ‘dot Amazon’ issue, we proposed our participation in the governance of this digital territory, with a view to safeguarding and promoting the natural, cultural and symbolic heritage of the Amazon region on the Internet,’ further adding ‘This would be an innovative mechanism, setting a positive precedent of public-private partnership in the development of internet governance.