Notes
IMMINENT DOMAIN NAME: THE
TECHNOLOGICAL LAND-GRAB AND
ICANN’S LIFTING OF DOMAIN NAME
RESTRICTIONS
I. INTRODUCTION
We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.1 On May 20, 1862, the United States Congress passed the Homestead Act, which prompted American citizens to settle and claim lands throughout the western frontier.2 Following an application process, this legalized land-grab allotted 160 acres of land for homesteaders to live on,
improve, and cultivate crops.3 The United States Congress created this
Act to encourage settling and cultivation of the previously uninhabited
western territories.4 Unfortunately, fraud plagued this new policy.5
Land speculators and corporations often hired phony claimants to claim
lands that were abundant in natural resources such as timber, coal, and
oil.6 It is estimated that between 1852 and 1904, the General Land Office
granted 500 million acres through the Homestead Act, though