The Internet's Strength is Also Its Weakness

The Internet is not owned by anyone. It is simply an agreement to exchange bits.

If you have a home network, which operates under TCP/IP, you own your own Internet, once you connect it to someone else who runs their network the same way.

But this strength is also the Internet's weakness.

Who enforces that agreement? No one. Who controls it? No one. Who owns the trademark "Internet?"

No one. (No one, on the other hand, is the name of an album by Lars Hansen, from which this image is taken.)

If Verizon and AT&T wish to sell what is basically a private network, and claim they are offering Internet service, who can stop them?

No one.

Linus Torvalds finally decided to try and seize the trademark Linux, and  protect it. It's an ongoing process, with a lot of pushback because he was  so late in doing so.

But who has standing to trademark the word Internet, and to define it as what it is, and to enforce that design, through the trademark, on others?

No one.

This means that Internet has no accepted, enforceable definition under the law.

This means that any private network can call itself an Internet.

This means some thief can show up and claim a trademark on the word Internet then demand everyone pay them for using the word.

The way is open to a lot of mischief, and I'm having a hard time figuring out how to stop it.

Because who would have standing to control the trademark? Linus Torvalds at least wrote the Linux kernel. It has his name in it. This gives him standing.

Who has standing for the Internet? ICANN? Vint Cerf? The UN?

And can any of them be trusted?