As the year comes to a close I’m happy to announce the release of the Internet Commerce Association’s 2008 Annual Report. The ICA has been very active in the last year and this 11-page PDF report highlights the growth of our membership since our founding two years ago and provides a summary of ICA activities and outreach over the past 12 months.
But the time has come to look ahead to 2009 and the immediate threats to the domain industry perched on the horizon. With a changing administration comes legislative change as well, and the need for the ICA in Washington has never been greater. Renewing your membership and volunteering for a working group or committee today will ensure that domain owner rights are respected from the halls of Congress to the cubicles of ICANN. The biggest threats often come from unpredictable places, and you need an advocate that can respond. The ICA was one of the first to call attention to the abuse of due process when valuable domains were illegally seized by the Governor of Kentucky, affecting domain owners from around the world. And when the press writes on domain issues the ICA is a respected expert on how the changing legal landscape affects small business owners and domain owners alike.
The ICA also represents your chance to fight back against a legal system that too often follows the money and sides with entrenched trademark interests. Too many times has a UDRP panelist ignored the weight of case law, good reason and equity, only to hand away a valuable domain to someone who scarcely deserves it. With the establishment of the ICA’s Legal Defense Fund, members and non-members alike can contribute to a fund devoted to supporting legal defenses that impact everyone’s business. But the ICA needs to stick around to coordinate all of these efforts. As a non-profit, grass-roots organization, we need the support of both financial and volunteer resources to meet the challenges ahead. While the weak economy is affecting everyone, the argument has never been stronger for why you need the ICA fighting for you!
Sincerely,
Jeremiah Johnston
President
Internet Commerce Association