On September 4th ICANN’s GNSO Council confirmed the appointment of ICA Counsel Philip Corwin as Co-Chairman of the IGO-INGO Access to Curative Rights Protection Mechanisms Working Group. This WG will have to consider a broad array of issues that are relevant not only to its own work but to the broader upcoming review of the rights protection measures (RPMs) created …
ICA Tells ICANN: Withdraw Bylaws Proposal to Give Governments More Power
On September 3rd the ICA filed a comment letter with ICANN opposing a Bylaws amendment proposal to raise the threshold for Board rejection of Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) “advice” from a simple majority to a two-thirds vote. The GAC presently submits advice to ICANN based on “consensus”, which is general agreement without objection. But, in the wake of the U.S. …
ICA-Endorsed Session on ICANN Accountability Scheduled for September Third at IGF Istanbul
Although ICA is not in attendance at the Internet Governance Forum meeting currently taking place in Istanbul, Turkey an ICA-endorsed session on “Accountability in Multistakeholder Governance Regime ICANN” will be taking place on the morning of September 3rd. ICA was one of several host organizations that endorsed the proposal for this session, along with CGI.BR of Brazil, the Public Interest …
Stress Test: Reconsideration Request on Accountability Process Filed with ICANN Board
In a rapid follow-up to the unprecedented joint letter sent on August 26th by all members of the ICANN community questioning the proposed Accountability Process imposed by ICANN staff, three of the groups that signed that letter have now submitted a formal Reconsideration Request (RR) to the ICANN Board. The August 29th RR – submitted jointly by the Business Constituency …
GNSO, ccNSO, GAC, ALAC and SSAC Issue Unprecedented Joint Letter Questioning ICANN’s Staff-Imposed Accountability Process
In another unpredicted development the entire community of ICANN stakeholders has sent a joint letter to CEO Fadi Chehade and the ICANN Board that strongly questions the “Enhancing ICANN Accountability and Governance – Process and Next Steps” document published by ICANN staff on August 14th over widespread community objections. Signatories to the August 26th letter (text below) include the GNSO …
DC Constituencies Start to Coalesce on Principles for the IANA Transition and Enhanced ICANN Accountability
It is now being broadly acknowledged that, as expressed unanimously by all GNSO constituencies at the recent ICANN London meeting, “as part of the IANA transition, the multi-stakeholder community has the opportunity and responsibility to propose meaningful accountability structures that go beyond just the IANA-specific accountability issues”. In a July 22nd Keynote Address at the American Enterprise Institute, NTIA …
Is ICANN’s .IR Response at Odds with the ACPA and ICE Domain Seizures?
An initial review of ICANN’s response to litigation seeking it to turn over control of the ccTLDs of Iran, Syria and North Korea led to the conclusion that it had opened a “legal can of worms”. A few more just wriggled out, and they threaten the basic assumption that underlies the U.S. statute governing cybersquatting and the practices engaged in …
ICANN’s .IR Response Opens Legal Can of Worms
ICANN has filed its initial response to writs of attachment issued by U.S. Courts that seek to have ICANN transfer control of the country code top level domains (ccTLDs) of Iran, Syria and North Korea to plaintiffs in various legal actions. The lawsuits were brought under a U.S. law that permits victims of terrorism and their family survivors to seek …
ICANN Seeks to Hire Registrant Advocate – While Seeking Volunteers for Second Round New gTLDs Discussion Group
Two recent ICANN announcements caught our eye because of their relevance to domain investors. The first was ICANN’s placement of a notice that it was seeking to hire its first ever Registrant Services Director-Consumer Advocate. The Job Description states that the position “involves participation in a number of cross-organizational projects in areas such as registrant rights, contract interpretations and compliance, …
ICA Members and other Domainers Joining New ICANN Working Group on Acronym Domains
ICANN has set up a new GNSO Working Group (WG) on IGO/INGO acronyms and we know of at least five ICA members who have already joined it. Other domainers should consider doing the same. Here’s the reason. IGOs are International Governmental Organizations, and INGOs are International Nongovernmental Organizations, and through ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) they have been waging a …