We were delighted to host a panel of new gTLD experts who shared their expertise and predictions for the next round of the new gTLD application process in a webinar earlier this week. The ICA would like to extend a big thank you to our wonderful host, Christa Taylor, and the panelists, Jeff Neuman, Jothan Frakes, and Phill Buckingham. You’ll …
INTERNET COMMERCE ASSOCIATION FILES SUPREME COURT BRIEF
Should generic .com domain names never be entitled to trademark protection? When a domain name like booking.com is identified as a brand by the public, should it still be denied trademark protection as a matter of law? The ICA takes a position on this difficult question in an amicus brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States …
Response to a United Nations Letter on the IGO Working Group Final Report
The ICA participated in responding to the United Nations, who had written a letter to the ICANN Board complaining about the IGO Working Group Final Report. The ICA was extensively involved in this Working Group and took issue with the UN’s complaints about the outcome. This Working Group spent four years examining the UDRP and how IGO’s and INGO’s could …
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 Tells ICANN to Pull the Plug on IGO/INGO Overreach
For the third time in six months, ICA has told ICANN that the legally questionable and largely unnecessary attempts of International Governmental Agencies (IGOs) and International Nongovernmental Agencies (INGOs) to secure extraordinary protections for their organizational acronyms at second level domains should be met with a firm and resounding “no”. (Letter available below and at http://forum.icann.org/lists/comments-igo-ingo-crp-prelim-10mar14/msg00006.html )
Concern over IANA Transition Going Bipartisan
Early on it looked like concern over the Obama Administration’s proposal to terminate the U.S. counterparty role on the IANA functions contract might be a one-sided partisan affair. That would be very unfortunate, as Internet freedom as well as its security and stability should raise bipartisan questions. But that is changing. Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, last week noted …
DC Trains Laser Focus on ICANN, IANA, and NTIA – ICA Counsel to Speak On U.S Role in Internet Governance
The calm is over, and the storm may be about to begin. Congress is back from recess and not one but two Congressional Committees are about to hone in on the implications of the NTIA’s March 14th announcement of its intention to surrender its IANA functions contract counterparty status with ICANN by September 2015. Meantime, an exhausting ICANN …
U.S. Plans to Relinquish IANA Contract in 2015
The NTIA has just announced that it plans to turn its IANA functions contract counterparty role over to “the global multistakeholder community” when the current contract expires at the end of September 2015.
ICA Counsel to Speak at Internet Governance Program in Singapore
ICA Counsel Philip Corwin has been asked to speak at “ICANN and Global Internet Governance: The Road to São Paulo, and Beyond”, a program being held on Friday, March 21st in Singapore just before the start of the first ICANN meeting of the year. The full day program is being sponsored by ICANN’s Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC). Corwin will be a …
GoDaddy Hit with another Trademark Infringement Suit – A Hint of Things to Come?
Number one domain name registrar GoDaddy has been hit by another trademark infringement lawsuit. Earlier this month GoDaddy failed in its efforts to recuse U.S. District Court Judge Audrey Collins from presiding over a case brought against it by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[i] The litigation alleges that GoDaddy committed cybersquatting trademark infringement when it “parked” more …