ICANN At-Large
Advisory Committee request for comments
WIPO Recommendations

On 21 February 2003, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
sent to ICANN a letter describing two decisions of WIPO
concerning recommendations about domain names that are similar to the names
and acronyms of International Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and
country names. WIPO member states recommended that the names and acronyms
of IGOs and country names (being one particular type of geographical
identifier) should be protected against abusive registration as domain
names, and requested that these recommendations be transmitted to ICANN.

In response to the WIPO letter, on 12 March 2003, the ICANN Board invited
all ICANN Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees
(including the ALAC) to provide, no later than 12 May 2003, any comments
that they may formulate, according to their processes, concerning the
matters discussed in the WIPO letter.

Comments to the forum are requested by 9 May 2003.

Links to reports and other information are listed below.

Share your views Comments submitted will be publicly posted.

• ICANN General Counsel's Briefing Concerning Policy-Development Process on WIPO-2 Recommendations (1 June 2003)
• ICANN Board resolution on WIPO-2 Recommendations (2 June 2003)
• ALAC Statement on WIPO
  Recommendations Regarding IGOs and Country Names (29 April 2003)
• Letter from Franics Gurry, WIPO, to Vint Cerf and Stuart Lynn (21 February 2003)