ICANN AT-LARGE MONTHLY ANNOUNCEMENT
In this issue:
- Action: An agreement out for public comment would end the ICANN vs. VeriSign lawsuits, but at what price? Domain names could cost significantly more in 5 years…
- Action: Hi, 高 , Hola, 高い – the ICANN Community Tackles Internationalized Domain Names at the Vancouver Meeting. Your voice is needed.
- Information: New ALAC members are coming from Asia, Africa and Latin America – be gentle with them, they are just starting.
- Meeting: Don’t miss the Vancouver ICANN Meeting! It’s shaping up to be an action-packed week!
- Meeting: User groups are meeting in Vancouver to finalize the Asia/Pacific Regional At-Large Organization
- Action: An agreement out for public comment would end the ICANN vs. VeriSign lawsuits, but at what price? Domain names could cost significantly more in 5 years…
ICANN has reached an agreement to end all pending litigation over its long-standing dispute with VeriSign. The settlement agreement documents have been posted for public comment <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-24oct05.htm> and are subject to final approval of the ICANN Board. ICANN states that, under the agreement, VeriSign will: withdraw all pending litigation and arbitration relating to .COM; adopt ICANN’s position on a wide range of issues concerning registry services (such as Sitefinder) and the way they are introduced; commit to binding international arbitration to prevent any future disagreements from resulting in costly and disruptive litigation; and recognize and participate in the ICANN consensus policy process. That sounds good, but we are looking into the details.
The ALAC, and many other ICANN stakeholders, have raised questions regarding the agreement. For example:- ALAC wants to know why VeriSign should be allowed to increase the price it charges per .COM domain name registration by 7% annually from a US$6 base price (which could be passed on to Registrars which could pass it on to everyone with a .COM domain name)? Others ask should ICANN be in the business of setting price controls or should the marketplace play a greater role in setting prices through registry and registrar competition for customers?
- ALAC wants to know why the term of VeriSign’s .COM registry management should be extended forever with no competition for price or service? Others note that the .COM registry agreements have included "presumptive renewal" provisions since 1999 and ask why should it be changed? Could it be changed?
- ALAC wants to know why VeriSign isn’t required to invest in .COM registry infrastructure to improve stability and security? Others question whether ICANN should force VeriSign and all other registry operators to meet specific levels of capital investment (and if so, what level)?
- ALAC wants to know why VeriSign should be given the right to use .COM zone metadata for commercial purposes? Others question whether ICANN should regulate what companies can do with the information in the logs of their own servers?
- ALAC wants to know whether “registry services” are appropriately defined and should ICANN pre-approve Waiting List Service, Consolidate, Internationalized Domain Names, "Restore," and Transfer Dispute Resolution (all new registry-level services)? Others question the need for more restrictions if VeriSign has essentially adopted ICANN's broad interpretation of "registry services" and agreed to subject new registry services to ICANN's new procedures for security, stability, and competition review.
- ALAC wants to know why ICANN should receive US.50 cents for every .COM registration plus US$1,250,000, especially when it is unclear at this point how these funds will benefit Internet users? Others see this as enabling ICANN to have a stable and predictable funding source, and as potentially benefiting the user community if ICANN uses open strategic and operational planning and budget approval processes to decide how to spend the funds.
- ALAC wants to know if users would be better off if ICANN pursued litigation instead of settling – what are the pros and cons?
The ALAC is continuing to investigate and discuss this agreement and urges all Internet users, especially .COM registrants, to share their views on how this agreement might affect them. Send your emails for public posting to <forum@alac.icann.org>*and *<settlement-comments@icann.org> *by 24 November if possible*. The ALAC has scheduled two forums on the proposed settlement at the ICANN Vancouver meeting <http://www.icann.org/meetings/vancouver/>. Check www.alac.icann.org for details.
- Action: Hi, 高 , Hola, 高い – the ICANN Community Tackles Internationalized Domain Names at the Vancouver Meeting. Your voice is needed.
ICANN’s Board has just endorsed a new version of the “IDN Guidelines,” which had been posted for public comments <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-20sep05.htm>. These are proposed “rules” Registries would follow in implementing IDNs, and they attempt to address such challenges as how to prevent the deceptive use of visually confusable characters from different scripts in individual IDN labels. The Board also requested that specific IDN improvement recommendations be submitted by June 2006, and supported further development of a Best Current Practices (BCP) document to ensure that the guideline directions will be used deeper into the DNS hierarchy and within top level domains.
The ALAC has released an IDN statement <http://www.alac.icann.org/> to inform this work. The ALAC believes that IDNs are not just a technical or business matter, but rather a fundamental element of the respect for cultural diversity and the internationalization of the Internet. The ALAC has been promoting the prompt introduction of full and non-discriminating support for all scripts and languages in domain names, as well as in other elements of the Internet that are directly used by the final consumers, in a manner that ensures an orderly and wise deployment of IDN registrations. The ALAC believes this to be one of the most pressing issues for the global Internet community and encourages all interested At-Large groups and individuals to provide input. Send emails to <forum@alac.icann.org> *and* <idn-guidelines@icann.org>. The ALAC can accept comments in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Japanese, and Chinese.
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Information: New ALAC members are coming from Asia, Africa and Latin America – be gentle with them, they are just starting.
Please join us in welcoming three new ALAC members appointed by ICANN’s Nominating Committee: Jacqueline Morris ( Trinidad and Tobago, Latin America/Caribbean Islands); Alice Wanjira ( Kenya, Africa); and Siavash Shahshahani ( Iran, Asia/Australia/Pacific). Information on these individuals is posted at <http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-04nov05.htm>. They will officially join the ALAC at the conclusion of ICANN’ Vancouver meeting. They will be replacing: Sunday Folayan ( Nigeria - Africa); Tommy Matsumoto ( Japan - Asia/Australia/Pacific); and Tadao Takahashi ( Brazil - Latin America/Caribbean Islands). Please also join us in thanking our colleagues for their service and commitment to the At-Large community.
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Meeting: Don’t miss the Vancouver ICANN Meeting! It’s shaping up to be an action-packed week!
You are invited to join the ICANN community in Vancouver, Canada 29 November – 4 December, and participate in several meetings and fora on issues that affect the Internet's end-users. Events include:
- 29 Nov: At-Large Regional Meetings (planning and discussion for At-Large groups); At-Large Planning Workshop (review of At-Large and ALAC and discussion of long-term goals); At-Large Users Workshop (briefing on VeriSign settlement and IDNs);
- 30 Nov.: Roundtable – Welcome to ICANN, Here’s What It Means To You; Lunch with the Board & ALAC for New ICANN Particpants; IDN Workshop;
- 1 Dec.: At-Large Users Forum (discussion of VeriSign Settlement, IDN Guidelines, other issues); ALAC Meeting (reports, discussion, action on pending issues);
- 2 Dec.: At-Large Regional Meetings (planning and discussion for At-Large groups); Strategic Planning Workshop (discussion of ICANN’s long-term plan); WSIS Workshop (discussion of Tunis results and next steps); ICANN Public Forum (open microphone)
- 3 Dec.: ICANN Public Forum (open microphone)
You can attend in person or follow some proceedings via the Internet. Participation is free and Internet users are encouraged to come!! Check <http://www.icann.org/meetings/vancouver/> for general information and <http://www.alac.icann.org/> for details on At-Large-related events.
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Meeting: User groups are meeting in Vancouver to finalize the Asia/Pacific Regional At-Large Organization
All individuals involved in Internet user issues in the Asia/Australia/Pacific (AP) region, are invited to participate in a meeting on 29 Nov. in Vancouver to plan the launch an Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization (APRALO). Representatives of user groups involved in ICANN At-Large in this region have developed a draft charter, bylaws, and outreach plans aimed at enabling user groups in this region to work together to advance Internet users’ needs. More information is posted at <http://www.apralo.org/>. Send questions to <info@apralo.org>.
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The Interim At-Large Advisory Committee