ICANN responds to Congress.
ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom has responded to Lamar Smith and Howard Coble’s letter and questions. A copy of Beckstrom’s response is available here.
Here are some highlights:
Implementation Recommendation Team proposals: “The Board has not yet formally considered the proposals from the IRT…
“After this extensive consultation, ICANN is recommending the implementation of versions of the IRT’s recommendations, such as a post-delegation dispute resolution procedure and a “thick Whois” requirement…
“…ICANN will, to the extent possible, protect trademark holders from abusive registrations and from the need for defensive registration in new gTLDs, but no final decision has been made yet on the exact mechanisms that will be employed.”
Economic studies: “In the end, calling for a delay in the entry of new gTLDs only serves to perpetuate existing market conditions: concentration within some existing registries, with most short generic strings unavailable, and those that trade on the value of the current marketplace, holding portfolios based upon the value of current .COM names…
“Even with what appears to be compelling benefits of competition, ICANN’s commitment to open and transparent processes requires further action on ICANN’s part to address the questions that have been raised surrounding the sufficiency of the economic studies commissioned to date. Accordingly, ICANN will retain economists to review and summarize work to date regarding the costs and benefits of new gTLDs, putting that work into the context of the questions some have said remain open, and then evaluate whether additional study is required.”
Expiration of JPA: “I am in discussions with the NTIA to establish a long-standing relationship to accommodate principles including the beliefs that ICANN should remain a nonprofit corporation based in the United States, and should retain and ongoing focus on accountability and transparency.
“…Accordingly, ICANN seeks to have a long term, formal relationship with the United States Government and also seeks to build long-term relationships with other countries and contractual partners as well.”
jp says
So is ICANN’s goal to increase competition or dismantle .com?
Alot of companies have alot of money invested in .com, nor just domainers.
I think inreased competition will only bolster .com
Mike says
“……and those that trade on the value of the current marketplace, holding portfolios based upon the value of current .COM names…”
Translation: “Capitalism is so bad on the Net these scumbags are out there making money. Nobody has a right to own property in any significant amount.”
Are we now governed by communists? Rod Beckstrom just showed his true colors to all domain investors in the world.
How disappointing. He obviously thought nothing of what we had to say.