[council] BACKGROUND ON NAMES COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM 9: Proposal for an NC report on TLDs and intellectual property

["Cochetti, Roger" <rogerc@netsol.com>]

As you know, at the last Council meeting I requested that we place on the
agenda for this meeting an item relating to the treatment of intellectual
property in the context of the expansion of the top-level domain name space.
We all know that Names Council Work Groups C and B discussed this topic
extensively between 1999 and 2000 and that the Council acted on the matter
in April ( http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/20000419.NCgtlds-statement.html
)and then again in May (
http://www.dnso.org/dnso/notes/20000519.NCftm-resolution.html ) of this
year.

Nonetheless, it would be difficult to say that the Council's contributions
to this area have been either detailed or conclusive.  Moreover, since ICANN
is currently actively considering proposals to expand the top-level name
space, I believe that it is timely to consider perhaps one last time whether
or not the Council can make a further contribution to this topic.  If it
does not, then events are likely to overtake anything that the Council might
do in this area.

Accordingly, I have asked that the item be put on the agenda to determine
whether there is interest in a new Council effort to address this important
matter.  I would suggest, for example, that the Council could convene a
workshop on the topic, to which a variety of diverse experts could be
invited.   Such a workshop, which could be financed by participation fees,
might well contribute to new, or more detailed, Council recommendations in
this area. 

    

Roger J. Cochetti
Senior Vice President-Policy
VeriSign/Network Solutions, Inc.
rogerc@netsol.com