[ga] [icann-announce] Open Call for Nominations to ICANN Indendent Review Panel; .biz and .info TLDs Activated

["Patrick Corliss" <patrick@quad.net.au>]

To: ICANN Announcement List <icann-announce@icann.org>
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 17:45:56 -0700
Subject: [icann-announce] Open Call for Nominations to ICANN Indendent
Review Panel; .biz and .info TLDs Activated


Open Call to the Internet Community For Nominations to the ICANN
Independent Review Panel

(26 July 2001)  The ICANN Bylaws call for the establishment of a
procedure by which the actions of the ICANN Board may be subjected to
independent third-party review. The ICANN Independent Review Panel
Nominating Committee is now accepting suggestions from the public for
nominations to the ICANN Independent Review Panel. Members of the public
may submit potential nominees until 26 July 2001.

Mission of the Independent Review Panel

The mission of the Independent Review Panel ("IRP") is to compare
contested actions of the ICANN Board to the Bylaws and Articles of
Incorporation and to declare whether the ICANN Board has acted
consistent with the provisions of those documents. The IRP is also
responsible for reviewing determinations regarding the presence of a
consensus on which an adopted policy is based, to the extent provided in
agreements between ICANN and third parties. The IRP should act in an
open and efficient manner.

Composition of Independent Review Panel

The members of the IRP are nominated by the IRP Nominating Committee and
must be confirmed by a 2/3 vote of the ICANN Board. The IRP will consist
of nine members.  The initial members of the IRP will have terms of
staggered length: three initial members shall be appointed for a 4-year
term; three for a 3-year term; and three for a 2-year term.

Qualifications for Independent Review Panel Members

  * A nominee to the IRP should be a person of high professional
standing and accomplishment.

  * A nominee to the IRP should be (i) a current or former judge, and/or
(ii) an individual with legal training who would qualify for judicial
appointment and who has experience conducting arbitration or a similar
dispute resolution proceeding.

  * A nominee to the IRP must hold no other office or position within
the ICANN structure.

  * The IRP Nominating Committee will make nominations primarily on
grounds of competence, experience, and accomplishment, and without
reference to strict geographic or other quotas. At the same time, the
IRP Nominating Committee will take account of various diversity factors,
including diversity in geographic representation and diversity in legal
systems, in making its choices.

To Submit a Candidate to the Nominating Committee

Members of the public are invited to submit suggestions to the IRP
Nominating Committee for consideration. To do so, please send the
candidate's name, contact information, and evidence of the candidate's
qualifications to irp-nomcom-coordinator@icann.org. The Open Call period
for submitting suggestions to the IRP Nominating Committee will close 26
July 2001.

Background Information

For more information on the IRP, the IRP Nominating Committee and the
IRP Policy that will guide the work of the IRP and the IRP Nominating
Committee, see http://www.icann.org/committees/indreview/nomcom.htm.


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Two New Top-Level Domains for the Internet: .biz and .info

Marina del Rey, California, USA (26 June 2001) -- The Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today announced that
the first two of the recently authorized top-level domain names for the
Internet - .biz and .info - will be operational tomorrow. These are the
first new global top-level domains (TLDs) since .com and others were
launched in the 1980s.

The .biz and .info TLDs will at first be used just for informational web
sites.  These informational sites will be launched by the companies
selected to operate the new TLDs, NeuLevel, Inc.
(<http://www.neulevel.biz/>) and Afilias Limited
(<http://www.afilias.info/>).  General registration of names ending with
.biz and .info will soon be available through over 90 registrars
accredited by ICANN. Users will be able to reach these new registered
names as early as September, 2001.

"This is an historical milestone for the Internet community and for
ICANN," said M. Stuart Lynn, President and CEO of ICANN. "It
successfully benchmarks what has been a thoughtful community process
over the past year." ICANN is responsible for coordinating the
development of Internet policy for introducing new global TLDs.

The U.S. Department of Commerce promptly accepted ICANN's recommendation
yesterday to add the new TLDs. Under the Memorandum of Understanding
that governs the gradual transition of Internet coordination
responsibilities to ICANN, the Commerce Department's approval is still
required for adding TLDs but was not required for the agreements
themselves between ICANN and NeuLevel or Afilias.

These two new global TLDs are the first of seven approved by the ICANN
Board of Directors last November. Agreements still remain to be signed
for the remaining five top-level domains: .name, .pro, .aero, .coop, and
.museum.

Lynn noted these first steps took several months because of the need to
introduce new global TLDs in a measured and responsible manner with as
little risk as possible. "We are breaking new ground," he added. "We are
responsible for ensuring long-term Internet stability and minimizing
risk.  ICANN's seal of authenticity on these new TLDs guarantees they
will work properly for every Internet user from wherever they are."

NeuLevel, Afilias, and the operators of the other potential top-level
domain registries have worked through these extended processes in
partnership with ICANN and the Internet community. "We are  excited
about the launch of the new TLDs," noted Douglas Armentrout, CEO of
NeuLevel. "We look forward to building .biz  for businesses on the net."

"We can expect that these new top level domains will pioneer the way for
others to come," added Hal Lubsen, President of Afilias. "Stability is
paramount for the Internet."

Over the coming months, ICANN will evaluate the performance of these
seven new top-level domains as a "proof of concept." This evaluation
will inform the ICANN Board of Directors to guide future steps. Besides
technical performance, these evaluations will also address practical and
administrative issues such as methods for providing adequate protection
for trademark interests to inhibit cybersquatting.


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