[registrars] ICANN Board seat #14: Nomination Statement for Michael Palage

["Bruce Tonkin" <Bruce.Tonkin@melbourneit.com.au>]

From: http://www.dnso.org/clubpublic/icann-nominations/Arc03/msg00008.html

Description of how the Michael Palage meets the selection criteria:

1. Accomplished persons of integrity, objectivity, and intelligence, with reputations for sound judgment and open minds, and a demonstrated capacity for thoughtful group decision-making; 

In ICANN, it is as important to listen as to talk.  Michael has demonstrated a capacity not just to listen, but to make sure that a variety of voices are heard in important ICANN proceedings.

Palage's record of leadership starts in the Registrar Constituency, which he helped organize and lead (as secretary and now as chair) for the past four years.  The Registrar Constituency operates in one of the most open and transparent manners of any ICANN constituency:  its communications take place in a publicly archived list, its meetings are open for all to attend, and every registrar constituency member, no matter how large or small, gets a vote. In this competitive constituency where members are seeking to acquire the customers of each other, Michael works hard to minimize differences and keep the group focused on issues that will benefit the entire community instead of any specific registrar. 

Also, as lead chair of DNSO's Working Group B (proposals for famous mark protection in domain names), Michael helped a diverse array of participants discuss and balance complicated issues.  With many opposing interests in the working group, Michael brought integrity, intelligence and objective to the discussion, presentations and working group report.  As co-chair for the group, I often found disagreed with Michael, but always felt that my concerns were listened to and that he was working hard to bridge the gap of noncommercial and commercial domain name holders.   


2. Persons with an understanding of ICANN's mission and the potential impact of ICANN decisions on the global Internet community, and committed to the success of ICANN; 

Through the variety of leadership roles he has taken, we know well that Michael understands ICANN's mission and the impact of ICANN's decisions globally and is firmly committed to the success of its work.  Michael has served as:
  
- Founding Secretariat and Chair of the ICANN Registrar Constituency;
- Chair of ICANN Working Group B;
- WIPO UDRP Panelist;
- Founding policy council member on the .US Policy Council;
- Member of the Intellectual Property Constituency;
- Consultant to various ICANN accredited registrars and registries;
- Expert witness in various Internet related litigation; 
  

3. Persons who will produce the broadest cultural and geographic diversity on the Board consistent with meeting the other criteria set forth in this Section; 

Although Michael is a United States citizen from North American, he shows a true appreciation of the legal and technical issues impacting the global community.  Upcoming hurdles, such as privacy, accuracy and access to WHOIS data, will be better debated with Michael's knowledge and appreciation of the European data privacy laws, his work with worldwide ICANN registration authorities and his knowledge of international intellectual property issues.   


4. Persons who, in the aggregate, have personal familiarity with the operation of gTLD registries and registrars; with ccTLD registries; with IP address registries; with Internet technical standards and protocols; with policy-development procedures, legal traditions, and the public interest; and with the broad range of business, individual, academic, and non-commercial users of the Internet; 

Michael is a candidate who actually has touched many of these areas.  He brings a deep understanding of the registry and registrar operations and technology at the gTLD and ccTLD levels, understands and participates in the ICANN policy development process, and works to bring the wide variety of user voices into appropriate debates.  


5. Persons who are willing to serve as volunteers, without compensation other than the reimbursement of certain expenses; and 

Michael's service for four years as a spokesman and organizer of the Registrar Constituency shows his commitment to work on a volunteer basis.  


6. Persons who are able to work and communicate in written and spoken English. 

As Michael would say, "Not a problem."