Michael Geist
Candidate in ICANNATLARGE.COM 11-members Panel Election July 2002
Candidate Statement
Background
I am a law professor at the University of Ottawa specializing in Internet and e-commerce law and Director of E-Commerce Law with the Toronto law firm of Goodmans LLP. I have obtained a LL.B. degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, LL.M. degrees from Cambridge University in the UK and Columbia Law School in New York, and a J.S.D. from Columbia Law School. I have written numerous academic articles and government reports on the Internet and law, I am a national columnist on cyberlaw issues for the Globe and Mail, and I am the creator and consulting editor of BNA's Internet Law News, a daily Internet law news service. More information can be obtained at http://www.lawbytes.ca.
CIRA Board Experience
I have twice been elected to the board of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA). As a CIRA board member, I have worked on development of the Canadian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (CDRP), the Canadian equivalent of the ICANN UDRP. The CDRP includes greater protections for free speech, a balanced approach to the selection of arbitrators, and the prospect of financial compensation for domain name registrants subjected to abusive dispute resolution claims. I have also worked to ensure greater transparency and board accountability by supporting full disclosure of all relevant CIRA financial documentation and the creation of a public forum to solicit input on domain name issues.
ICANN Activities
With respect to ICANN, I have published a leading study on the fairness of the ICANN UDRP and maintain a website devoted to providing greater UDRP transparency. I served as a member of the ICANN Membership Implementation Task Force during the first round of ICANN elections. More recently, I have been an outspoken critic of the current process, having engaged in a very public debate on the subject with ICANN counsel Joe Sims. Public's Role in Net Governance Threatened (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/printarticle/gam/20020613/TWGEIS), a recent article explains many of my ICANN views. I have worked hard on domain name policy issues in recent years and would welcome opportunity to do more via the icannatlarge.com initiative.