Showing posts with label Global Domains Division. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Global Domains Division. Show all posts

2017-10-08

News Review | RySG Requests $$$ and "Detailed Accounting" From ICANN

News Review | ©2016 DomainMondo.com
Domain Mondo's weekly internet domain news review (NR 2017-10-08) with analysis and opinion: Features •  1) RySG Requests $$$ and "Detailed Accounting" From ICANN,  2) Other ICANN news: .AMAZON Diplomacy, 3)Names, Domains & Trademarks: Donuts' "struggling" new gTLDs, 4) ICYMI: Project Loon in Puerto Rico, 5) Most Read Posts.

1) RySG Requests $$$ and "Detailed Accounting" From ICANN
The RySG (gTLDs Registries Stakeholder Group) has requested $$$ (again), and a "detailed accounting" from ICANN--the latest in the festering spat between the failing new gTLDs' registry operators and the ICANN organization, specifically its "Global Domains Division" set up by ICANN ex-CEO Fadi Chehade and primarily staffed by incompetent cronies of Chehade, including its President, Akram Atallah, who, collectively, required 5½ months to summon up the courage to tell the RySG "No" in its reply dated August 29, 2017, to a previous RySG letter--see News Review | New gTLDs Hucksters Lose Again: ICANN Says No $$$ | DomainMondo.com.

In the latest correspondence from Paul Diaz, RySG Chair, the RySG requests to ICANN have multiplied and now include (emphasis and link added):
"An obvious request relates to an apparent double charging and a refund of the additional $5,000 ICANN collected from each registry operator to set-up the TMCH ... ICANN is very much in a position to refund registry operators for this overcharge, and we request that ICANN do so."
"We think that ICANN should launch a broad awareness campaign for the new gTLDs" [Editor's note: this request that ICANN become, in effect, a PR and marketing agency for new gTLD registry operators, seems incompatible with ICANN's Articles, and federal and state laws, and could cause ICANN to lose its 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code:"The organization must not be organized or operated for the benefit of private interests, and no part of a section 501(c)(3) organization's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual."].
"This letter requests a fee reduction of the exact type contemplated in Section 6.7 of the Registry Agreement" [Editor's note: 6.7 is a new section negotiated in secret between RySG and Atallah's "Global Domains Division"--see News Review: ICANN Secretly Colludes With New gTLD Registry Operators | DomainMondo.com--which became effective July 31, 2017, over objections of the ICANN community and others--see "Note" in paragraph "c." below].
 "... ICANN to provide the RySG with a detailed accounting of expenses to date ... If the ICANN organization anticipates further spending our application fees in this or other manners, we request, first, a reasonable forecast for their likely use, and second, deeper involvement in the associated budgeting process. The RySG does not necessarily presume the cogency of such expenditures ..."
"I will be in touch shortly to schedule an in-person discussion in Abu Dhabi. In the near term, we anticipate your more immediate reply regarding the TMCH fees request and an accounting of costs to date and potential future costs." 
The full embed of the latest letter is further below. The history of the correspondence in this matter (as published by ICANN), is as follows:

a. RySG asks for $$$ from ICANN
14 Mar 2017 Letter from Paul Diaz (RySG Chair) to Akram Atallah, Xavier Calvez, and Cyrus Namazi  [published by ICANN 16 March 2017]: "... the Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG) proposes that a portion of the 2012 excess application fees be used right away to offset registry fixed fees owed to ICANN ... we propose that registry operators of all delegated new gTLDs receive a 75% credit for their $6,250/quarter Fixed Registry Fee. Upon approval, this $4,687.50/quarter offset would last for four consecutive quarters, and would be eligible for renewal based on ICANN approval ... We ...  also propose that ICANN create a fund, to be seeded with US$3M at start-up, to promote universal awareness of new gTLDs ... This proposal does not preclude ICANN from considering at a later date some form of refund to all applicants ..."

b. ICANN Says "No"
29 Aug 2017 Letter from Akram Atallah to Paul Diaz [published by ICANN 30 August 2017]: "... We do not yet know how much of the New gTLD Program remaining funds will be required to address future unanticipated expenses, and by when. As such, at this time, ICANN is not in a position to commit to the dispensation of any potential remaining funds from the New gTLD Program applications fees. Thank you for your thoughtful proposal and for your understanding." 

c. RySG asks ICANN for $$$ again and to provide a "detailed accounting" etc.  
03 Oct 2017 Letter from Paul Diaz (RySG Chair) to Akram Atallah (President of ICANN's "Global Domains Division") [published by ICANN 06 October 2017] embed below (highlighting and note added)--Note: Diaz (p.2) fails to note that Section 6.7 of the Registry Agreement was an amendment added effective July 31, 2017, negotiated in secret by and between Akram Atallah's "Global Domains Division" and the Registries Stakeholder Group (RySG), and approved by the ICANN Board over the objections and concerns expressed by members of the ICANN community and others during the public comment period (see comments here). Full embed:

Editor's note: The new gTLDs do not suffer from a "lack of awareness" problem. That's just a false narrative being pushed by the new gTLDs lobby to explain the lack of consumer (registrant) demand for what is essentially, an unwanted and defective product. As I've stated before:
"ICANN foolishly and incompetently expanded gTLDs (generic top-level domains) from just 22 (.com, .net, .org ... .gov, .mil, .edu, .int) to over 1200 starting in 2014, and now the new gTLDs hucksters (registry operators et al) are finding out that hundreds of new gTLDs are "unwanted and unneeded" and they are going broke, and want ICANN to "bail them out." ICANN has slowly begun to realize its own "pipe dream" about new gTLDs was delusional, and is now "looking out for #1" (#1 is the ICANN organization and its budget that pays the obscenely extravagant salary and benefits packages to ICANN management and much of the staff)."
Of course, all of this is nothing new--just read Why new top-level web domains are doomed to fail | Media Network | TheGuardian.com 12 Feb 2013;  or FTC Warns That Rapid Expansion of Internet Domain Name System Could Leave Consumers More Vulnerable to Online Fraud | Federal Trade Commission Dec 16, 2011; or Expanding Internet Domains | The New York Times Dec 25, 2011: "There is no pressing need to create hundreds of new suffixes next year. It would be far better for ICANN to start with a pilot program to work out problems before expanding the system."

 Bottom Line: With its new gTLDs expansion, ICANN made a "mess of the DNS," and now its most influential "stakeholder group"--the RySG (which represents all of the generic top-level domains' (gTLDs) registry operators)--has essentially been "captured" by the new gTLDs registry operators (no need for a theDNA.org), and will continue its relentless push that ICANN essentially cave-in to all its demands.

2) Other ICANN news
a. .AMAZON Diplomacy--new gTLD .AMAZON and What It Means For ICANN--Council on Foreign Relations: "... Brazil and its allies are not without tools outside of ICANN to act on its views, including sovereign authority over commerce in their markets. This is a sensitive situation that requires diplomacy, the exercise of mutual respect, and creative mechanisms for ensuring all sides feel fairly treated."--Daniel Sepulveda, former U.S. Ambassador, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, and Coordinator for Communications and Information Policy from 2013 to 2017.

b. ICANN60 Meeting schedule will be posted on Monday, 9 October 2017. Pre-ICANN60 Policy Open House | ICANN.org: Thursday, 19 October 2017, 10:00 and 19:00 UTC (via Adobe Connect and dial-in), register via this form by 17 October 2017. The "Pre-ICANN60 Policy Report" and "Generic Names Supporting Organization Policy Briefing: ICANN60 Edition" will be published by 12 October 2017. More info here.

c. ICANN's SSR2 Team already off-track? 03 October 2017 Letter from Patrik Fältström, Chair | ICANN Security and Stability Advisory Committee, to ICANN Board (pdf) [published by ICANN 04 October 2017] re the Security, Stability and Resiliency of the DNS Review (SSR2). See also Letter from ICANN Board to SSR2 Team concerning scope of proposed work plan for SSR2’s Subteam 2.

d. WHOIS & GDPR: 02 October 2017 Letter from IPC to ICANN's Theresa Swinehart and Akram Atallah re GDPR Ad-Hoc Working Group [published by ICANN 04 October 2017] Letter signed by Greg Shatan, President | Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC), excerpt below. .
IPC Letter (pdf) re: ICANN's GDPR Ad-Hoc Working Group
Editor's note: ICANN stated at its October 4 webinar that "at the request of the Business Constituency" a cross-community session will be scheduled for ICANN60 in Abu Dhabi, on Thursday, November 2, 10:30am to "work with the community" on GDPR issues.

ICANN Legal Memorandum (final version) re: Final responses to EU data protection (GDPR) questions re gTLD Registration Directory data (WHOIS)
GDPR legal memorandum to ICANN
Full memo--https://gnso.icann.org/en/drafts/wsgr-icann-memorandum-25sep17-en.pdf (pdf).

e. ICANN Webinar on the KSK Rollover Delay and Next Steps--ICANN.org: "The webinar [October 11, 2017, 1500–1600 UTC] will be conducted by Matt Larson, Vice President of Research in ICANN's Office of the Chief Technology Officer. Larson will be joined in the webinar by Duane Wessels, Distinguished Engineer at Verisign, Inc. Wessels has compiled data about the readiness of resolvers for the upcoming root KSK roll." Webinar Details & How to Attend are here.

3) Names, Domains & Trademarks

 4) ICYMI Internet Domain News 
  • Project Loon in Puerto Rico (via WIRED.com): Alphabet (a/k/a Google $GOOGL $GOOG) gets approval from FCC to fly 30 Project Loon balloons over Puerto Rico for 6 months, after Irma and Maria left 90% of the island without voice or internet connectivity.

 5) Top 4 most read posts (# of pageviews Sun-Sat) this past week on DomainMondo.com: 

-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo 

feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


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2017-05-31

My .NET Comment Was REJECTED (at first) By ICANN, Was Yours?

Public comments on the Proposed Renewal of .NET Registry Agreement close 30 May 2017 at 23:59 UTC, which is 7:59pm EDT (US).

Because I had a busy Tuesday morning out of the office, I stayed up late last night to finish my comment (8 pages long--embedded below) and submitted it very early Tuesday morning (EDT - US) before going to bed. Right after submitting the comment, I received the ICANN email:
Hours later I received the following email from ICANN:
I discovered that email when I returned to my office Tuesday afternoon, and immediately responded:
I also forwarded a copy of the foregoing to the ICANN Ombudsman and ICANN Complaints Office with the following email:
I then received an email from ICANN Complaints Office:
And then I heard from an ICANN GDD (Global Domains Division) staff member:
And then I received the following from another ICANN staff member (Carlos Reyes):
And after submitting my comment again (exactly the same way I had originally sent it), I received the following:
Here's my comment (pdf), also embedded in full below. All comments "accepted" by ICANN may be viewed here. In the course of the chaotic back-and-forth I asked the ICANN Ombudsman and Complaints Officer "how many comments are being censored (rejected) by ICANN?" and never heard back. If your comment was rejected by ICANN, please let me know via Twitter @DomainMondo or via the email address at the bottom of the DomainMondo.com web page.


My Comment Conclusion (pp. 7-8):
IV. Conclusion
1) RPMs specifically designed, and applicable to new gTLDs, are not appropriate for legacy gTLDs .COM, .NET, and .ORG, and I commend ICANN for resisting pressure from trademark and other special interests who may urge otherwise.

2) Verisign is a capable and qualified registry operator to continue operating the .NET generic top-level domain.

3) However, I have three objections to the proposed renewal of the .NET registry agreement, the first two are substantive and deal with pricing, and the third is an “ICANN process” objection:
1. The Section 7.2 ICANN fee of $0.75 per .NET domain name is discriminatory and unconscionable to .NET domain name registrants, and ICANN should reduce it to $0.25 (similar to other gTLDs). What may have been negotiated or appropriate in 2005, is no longer applicable 12 years later. ICANN should be ashamed for being so greedy and unfair to .NET registrants who are the ones bearing this cost.

2. The Section 7.3(a) provision for 10% compounded annual increases in .NET registration, renewal and transfer fees is unconscionable, particularly considering .NET has approximately 15 million domain name registrations, and the publicly reported profitability of Verisign, and its low cost of operations. It may be easy for ICANN staff to “roll over” and continue using the same boilerplate from previous renewals, but it has no justification based on reality—industry operating costs, market conditions, economic factors, and other relevant financial factors. This “formula” would lead to a doubling of registration fees every 7.2 years (Rule of 72). ICANN legal and GDD staff and management need a refresher course on good public stewardship and how to represent the global internet community in the global public interest.

Compare the ccTLD pricing for ccTLD .US ($6.50) with only about 2.5 million domain name registrations.

Approval of this proposed renewal with the $0.75 ICANN fee and 10% compounded annual increases in registration/renewal/transfer fees intact, will most likely cause renewed calls for government(s) to oversee ICANN, or replace ICANN with a new or existing intergovernmental multi-party or multistakeholder organization which can protect consumers (registrants), and the global public interest.

3. ICANN’s process for gTLD registry renewals is dysfunctional. Before beginning renewal “discussions” or negotiations with any registry operator, ICANN should first solicit comments from registrants, registrars, and other interested parties about the performance of the operator and suggestions for changes in the registry agreement. Only after that initial comment period has concluded should ICANN begin discussions with the registry operator. This is a simple change that will result in ICANN staff being much better informed and prepared to represent registrants, registrars, and the global internet community in renewal discussions with the registry operator.
-- John Poole, editor, DomainMondo.com

feedback & comments via twitter @DomainMondo


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2016-02-08

New ICANN President and CEO Göran Marby of Sweden, Starts May 2016

But troubling reports indicate his temperament and leadership style are incompatible with ICANN's collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance--

Göran Marby, new ICANN CEO (ICANN photo)
UPDATE: According to Wikipedia (English translation): Göran Marby - Wikipedia: "In June 2015 representatives of several telecom operators addressed extensive criticism of the way Göran Marby leads PTS, which meant that he drives authority in an unprofessional manner and autocratically. He reportedly has also acted inappropriately and threatening towards both employees and the representatives of the telecommunications industry and journalists." Reference: June 10, 2015: Sharp criticism of the Swedish Post and Telecom Agency's Director General - News (echo) | Sweden's Radio: " The Swedish telecommunications industry expressed a huge dissatisfaction with the Director General of Post and Telecom Agency, Goran Marby. Many believe that he runs authority in an unprofessional manner. The sources also say that Marby even acted menacingly in different situations... One case involves journalist Mats Sjödin , which monitors the telecommunications industry ...  'He came up to me and grabbed my shoulder, and said that "you can not ask me about my staff, because then I can be very aggressive. I can be really aggressive," and so he pushed me on the shoulder.'- I took great offense ... It was a direct threat, and that was additionally physical, says Mats Sjödin. The echo has for several weeks been trying to get an interview with Göran Marby, but he declined to respond to criticism and accusations. Yesterday, outside the Ministry of Industry, we met him briefly. But he answered with silence. After several minutes to respond to questions with silence he disappears behind the guard at the ministry... Bahnhof CEO Jon Karlung requires that the PTS Director General resigns and says that he has created a climate in which no one in the industry dares to criticize ..." (English translation)
--end of UPDATE--

ICANN  announced February 8, 2016, its new President and CEO to replace Fadi Chehade: "Göran Marby an experienced business executive and government leader has been named the next President and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

""I'm delighted to announce Göran as the new head of ICANN," said Dr. Stephen Crocker, Chair of the ICANN Board of Directors. "His leadership experience as a technology CEO and start up founder as well as his current experience as Director-General of the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority will be invaluable as ICANN moves towards the next chapter in its history. We conducted an extensive, global search and Göran impressed us all throughout with his shared values, operational experience and understanding of the Internet ecosystem. I'm looking forward to working with him and what I know will be his substantial contribution to ICANN and to helping ensure a stable, secure and unified global Internet."

 "Marby is a Swedish citizen, currently living in Stockholm. He and his family will be relocating to Los Angeles, California the location of one of ICANN's three global hubs.

 ""I am very excited to be joining ICANN and joining at the start of a new era for the organization and the community," said Marby. "While I know there is much for me to learn, I am eager to work with ICANN's multistakeholder community to continue all the good work that ICANN has been doing and am very committed to implementing the community's decisions – both with respect to the IANA Stewardship Transition, but also in the myriad important areas of ICANN policy development as it fulfills its mission."

 "Marby will succeed current President and CEO Fadi Chehadé whose term finishes on March 15, 2016. Marby will join ICANN in May 2016. During this time, Akram Atallah, President of ICANN's Global Domains Division will serve as acting CEO. "I am very grateful to Akram for agreeing to step into this role and providing the continuity and leadership ICANN needs at such an important time," said Dr Crocker.

 "Göran Marby has more than 20 years of experience in the Internet and technology sectors. Prior to joining PTS he co-founded AppGate Network Security AB a security software company where he served as CEO between 2002 and 2009 with a focus on international customers and operations. He has held several other leadership roles in the Internet and technology sectors including as CEO of Cygate a network services company, Country Manager for Cisco in Sweden and as CEO of Unisource Business Networks in Sweden. Marby holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Gothenburg School Economics." source: ICANN press release (emphasis added)

According to his biography posted on ICANN.org:

Göran Marby brings over 20 years experience as a senior executive in the Internet and technology sector, as well as his leadership as Director General at the independent regulatory body Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PST), where he worked closely with international organizations and standards bodies.

 Prior to this, he served as CEO and founder of Appgate, a Swedish security software company (now Cryptzone in the U.S), where he grew the organization to a global company with customers in 35 countries and operations in the U.S.

 Before his seven years at Appgate, he was CEO for the advanced networks company Cygate Group (now owned by TeliaSonera) where he spearheaded operations in five countries with revenues in the range of 120 million euros. And as Country Manager for Cisco in Sweden, Marby led sales of all products and services.

 He currently serves on several Boards including: The Swedish Broadband Forum, The Swedish E-identification Board and the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).

 Marby, age 53, holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics and Law, and is married with three kids. He is fluent in English and Swedish and is a Swedish national.




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2015-08-12

ICANN, Public Interest, New gTLDs Registry Operator Code of Conduct

ICANN essentially "caved" to new gTLDs lobbyists (a/k/a "ICANN stakeholders") and failed to protect the public interest, including, but not limited to, domain name registrants, in its "New gTLD Registry Operator Code of Conduct" which is found in "Specification 9" of the Base Registry Agreement (Specification 9 is at pages 80-81)--relevant  portions below:

SPECIFICATION 9
REGISTRY OPERATOR CODE OF CONDUCT

 1. In connection with the operation of the registry for the TLD, Registry Operator will not, and will not allow any parent, subsidiary, Affiliate, subcontractor or other related entity, to the extent such party is engaged in the provision of Registry Services with respect to the TLD (each, a “Registry Related Party”), to: 
a. directly or indirectly show any preference or provide any special consideration to any registrar with respect to operational access to registry systems and related registry services, unless comparable opportunities to qualify for such preferences or considerations are made available to all registrars on substantially similar terms and subject to substantially similar conditions;

 b. register domain names in its own right, except for names registered through an ICANN accredited registrar; provided, however, that Registry Operator may (a) reserve names from registration pursuant to Section 2.6 of the Agreement and (b) may withhold from registration or allocate to Registry Operator up to one hundred (100) names pursuant to Section 3.2 of Specification 5;

 c. register names in the TLD or sub-domains of the TLD based upon proprietary access to information about searches or resolution requests by consumers for domain names not yet registered (commonly known as, “front-running”); or
d. allow any Affiliated registrar to disclose Personal Data about registrants to Registry Operator or any Registry Related Party, except as reasonably necessary for the management and operations of the TLD, unless all unrelated third parties (including other registry operators) are given equivalent access to such user data on substantially similar terms and subject to substantially similar conditions.
2. If Registry Operator or a Registry Related Party also operates as a provider of registrar or registrar-reseller services, Registry Operator will, or will cause such Registry Related Party to, ensure that such services are offered through a legal entity separate from Registry Operator, and maintain separate books of accounts with respect to its registrar or registrar-reseller operations. 
(source: http://newgtlds.icann.org/sites/default/files/agreements/agreement-approved-09jan14-en.pdf: paragraphs 3-6, pp.80-81, contain nothing else of substance to registrants)

And what is the purported purpose of ICANN's Registry Operator Code of Conduct?

Code of Conduct FAQ [PDF, 456 KB]:
A3: The purpose of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct is to protect a TLD’s registrants.
A15: If a Registry Operator receives an exemption to the Code of Conduct, it is not contractually obligated to comply with the covenants in Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Specification 9 of the Registry Agreement. 

 This must be some kind of "joke" if ICANN thinks new gTLD domain name registrants are "protected" by this "Code of Conduct"--no wonder ICANN's Global Domains Division, its President Akram Atallah, its General Counsel John Jeffrey, and its Contract Compliance Officer Allen Grogan, were all stumped and befuddled when confronted with claims of the IPC and ICANN's Business Constituency about abusive practices by an ICANN new gTLD Registry operator-- or what Akram Atallah refers to as an "ICANN customer." ICANN wrote to the FTC (US) and OCA (Canada) asking for help because ICANN forgot to put any teeth into its Code of Conduct! To date nothing has been done--so much for registrant protection!

The ICANN Global Domains Division must be the most inept, incompetent and/or dysfunctional part of ICANN. Akram Atallah is a crony of outgoing ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade and had no experience in the domain name industry before he was appointed ICANN's "President" (yes, ICANN decided to have 2 Presidents!) coincident with the creation of the "Global Domains Division" by empire builder Fadi Chehade--i.e., Akram got Fadi hired as ICANN CEO and President, and in turn, Fadi appointed his lifelong friend and crony Akram to the newly created "President" Global Domains Division which pays a total comp package (including benefits) approaching one million dollars (USD) per year.

The rampant conflicts of interest at play in the new gTLDs program within ICANN are well known, all of which are symptomatic of ICANN's problematic organizational culture. Fixing "organizational culture" is really hard, and impossible when the two top officers are part of the problem. As Peter Thiel once said, "You'd have to fire everybody and start over."

 For Domain Name Registrants, ICANN is useless--better to just file a complaint directly with the Federal Trade Comission (FTC).

See also on Domain Mondo: ICANN, Domain Registry Operators, Monopoly, Antitrust, FTC Statement

 ref: https://www.icann.org/news/blog/new-gtld-registry-operator-code-of-conduct


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2015-07-23

What Does That July 29th Deadline Mean For .brand TLD Applicants?

photo of Akram Atallah, ICANN Global Domains Division President
Akram Atallah, ICANN Global Domains Division President
(source: ICANNphotos - License CC BY-SA 2.0)
Why is this man smiling?

Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: Google's handling of new top level domains: "Q: Will a .BRAND TLD be given any more or less weight than a .com? A: No. Those TLDs will be treated the same as other gTLDs. They will require the same geotargeting settings and configuration, and they won’t have more weight or influence in the way we crawl, index, or rank URLs."
"The idea that a brand needs its own TLD must be the biggest con ever perpetrated by domain consultants." -- Ken Schafer
What does that July 29th deadline mean for .brand TLD applicants? In short, it means the deadline to execute a Registry Agreement with ICANN for almost two hundred "brand" names, with more money than good sense, having already wasted a lot of money applying for their very own spanking new "brand" gTLD that probably will "fail to work as expected on the internet," or "break stuff," and has no, nada, SEO advantage when it comes to Google search. Where can one go to get a refund? Well, you can probably forget about getting any refund from that "domain name consultant" or registry services rep a/k/a "trusted advisor" a/k/a snake oil salesman who talked your lamebrained CTO or CIO or other staff member(s) into "applying" for that mostly useless, worthless top-level domain, that hardly any major "brand" company uses as its principal domain name, even today. It was all just another "predatory shakedown scheme" hatched by the Global Domains Division of ICANN together with those ICANN "stakeholders" who stood to profit from your stupidity and gullibility. Note that Mark Zuckerberg, Chairman and CEO of Facebook (along with many others in Silicon Valley) refused to be "suckered"--there is no dot FACEBOOK--and Mark is probably laughing at all of you reluctant .brand TLD applicants facing the July 29th deadline to sign a Registry Agreement with ICANN, which will obligate your company to pay thousands and thousands of dollars per year indefinitely into the future, instead of just doing what Zuckerberg and most "brand" registrants do, which is pay about $10 per year for the best top-level domain (TLD) god ever created--the global "gold standard in domain names"--a dot COM domain name.

But heck, you've got plenty of money to throw away, go ahead, sign the Registry Agreement, and tell Akram that Domain Mondo says hello!


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2015-07-09

Comments Overwhelmingly Oppose URS for CAT and PRO gTLDs

Comments closed 7 Jul 2015 23:59 UTC on:

  • Proposed Renewal of .CAT Sponsored TLD Registry Agreement--all comments are here. 
  • Proposed Renewal of .PRO Unsponsored Registry Agreement--all comments are here.

    • ICANN staff has only one supporter--Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC)--the trademark lobbyist (a/k/a stakeholder) organization within ICANN whose President, Trademark Attorney Greg Shatan, filed the lone comment "supporting" ICANN staff's attempt to apply new gTLDs' URS provisions in the renewal of incumbent gTLDs registry agreements. Even the ICANN Business Constituency (BC) filed an "opposition" comment, stating, in part:
    "... our concern is that a unilateral decision by ICANN contractual staff to take the new gTLD registry agreement as the starting point for renewal RAs for legacy gTLDs has the effect of transforming the PDDRP and the URS into de facto Consensus Policies without following the procedures laid out in ICANN’s Bylaws for their creation. The fact that these RPMs are present in all three proposed renewal RAs referenced in this letter reinforces that conclusion..." (emphasis added)
    In Domain Mondo's opinion, the unilateral actions taken by ICANN staff in recent months raise legitimate questions as to whether Intellectual Property stakeholders may be exercising undue influence over ICANN officers and staff--how else to explain: (1) ICANN staff's attempt to bypass policy-making procedures and bylaw requirements (see BC comment above) and apply the URS in three incumbent gTLD RAs--.TRAVEL, .CAT, .PRO--as well as (2) ICANN officers and staff's attempt to throw under the bus dotSUCKS Registry Operator Vox Populi without any finding of breach of the Registry Agreement or other wrongdoing, but just because the IPC sent ICANN one letter? Why didn't ICANN just respond by telling the IPC to file a complaint with the FTC or OCA? If the IPC (or any special interest stakeholder group within ICANN) says "jump," do ICANN officers and staff only ask "how high?" The entire world saw what the US Federal Trade Commission and Canada's OCA thought of the whole ICANN dotSUCKS fiasco.

    To be clear, this has nothing to do with the merits of the various positions taken by the IPC, some of which Domain Mondo happens to agree with, e.g., who is in favor of exorbitant or extortionate domain name registration pricing schemes? Certainly not domain name registrants! No, this is about integrity of process, transparency, accountability.

    Questions:
    1. Is this any way to run a global multi-stakeholder organization that claims it is ready to be "free of US government oversight"?
    2. Doesn't the global multi-stakeholder community deserve better performance from ICANN staff and officers than indicated above?
    The "ICANN Staff Report" is already way "overdue" on .TRAVEL with no explanation on the ICANN website. What are they waiting for? Who are they conferring with? Are ICANN Officers and staff plotting strategy with interested stakeholders? We have no way of knowing. This is ICANN transparency and accountability?

    In most organizations the rot starts at the top. "Accountability," is a word ICANN loves to preach, but rarely practices. And, unfortunately, the ICANN Board of Directors has allowed ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade to laden ICANN with his personal "cronies" in most top positions--a burden for the next ICANN CEO to deal with, along with ICANN's out-of-control spending, including lavish salaries and benefits. The ICANN Board needs to start holding ICANN staff and officers accountable by asking some direct questions of ICANN Global Domains Division President Akram Atallah. If the Board can't get straight answers and reasonable explanations by those in leadership positions, then perhaps the Board needs to start taking action by telling Akram Atallah (or others) to follow, or precede, "his buddy" Fadi Chehade "out the door." That's called real "accountability."

    For additional background, see on Domain Mondo:

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    2015-06-15

    dotSUCKS Dead End? Canada's "Big John" Rebuffs ICANN, Now What?

    Photo of Akram Attalah, President of ICANN's Global Domains Division
    Akram Attalah, President of
    ICANN's Global Domains Division
    UPDATE: Close of the TMCH Sunrise Period for dotSUCKS domain names is June 19th at 00:01 UTC. General Availability* starts June 21st at 00:01 UTC -- source: dotSucks Domain Name Registry

    *'[Registry] operators are free to make their domains available to the public; a period called General Availability.'--source: Dawn of a New Internet Era | ICANN New gTLDs by Akram Attalah, President of ICANN's Global Domains Division (see photo--photo source: ICANN) @AkramAtallah

    For information on where to get dotSUCKS domain names starting June 21, 2015: https://www.registry.sucks/registrars
    Industry Canada, Big Data, and John Knubley, Deputy Minister of Industry (Canada), who is simply known as "Big John" around Ottawa according to Domain Mondo's Canadian sources, discusses the government's adoption of big data and focus on promoting education in the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), in the video above, published April 17, 2014.

    Photo of Canada's John Knubley shaking hands with Kathleen Merrigan USDA
    Canada's "Big John" Knubley is a busy man--photo above:
    John Knubley shakes hands with Kathleen Merrigan USDA
    [2012 USDA photo by Bob Nichols]
    The brain trust at ICANN came up with the bright idea of trying to pass off the dotSUCKS controversy to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs (OCA). See: The dot SUCKS Conundrum: ICANN, FTC, OCA, New gTLD Domains. ICANN received a letter in response from Edith Ramirez, Chair of the FTC, who reminded ICANN it had ignored all the sound advice the FTC had given ICANN about the new gTLDs program, and then proceeded to rub salt into the wound by lecturing ICANN on how to protect consumers. See: Dot SUCKS: FTC Lectures ICANN On How To Protect Consumers

    ICANN's last remaining hope was Canada-- 

    Whatever the ICANN brain trust was looking for from Canada's Office of Consurmer Affairs (OCA), Domain Mondo is pretty sure they didn't get it--below is the body of the letter that Canada's Deputy Minister of Industry, John Knubley, sent back to ICANN's General Counsel--Big John is obviously an experienced government minister who has mastered the fine bureaucratic art of "responding without responding" and wasn't about to endanger his career nor risk public embarrassment or humiliation by getting sucked into ICANN's dotSUCKS problems:

    graphic: Canada's Letter Responding to ICANN re: dotSUCKS
    Above: Canada's "Big John" Knubley's Letter Responding to ICANN re: dotSUCKS
    This appears to be a modified form letter sent in order to close the file and move on to more important matters--John is obviously a busy man and has more important things to attend to (see video, photo, tweet above, and tweet, video below).



    What Now ICANN?

     See also: Frank Schilling's Uniregistry Is An Investor in New gTLD dot SUCKS
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    2015-02-08

    ICANN 52 Singapore, International News Conference

    ICANN President and CEO Fadi Chehadé will join Board Chair Dr. Stephen D. Crocker, Global Domains Division President Akram Atallah and Vice President and Managing Director of Asia Pacific (APAC) Yu-Chuang Kuek in responding to journalists' questions during an international news conference. They will address a wide range of issues, including the current status of the IANA stewardship transition and the continued delegation of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs).
    ICANN52 | Singapore
    Full Schedule: Feb 6-13
    Singapore Date and Time:
    WHO: Fadi Chehadé, President and CEO, Dr. Stephen Crocker, Chair of the Board of Directors, Akram Atallah, President of ICANN's Global Domains Division, and Yu-Chuang Kuek, Vice President and Managing Director for Asia Pacific (APAC).

    WHEN: Monday, 9 February 13:00 P.M. – 14:00 P.M. SGT (0500 – 0600 UTC)

    OFF-SITE ACCESS: A live webcast may be accessed at https://icann.adobeconnect.com/sin52-press/.

    Telephone access may be obtained by dialling an international access number obtained from this list http://goo.gl/arhucw. The toll free access number in the U.S. is +1 (719) 457-6209. Once you have reached the conferencing center, dial 364 624 6532.

    A recording of the news conference will be posted to the press page of the ICANN web site (http://www.icann.org/en/news/press) after the event.

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