ICANN Litigation Update: .AFRICA, IRP & CEP Status Report .WEB

ICANN litigation, IRP, CEP,  Reconsideration Requests status update:

1. New gTLD .AFRICA
DotConnectAfrica Trust vs Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and Intervenor ZA Central Registry (ZACR)
Case Number: BC607494, California State Superior Court, County of Los Angeles
Filing Date: 01/20/2016
Case Type: Other Commercial/Business Tort (General Jurisdiction)
Status: Pending
UPDATE 3 Jan 2017: ICANN not enjoined from delegating .AFRICA by California State Superior Court Judge
Future Hearings: 01/23/2017 at 08:30 am in department 53 at 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Conference-Case Management (to set Trial date).

Parties & Counsel:

DOTCONNECTAFRICA TRUST - Plaintiff/Petitioner

BROWN NERI SMITH & KHAN LLP - Attorney for Plaintiff/Petitioner

SCHANTZ LAW FIRM - Attorney for Plaintiff/Petitioner

INTERNET CORPORATION FOR ASSIGNED NAMES - Defendant/Respondent
JONES DAY - Attorney for Deft/Respnt

ZA CENTRAL REGISTRY NPC - Intervenor
KESSELMAN BRANTLY STOCKINGER LLP - Attorney for Intervenor

DOES 1 THROUGH 50 - Defendant/Respondent

Documents Filed: listing at https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/dca-v-icann-2016-01-26-en and  12/22/2016 Declaration (Exhibit F  to the Declaration of Mokgabudi Lucky Masilela [Filed Under Seal Per Order Of 12-22-16] ) filed by Intervenor

More information:

• New gTLD AFRICA Redux: DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN and ZACR | DomainMondo.com 16 December 2016
• .AFRICA, .WEB, ICANN Litigation Update, IRP & CEP Status Report | DomainMondo.com 15 November 2016
• News Review: dotAFRICA, Public Interest, Judge Holds ICANN Accountable | DomainMondo.com 17 April 2016
• DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN (Trial Court Proceeding) | ICANN.org  

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2. New gTLD .WEB--Ruby Glen, LLC v. ICANN--Final Judgment (pdf) 28 November 2016, all of the claims asserted by plaintiff Ruby Glen, LLC (an affiliate of Donuts Inc.) dismissed with prejudice.

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3.  ccTLDs .IR (IRAN), .SY (Syria), .KP (North Korea)--Ben Haim v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Stern v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Weinstein v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Wyatt v. Syrian Arab Republic --Motions for rehearing and hearing en banc denied 19 Sep 2016.  Formal Mandate of U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. (pdf) 27 September 2016. 

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4. ICANN Cooperative Engagement Process (CEP) And Independent Review Process (IRP) Status Report:

• Active CEP: .GCC, .SPORTS, .PERSIANGULF, .SPA, .CPA, .WEB, .MUSIC
• Active IRP: .SPORT, .ISLAM, .HALAL, .SHOP,  .AMAZON 

CEP & IRP Status Update (pdf) as of 22 December 2016 embed below (highlighting added).

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5. 2016 Reconsideration Requests Status Update – 22 December 2016 (pdf) embed below:

References / sources:

• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/litigation-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accountability/irp-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accountability/reconsideration-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/mechanisms-2014-03-20-en.

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DISCLAIMER

.AFRICA, .WEB, ICANN Litigation Update, IRP & CEP Status Report

ICANN active litigation status update:

1. New gTLD .AFRICA--DotConnectAfrica Trust vs. ICANN and ZACR (trial court proceeding and interlocutory appeal)--case remanded to California state court for lack of subject matter jurisdiction by U.S. District Court Judge (pdf), Notice of Remand (pdf) filed by ICANN, October 25, 2016, and ICANN's Reply Memorandum Regarding the District Court's Lack of Jurisdiction (pdf) filed November 7, 2016, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

2. New gTLD .WEB--Ruby Glen, LLC v. ICANN--legal action filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California by Ruby Glen, LLC, affiliate of Donuts. Status: Motion to Dismiss filed by ICANN on October 26, 2016, hearing scheduled for November 28, 2016.

3.  ccTLDs .IR (IRAN), .SY (Syria), .KP (North Korea)--Ben Haim v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Stern v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Weinstein v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Wyatt v. Syrian Arab Republic--Consolidated legal actions filed in U.S. federal courts to judicially attach ccTLDs in satisfaction of civil judgments of Plaintiffs/Appellants--Status: On appeal, DC Circuit Court of Appeals (pdf) affirmed judgment of District Court (on alternative grounds) that ccTLDs are not subject to judicial attachment. Formal Mandate of U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. (pdf) 27 September 2016. Motions for rehearing and hearing en banc denied. Possible next step, Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court (pdf), within 90 days after denial of rehearing (September 19, 2016).

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ICANN Cooperative Engagement Process (CEP) And Independent Review Process (IRP) Status Report: The Cooperative Engagement Process (CEP) is a process voluntarily invoked by a complainant prior to the filing of an Independent Review Process (IRP) for the purpose of resolving or narrowing the issues that are contemplated to be brought to the IRP. (See ICANN Bylaws, Art. 4 §4.3(e).) The requesting party may invoke the CEP by providing written notice to ICANN, noting the invocation of the process, identifying the Board action(s) at issue, identifying the provisions of the ICANN Bylaws or Articles of Incorporation that are alleged to be violated, and designating a single point of contact for the resolution of the issue. More info about CEP and IRP processes here (pdf).

• Active CEP: .GCC, .SPORTS, .PERSIANGULF, .SPA, .CPA, .WEB, .MUSIC
• Active IRP: .SPORT, .ISLAM, .HALAL, .SHOP,  .AMAZON

CEP & IRP Status Update (pdf) as of 9 November 2016 embedded below (highlighting added).

References:

• Previous litigation, IRP & CEP status report on Domain Mondo, Sep 6, 2016
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/litigation-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accountability/irp-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/mechanisms-2014-03-20-en.

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DISCLAIMER

ICANN Litigation, Cooperative Engagement, and IRP Status Update

UPDATES (links provided further below):
1) ICANN response to Ruby Glen's Amended Complaint: Motion to Dismiss filed Oct. 26, 2016;
2) .AFRICA case remanded to California State Court by U.S. District Court Judge Oct 21, 2016;
3) Appellants Petition for Rehearing En Banc DENIED by Court of Appeals in Weinstein vs Iran;

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Status Update: 1) ICANN Litigation; and 2) Cooperative Engagement Process (CEP) and Independent Review Process (IRP), in accordance with the sources referenced below:

1) Litigation:

•  Ruby Glen, LLC v. ICANN lawsuit filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California. Issue: new gTLD .WEB. Status: Plaintiff's motion for TRO denied; Plaintiff filed amended complaint on August 8, 2016. ICANN has until September 26, 2016 (pdf)--UPDATE--Wednesday, October 26, 2016 (pdf) to "answer, move to dismiss or otherwise respond to the Amended Complaint."  See on Domain Mondo: New gTLD WEB Loser, Ruby Glen, Files Amended Complaint vs ICANN.
UPDATE October 26 Ruby Glen, LLC v. ICANN:

• ICANN's Notice of Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint [PDF, 120 KB]
• ICANN's Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Motion to Dismiss First Amended Complaint [PDF, 262 KB] 26 October 2016
• Plaintiff's Notice of Motion and Motion for Leave to Take Third Party Discovery or, in the Alternative, Motion for the Court to Issue a Scheduling Order [PDF, 305 KB]
• Declaration of Paula Zecchini [PDF, 322 KB]
• Exhibits A to C [PDF, 8.46 MB]

•  DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN lawsuit filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California. Issue: new gTLD .AFRICA. Status: jury trial (10-12 days) scheduled to begin February 28, 2017. Appeals of the preliminary injunction enjoining delegation of new gTLD .AFRICA, have been taken by ICANN and ZA Central Registry (ZACR). The appeals are now consolidated and pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Optional reply briefs are due September 9, 2016, and new gTLD applicant Dot Registry LLC has filed a motion for leave to file amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in support of DCA Trust on the issue of the enforceability of the ICANN "Release" in the new gTLD guidebook (pdf), required of all new gTLD applicants. See on Domain Mondo: New gTLD AFRICA Appeal: DCA Trust Answering Brief vs ICANN & ZACR. Dismissed defendant and appellant, ZACR, has also filed a motion to intervene in the U.S. District Court, to which Plaintiff responded August 29, 2016 (pdf)(highlighting added).

UPDATE DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN Trial Court Proceeding:

• Order Directing Parties to File Additional Briefing Regarding Indispensable Party [PDF, 18 KB] 22 September 2016
• Plaintiff's Supplemental Regarding Indispensable Party [PDF, 415 KB] 27 September 2016
• ICANN's Supplemental Brief Regarding Indispensable Party [PDF, 94 KB] 27 September 2016
• ZACR's Supplemental Brief Regarding Indispensable Party [PDF, 61 KB] 27 September 2016
• October 21: 1) AFRICA: DCA Trust vs ICANN & ZACR Case Remanded To California Court and 2) DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN (Appellate Court Proceeding) ICANN's Memorandum Regarding the District Court's Lack of Jurisdiction [PDF, 330 KB]
• *October 25: Notice of Remand [PDF, 482 KB] 

•  Ben Haim v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Stern v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Weinstein v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Wyatt v. Syrian Arab Republic filed in United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Issue: whether ccTLDs .IR (IRAN), .SY (SYRIA), and .KP (North Korea), are property subject to judicial attachment. Status: US Court of Appeals Decision on August 2, 2016, affirming District Court that the ccTLDs are not subject to judicial attachment, handing ICANN and the "global community" a legal victory in a case that potentially could have jeopardized the IANA stewardship transition. Order and Judgment entered August 2, 2016 (pdf), by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Appellants have 90 days to file a petition for writ of certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court (see U.S. Supreme Court Rule 13). See on Domain Mondo: US Court of Appeals Decision re: ICANN & Iran, Syria, North Korea ccTLDs.

UPDATE: Petition for Rehearing En Banc:

“Relying on conjecture, it [D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals] significantly solidified ICANN’s monopoly over Internet governance (antagonizing many small Internet participants who have been bullied by ICANN over many years), massively altered the waiver doctrine, impaired the operation of 28 U.S.C. 1610(g), and injured judgment creditors who must recover their judgments from third-party garnishees.”--Appellants' Petition for Panel Rehearing and Hearing En Banc filed 31 August 2016, Weinstein et al. vs Islamic Republic of Iran et al. , U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C., (pdf 434 KB, highlighting added). 

UPDATE 19 Sep 2016: Order Denying Appellants’ Petition for Rehearing En Banc [PDF, 53 KB] 19 September 2016; and Order Denying Appellants’ Petition for Panel Rehearing [PDF, 53 KB] 19 September 2016. Formal Mandate of U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. [PDF, 54 KB] 27 September 2016.

2) Cooperative Engagement Processes (CEP) and Independent Review Processes (IRP) Status update as of August 22, 2016, via ICANN (pdf) embedded below (highlighting added):

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UPDATE: CEP and IRP Status Update – 26 September 2016 [PDF, 535 KB]
References:

• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/litigation-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accountability/irp-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/mechanisms-2014-03-20-en.

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DISCLAIMER

ICANN Pending Litigation and IRP Status Report as of 1 June 2016

As of June 1, 2016, all pending litigation and Independent Review Processes (IRPs) involving the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California non-profit corporation, deal with ICANN's problematic new gTLDs program, with the exception of a pending U.S. Court of Appeals decision concerning ccTLDs of IRAN (.IR), Syria (.SY), and North Korea (.KP)--see Ben Haim et al below:

Pending ICANN Litigation:

• DotConnectAfrica Trust v. ICANN and ZA Central Registry (ZACR) - action filed in United States District Court for the Central District of California at Los Angeles (D.C. No. 2:16-cv-00862-RGK-JC) - Interlocutory Appeal filed by ICANN, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Case No. 16-55693 - pending Motion to Reconsider and Vacate Preliminary Injunction, District Court hearing June 6, 2016 - Issue: new gTLD .AFRICA.

• Ben Haim v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Calderon-Cardona v. Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Stern v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Weinstein v. Islamic Republic of Iran; Wyatt v. Syrian Arab Republic - action filed in United States District Court for the District of Columbia - Oral Arguments held January 21, 2016, Case Nos. 14-7193 (Lead), 14-7194, 14-7195, 14-7198, 14-7202, 14-7203, 14-7204, in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Washington D.C. - Issue: attachment/garnishment of ccTLDs .IR (IRAN), .SY (Syria), and .KP (North Korea).

Independent Review Processes (IRP), ICANN Status Update, 1 June 2016 (pdf):

According to ICANN, the Independent Review Process (IRP) "is a process by which any person materially affected by a decision or action by the Board that he or she asserts is inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws may submit a request for independent review of that decision or action. (See Bylaws, Art. IV, § 3.) In order to be materially affected, the person must suffer injury or harm that is directly and causally connected to the Board's alleged violation of the Bylaws or the Articles of Incorporation, and not as a result of third parties acting in line with the Board's action." 

In addition, there are pending Cooperative Engagement Processes (CEP):

Further info is available at: 

• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/governance/litigation-en
• CEP and IRP Status Update – 01 June 2016 [PDF, 528 KB]
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accountability/irp-en
• https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/mechanisms-2014-03-20-en.

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