Second House of Representatives “must pass” legislation amendment ups the stakes on ICANNTransition

The House of Representatives has passed another measure related to the proposed IANA functions transition, and has again attached it to “must pass” legislation. This move ups the ante and may well be the final straw that compels the Senate Commerce Committee to hold its own oversight hearing on the IANA transition proposal. On May …

ICANN: Contention Sets and New gTLD Auctions

Depending on the person, the word auction can bring to mind a dusty, hot structure full of livestock and a fast-talking announcer with a Western lilt to his voice or a cool, quiet room of well-dressed art patrons waiting for the next Impressionist masterpiece to be unveiled in a stately building on the Upper East …

SOPHIA BEKELE: Founder DCA Trust & Yes2dotAfrica speaks on Digital INNOVATION at NYF Africa

The NYF Africa 2014 focused on transformation: unlocking the competitiveness of the African economy through building value chains around the transformation of the continent’s natural resources, including its human capital. In knowledge economies, such as those in the western world, education is the foundation of economic competitiveness and global prosperity – and is inseparable from …

House of Representatives passes DOTCOM Act, Rubio Leads Senate Call for IANA Oversight Hearings

The Shimkus Amendment to the $601 billion National Defense Authorization Act (HR 4435) passed the House of Representatives on May 22nd by a mostly partisan vote of 245–177. While all 228 Republicans present and voting supported the amendment only 17 Democrats voted “aye”, with 177 in opposition. Final passage on the entire bill was a …

ICANN recommends to retain Verisign as root zone maintainer

Nine weeks have passed since the U.S. government announced its intention to transition stewardship of the IANA functions to the global community. This landmark announcement requires a measured, thoughtful approach for how we – the Internet community – will map a route to a successful transition. Together, we must pool our efforts with a goal …

US House of Representatives Votes to Protect Future of the Internet, Supports Rep. John Shimkus’s DOTCOM Act

Committee Worked to Include DOTCOM Act in Must-Pass Defense Authorization WASHINGTON, DC– The House of Representatives on May 22, 2014 voted to protect the future of the Internet by agreeing to Rep. John Shimkus’ (R-IL) amendment to the National Defense Authorization bill that mirrors language from the Domain Openness Through Continued Oversight Matters (DOTCOM) Act …

ICANN New gTLD Program Committee votes to halt .Amazon

ICANN published last night the minutes of the New gTLD Program Committee (NGPC) which following numerous GAC advice and voted down Amazon’s Application for .Amazon. Here is the resolution: “”Whereas, the GAC met during the ICANN 47 meeting in Durban and issued a Communiqué on 18 July 2013 (“Durban Communiqué”). Whereas, the GAC advised the …

WIPO meeting ends in disarray as EU rejects international solution to library and archive copyright problems

[Media Release] [Additional Quotes] Discussions by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright & Related Rights (SCCR) broke down in the early hours of Saturday morning 3 May, after the European Union (EU) attempted to block future discussion of copyright laws to aid libraries and archives fulfill their missions in the digital …