.Africa IRP Panel rules against ICANN: Says opportunistically sought to revisit agreed procedural framework

The DCA vs. ICANN Independent Review Process (IRP) Panel, has made yet another interim declaration that has gone against the express wishes of ICANN. It appears that the Panel saw through the ploy of ICANN, and agreed with DCA Trust’s argument that the IRP defendant wanted to “opportunistically” take advantage of the reconstitution of the …

MPAA, RIAA urge more action by ICANN on copyright infringement

In their continued fight against copyright infringement, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) are now turning their attention to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Last month, MPAA sent a letter to ICANN in which they urged the organization to take strong action …

Agreement signed for “.insurance” domain

The insurance industry should have access to the proposed Internet domain “.insurance” by late this year, according to the organization leading that initiative. Today, fTLD Registry Services LLC announced it has signed a contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to operate the “.insurance” generic top-level domain. Formed in 2011, fTLD …

Mali Gives Millions of Malians a New Internet Identity

BAMAKO, Mali–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mali, one of the largest countries in West Africa, has introduced the .ML domain name registry today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as a new Malaysian domain extension. AGETIC, the governmental agency responsible for Mali’s public infrastructure, is using new technologies to offer domain name registrations to all individuals and businesses in Malaysia at …

500+ New gTLDs Introduced to the Internet

A milestone has been reached in the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ controversial and ambitious generic top-level domain program. On February 6, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that more than 500 new generic top-level domain (gTLD) registries are now operational and offering domain name registrations. This marked a …

GAC’s role at ICANN should be a concern for brand holders

If there is one theme emanating from the current ICANN meeting in Singapore, it is the friction between the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) and other stakeholders. While the GAC may not be on the radar of many trademark counsel, the president of the International Trademark Association has warned that its role in the ICANN structure …

ICA Responds to ICANN CEO’s Davos Remarks on “Hogging Names” and “Cybersquatting”

During the recent World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, ICANN CEO engaged in an interview in which he touted the purported benefits of the new gTLD program. Unfortunately, in the course of those remarks he appeared to accuse domain portfolio owners of “hogging names” as well as equate them with “cybersquatters”. Many ICA members …