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 …

ICANN 52: A Proposal for Creation of “Community Veto” Process on ICANN Board’s Key Decisions

By Robin Gross on CircleID Below is the text of a proposal made today to ICANN’s Cross Community Working Group on Accountability (CCWG-ACCT) to create a community veto process over certain key decisions of ICANN’s board of directors. This community veto process could be created by amending ICANN’s existing corporate bylaws, which should also be amended …

Purported ZACR’s 1M domain registrations, as price hikes in march 2015: “I’m definitely moving to .com”

South Africa’s ccTLD manager ZA Central Registry (ZACR) has informed its domain registrars according to a report in the South African technology news site My Broadband of an imminent hike in the domain name prices for registering or renewing co.za, org.za, net.za, and web.za from 1 March 2015, the ZA. ZACR CEO Lucky Masilela said …

Lawrence Strickling: “There is no hard and fast deadline for transition”….U.S. Must Be Prepared to Renew the ICANN Contract

As written by Brett D. Schaefer, Paul S. Rosenzweig and James L. Gattuso on Heritage.org Time Is Running Out: The U.S. Must Be Prepared to Renew the ICANN Contract Last March, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an arm of the Commerce Department, announced that it intended to “transition key Internet domain name functions …

Senator John Thune on ICANN: “There is much oversight that Congress and my committee must do…”

As reported on internetcommerce.org Senate Commerce Committee Plans ICANN Oversight Hearing Elections do have consequences. Last year outgoing Senate Commerce Committee Chairman (D-WV) Jay Rockefeller resisted member requests to engage in oversight on the Obama Administration’s March 2014 announcement that it intended to end the U.S. counterparty role on the IANA functions contract and turn …

Senators Hatch and Blunt call for more awareness on issues of Internet governance

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, chairman of the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force, and Sen. Roy Blunt, member of the Senate Commerce Committee, introduced a resolution Tuesday to increase awareness of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s announced intention to transition its stewardship role over the Internet’s domain name system to the global community. …

US congress proposes designating the week of Feb. 8 as Internet Governance Awareness Week. Coincides with ICANN52

As reported on the Hill byMario Trujillo Two Republican senators are hoping to shine a spotlight on the Commerce Department’s moves to hand off oversight of the system governing Internet addresses. GOP Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah) and Roy Blunt (Mo.) introduced a resolution Tuesday that would designate the week of Feb. 8 as Internet Governance …