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Toward
that end, a series of consultations with industry
leaders, legal experts, and stakeholders was
conducted with the goal of identifying best
practices, establishing areas of consensus, and
pinpointing potential improvements to the policy.
The project team, coordinated by Zak Muscovitch
(General Counsel to the ICA) and Brian Beckham
(WIPO) team, called on experts and UDRP stakeholders
from around the world.
The Final
Report (PDF file) is now being
shared, including submission to ICANN for
consideration in any future UDRP review undertaken
by its Generic
Names Supporting Organization (GNSO). By
clearly identifying where stakeholder agreement and
disagreement lie, this independent report is
expected to significantly benefit and streamline
ICANN’s official review process, ensuring any
future changes are well-informed and reflective of
community input.
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When I saw this
news my first thought was how fortunate it
was for those of us in the domain investment
community that a handful of forward-thinking
people came together to form the Internet
Commerce Association in 2006. Prior to
that - and many years after while the ICA
went about the hard work of building a
viable organization and gaining traction -
the interests of domain investors were often
an afterthought (at best) in UDRP
proceedings. The idea that we would one day
have equal representation at the table was
almost inconceivable. It was a long and
often rocky road but that day finally
arrived thanks to the tireless efforts
of Zak, Executive Director Kamila
Sekiewicz, the ICA Board, leadership
team and its members
around the world.
Further proof
is found in the list of experts who played
key roles on the joint ICA/WIPO project
team. On it are many names that are
very well-known in our industry,
including Nat Cohen, Paul Keating,
Jason Schaeffer and Marc Trachtenberg
to name a few (the full list is in the ICA
announcement. |
Zak
Muscovitch
ICA General Counsel |
If this
piques your interest in the ICA and you are in this
profession, the non-profit organization that fights
to protect domain owner's rights would certainly
welcome your support. This would be a great
time to join too, just in time for
the ICA's
annual meeting coming up January
15-17 in Las Vegas.
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