<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">FYI: Here's the text again:<div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Civil Society Comments on the Proposal of
the ICANN GAC Sub-Group on Geographic Names<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">December 2014<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Introduction and Summary<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Thank you for
this opportunity to provide comments on the proposal in the document entitled,
“The protection of geographic names in the new gTLDs process,” published by
ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Sub-group on Geographic Names regarding
future rounds of gTLDs and dated 29 August 2014.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn1" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We caution against the adoption of the
proposal because it would threaten to chill freedom of expression and other
lawful rights to use words in domain names, stifle innovation, and undermine
the multi-stakeholder model for Internet governance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The proposal is based on flawed presumptions
of law and “the public interest” and is entirely unworkable from a practical
standpoint.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The GAC sub-group
proposes that “geographic names should not be allowed to be registered as
gTLDs, unless requested by the relevant communities where they belong or after
a specific authorization given by the government or community to the applicant.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The national community and geographic meaning
of the requested strings as new gTLDs must prevail above any other interest.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal
asserts that ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook text should be amended to state: “ICANN
should avoid country, territory or place names, and country, territory or
regional language or people descriptions, unless in agreement with the relevant
governments or public authorities.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal
attempts to apply national law pertaining to geographic names to domain names,
although it goes much further, and re-asserts the controversial 2007 GAC
Principle: “New gTLDs should respect national sensitivities regarding terms
with national, cultural, geographic and religious significance.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>ICANN’s Board wisely rejected that 2007 GAC
Principle, which opens the door for governmental censorship of domain names.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Unfortunately this
proposal is based on fundamental misinterpretations of international law around
geographic names; it is overbroad, vague, arbitrary, and entirely unworkable in
practice.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Furthermore, it would severely
chill freedom of expression, innovation, and the free flow of information on
the Internet should the proposal become global domain name policy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">One of the
historical reasons the Internet has flourished is precisely because permission
was not required of governments before ideas were allowed to be expressed or
otherwise spread in the domain name system.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Yet this proposal undermines the principles of permissionless innovation
and freedom of expression by creating a “permission-required” domain name
system, although permission <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">from whom</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">for what</i> is entirely unknowable
in advance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Proposal Based on False Understandings
and Misapplications of Law<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Despite the
document’s labeling of this proposal as pertaining to “geographic names” there
is nothing in international law to support the proposal’s creation of new
worldwide exclusive rights to control the use <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T22:58">of </ins></span>words
in the domain name system.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal
misapplies trademark law and conflates national regulation of geographic
indicators with an exclusive worldwide right to regulate language in domain
names.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Legal rights regarding geographic
indicators only regulate the commercial use of marks in connection with
specific goods and services, and in only specific territories – <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T22:59">they
do </ins></span>not <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T22:59">create a blanket</ins></span> right to regulate the
use of words in the domain name system in all categories of goods and services,
and in all nations of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">International
law pertaining to the restriction of sovereign names and identifiers does not
recognize geographic names outside of a specific country’s borders.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The proposal ignores important territorial
restrictions and extends <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:00">protection</ins></span> to the entire world. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This proposal would create worldwide exclusive
rights for governments to regulate the use of words in domains that are not
legitimately based in any law.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Public Interest” Presumed Prematurely<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Besides the fundamental
misapplications of law, the proposal also relies upon questionable presumptions
of what is in the “public interest” and thus the most appropriate policy for
ICANN to pursue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">ICANN domain
name policy impact<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:01">s</ins></span> many diverse stakeholders <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:01">with</ins></span>
a variety of legitimate interests<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:01">,</ins></span>
including freedom of expression rights and other noncommercial interests,
commercial interests, and the interests of governments<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:02">.</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:06"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:02">A</ins></span>ll of <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:02">these
</ins></span>are supposedly balanced <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:02">in the policy
development process </ins></span>to reach a consensus that takes into account
all the stakeholders’ interests.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">In contrast, the
GAC document boldly asserts: “The national community and geographic meaning of
the requested strings as new gTLDs must prevail above any other interest.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>No argument is given for this proposition,
however.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">ICANN’s policy
development process was established to balance the various competing legitimate
interests, including the interests of governments, so it is not appropriate for
a GAC sub-group to presume that in that conversation among all interests that
the governments’ specific view would naturally prevail as “the public interest<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:03">.</ins></span>”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Let’s not skip the conversation <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:03">with
all stakeholders about </ins></span>what policy would best reflect the public
interest.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A discussion about the rights
of Internet users to free expression weighed against a government’s interest to
regulate words used in domain names would be a good starting point.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This proposal presumes that a single
stakeholder (the <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:04">GAC</ins></span>) is the exclusive arbiter of “the
global public interest”, a position that significantly undermines ICANN’s
multi-stakeholder policy development process.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Undermines Freedom of Expression Rights<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">One of the
biggest concerns with the proposal’s implementation is its chilling impact on
freedom of expression in the Internet domain name system. While the document
never uses the word, what it proposes in operation is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">censorship</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The proposal
entirely ignores freedom of expression rights in domain names and makes no
mention or consideration for those legitimate interests of Internet users in
its analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Since the
Internet’s inception, courts of law throughout the world have generally
recognized Internet users’ freedom of expression rights to use domain names.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Indeed the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) cites freedom of expression rights as one of the primary
reasons that there are so many disputes regarding the use of Internet domain
names.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Article 19 of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees everyone the right to
freedom of opinion and expression including the “freedom to hold opinions
without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas
through any media and regardless of frontiers.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>There is no exception made for exchanging ideas in the Internet domain
name space; indeed the guarantee is explicitly clear that free speech <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:05">rights
apply </ins></span>regardless of the type of media and the breadth of the reach
of the communication.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Article 19 of the
UNDHR speaks directly to the Internet age and global domain name policy,
although adopted the UN General Assembly <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:49">half a century</ins></span>
ago.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Other international legal
instruments such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
create similar free speech obligations, which are binding on nations to protect
the rights of Internet users to communicate freely on the Internet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:26">T</ins></span>he
GAC proposal ignores the existing new gTLD policy passed by ICANN’s GNSO
Council, including “Principle G”, which states, “The string evaluation process
must not infringe the applicant’s freedom of expression rights that are
protected under internationally recognized principles of law.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Recommendation 3 of ICANN’s “Implementation
Guidelines” reinforces the GNSO’s intention to respect domain name applicants’
freedom of expression rights in domain names.<a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn4" href="#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These initial protections built by the
GNSO to protect applicants’ free expression rights would be significantly
curtailed by the policy change proposed by the GAC sub-group.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Despite
longstanding internationally accepted and legally binding obligations to
protect freedom of expression and the GNSO’s effort to protect free expression
in the initial policy, the GAC proposal does not <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:06">even </ins></span>consider
these rights<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:06">,</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:06">nor does it consider
</ins></span>free expression <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:06">as furthering the
public interest </ins></span>anywhere in its analysis.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Important public
governance obligations, such as protection for free expression rights, cannot
be avoided simply by outsourcing governance functions to private corporations,
such as ICANN.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is no longer an
acceptable argument to claim that because ICANN is a private corporation, it
owes no obligation to protect Internet users’ free expression rights.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>ICANN undertakes public governance functions
and so will have to evolve its understanding of the responsibilities it has to
protect the fundamental rights of Internet users in its policies, especially if
it wishes to maintain those functions in the future.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Unworkable Practically: Too Broad, Uncertain,
and Vague</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Another
significant concern about the proposal to restrict geographic names is that it
is completely unworkable from a practical standpoint.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The proffered restriction on entire
categories of words in domain names is excessively broad, vague, uncertain, and
arbitrary.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Given the broad categories of
words restricted, the different meanings of words, and the many languages in
the world, it would be impossible to predict which words must receive advance
permission before ICANN will consider them in a gTLD application.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal
reach<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08">es</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08">too </ins></span>far
– it would restrict<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08"> </ins></span>any and all words that<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08">,</ins></span>
in a single government’s view<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08">,</ins></span> are
of “national interest”<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:08"> –</ins></span> including names of “regions of
countries, regions of continents, sub-regions of countries, rivers, mountains,
among others.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although not geographic
names per se, the GAC Sub-group’s proposed restrictions additionally extend to
words that describe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">people</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">languages</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How could any applicant realistically be
expected to know which words every government (or other relevant authority) in
the world lays claim to?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Obviously such
a policy is unworkable <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:09">due to </ins></span>the over<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:09">ly broad</ins></span>,
vague and uncertain abridgements on expression<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:09"> it would impose</ins></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Additionally<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:09">,</ins></span> the
proposal’s arbitrariness is ripe for abuse and confusion in the administration
of the domain name system.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal is
also problematic for its substantial lack of clarity regarding which “relevant
governments or public authorities” must provide permissions before a word can
be used in a domain name.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Take the simple
yet illustrative example of the Great Lakes Region and international waterway
straddling Canada and the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From whom
should an applicant obtain permission before the words “Great Lakes” can be
used in a gTLD?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Who are the “relevant governments
and authorities” that must provide permission before the gTLD can go forward in
such case?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Is it the government of the
United States<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:10">,</ins></span> Canada<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:10"> or both</ins></span>?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Perhaps the State of Michigan or the province
of Ontario must be consulted<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:10">, too</ins></span>. <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:31"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></ins></span>What about the sovereign Indian
Nations after which the Great Lakes of Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and Erie were
named – would their permission be required also should any application include
those words? <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The lack of clarity as to
which relevant authorities must provide advance permission for a gTLD
application to go forward and the lack of clarity as to which words require
advance permission render the proposal entirely unworkable from a practical
standpoint.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Under the GNSO’s
adopted policy, Recommendation 1 of its New gTLD Implementation Guidelines clearly
states that “all applicants…should be evaluated against transparent, and
predictable criteria, fully available to the applicants prior to the initiation
of the process… No subsequent selection criteria should be used in the
selection process.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>How the GAC
Sub-group’s proposal on geographic names could be adopted without repealing the
GNSO’s policy, which requires objectively knowable and predictable criteria<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:11">,</ins></span>
has not been discussed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">A Permission-Required DNS is</span></b><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Anti-Innovation</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Another
problematic aspect of the GAC Sub-group’s proposal on geographic names is the <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:11">number
</ins></span>and complexity of permissions required before gTLDs are allowed to
proceed<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:11">.</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:11">This </ins></span>will
have a stifling effect on innovation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>The proposal adds burdensome red-tape, will slow the development of the
Internet, and saddles consumers with higher costs<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:36"> and restricted choices</ins></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This plan basically creates a veto power that
any government or other relevant authority could exercise over any proposed
gTLD.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It invites politicization into the
DNS administration, which is <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:38">un</ins></span>healthy to the growth and
development of the Internet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Permissionless
innovation is a fundamental characteristic of the Internet that contributed
dramatically to its growth and beneficial development<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:12">.</ins></span> <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Robin%20Gross" datetime="2014-12-21T11:36"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:12">I</ins></span>t
would be unfortunate for ICANN to move the DNS into a permission-required
environment, where any government in the world can veto any gTLD which contains
a word it <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:12">unilaterally </ins></span>claims invokes national
sensitivities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">An analysis of
the possible benefits of the proposal weighed against the harms to innovation and
free expression would be an important step of any serious consideration of such
a policy’s adoption.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Inappropriate Forum - Policy Laundering?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">ICANN is an inappropriate
forum to undertake the creation of new “intellectual property like” global rights
to geographic names.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As a technical
coordinator, ICANN is not an international legal regime and<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:13"> its board</ins></span>
has neither <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:13">the </ins></span>expertise nor <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:13">the </ins></span>authority
to create new exclusive rights to categories of words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If the governments in the GAC Sub-group
believe there is a legitimate need for such new rights, those efforts should be
directed toward proper lawmaking <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:13">and treaty </ins></span>channels.
<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>International legal regimes such as the
World Trade Organization or WIPO were established by governments to harmonize
legal rights across borders and similar proposals around geographic names have
been debated for years at the WTO and have failed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Inventing
exclusive new global rights to words would seriously undermine ICANN’s
legitimacy and credibility to manage the domain name system.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At a time when many are watching ICANN to see
if it has matured enough to be cut lose from the US NTIA, opening itself up to
charges of “policy laundering” by inventing new rights to geographic names
would not help the organization’s credibility.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>While the proposal’s drafters may have some legitimate concerns
regarding the use of certain limited geographic names, ICANN is not the
appropriate forum for creating such new rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Conclusion:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:13">A</ins></span>n
Unbalanced Proposal that Should be Rejected <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The GAC
Sub-group’s proposal to amend ICANN policy to grant governments and other
“relevant authorities” a veto over any new gTLD application is very problematic
and should be rejected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is based on a
dubious interpretation of international law and questionable conclusions as to
what policy best reflects the public interest as a whole.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The proposal is
excessively broad in the categories of words that it restricts and excessively
vague and burdensome in <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:14">the </ins></span>permissions <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:14">it requires </ins></span>to
proceed with a gTLD in future rounds.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span>Freedom of expression rights to domain names would be severely abridged
and innovation stifled by the ability of any government to veto any gTLD as
proposed.<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Milton%20Mueller" datetime="2014-12-20T23:14"> </ins></span>Furthermore the proposal re-asserts
the controversial 2007 GAC Principle that requires gTLDs to “respect national
sensitivities regarding terms with national, cultural, geographic and religious
significance.”<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Thus the proposal sets a dangerous
precedent for building government censorship into the DNS.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In other words, it is a bad policy for
Internet freedom that should not be adopted.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Respectfully
submitted,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><u>Organizations:</u></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">IP Justice<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Internet Governance
Project<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Public Knowledge<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Article 19<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Electronic
Frontier Finland<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Movimento Mega
(Brazil)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Bangladesh NGOs
Network for Radio and Communication <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Digital Rights
Ireland<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Bytes For All
(Pakistan)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Electronic
Frontiers Australia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Open Institute
Cambodia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Access Humboldt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><u>Individuals:</u><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; ">Timothe Litt</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Nicolas Adam<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Dan Krimm<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Kathy Kleiman<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="mso-element:footnote-list"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%">
<!--[endif]-->
<div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn1"><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn1" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:
"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> Available at
<a href="https://gacweb.icann.org/download/attachments/27132037/Geo%20names%20in%20new%20gTLDs%20Updated%20%20V3%20%2029%20august%202014%5B4%5D.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1411549935000&api=v2">https://gacweb.icann.org/download/attachments/27132037/Geo%20names%20in%20new%20gTLDs%20Updated%20%20V3%20%2029%20august%202014%5B4%5D.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1411549935000&api=v2</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn2"><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn2" href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:
"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> See <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Taubman
Co. v. Webfeats</i>, 319 F.3d 770, 778 (6<sup>th</sup> Circuit 2003) “the
domain name is a type of expression, no different in scope than a billboard or
a pulpit”.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>See also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:
normal">Shell Trademark Mgmt. BV v. Canadian AMOCO</i>, No. 02-01365, 2002 U.S.
Dist. LEXIS 9597, at *10-11 (N.D. Cal. May 21, 2002) analogizing domain names
to road signs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>See also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Center for Democracy and Technology v.
Pappert</i>, 337 F. Supp.2<sup>nd</sup> 606, 651 (E.D. Pa. 2004) holding a
statute requiring the blocking of access to particular domain names and IP addresses
amounted to an unconstitutional restraint on speech. See also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">ACLU v. Reno</i> which held that the
Internet is entitled to the full protection given to media like the print press
under freedom of expression rights. 521 U.S. 844 (1997).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn3"><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn3" href="#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">
</span><a href="http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/center/faq/domains.html">http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/center/faq/domains.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
</div>
<div style="mso-element:footnote" id="ftn4"><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="mso-footnote-id:ftn4" href="#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="mso-special-character:footnote"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">
<a href="http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/new-gtlds/summary-principles-recommendations-implementation-guidelines-22oct08.doc.pdf">http://gnso.icann.org/en/issues/new-gtlds/summary-principles-recommendations-implementation-guidelines-22oct08.doc.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></p><p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></p>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--></div><div><br><div><div>On Dec 30, 2014, at 10:17 AM, Robin Gross wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>Thanks for the support, folks! If there are other organizations who would like to sign-on to the civil society statement, please let me know today. Also, I've received some requests for individuals to sign-on as well, and so have opened up the statement for individuals to also endorse should one wish to. <br><br>So if any individual or organization would like to sign-on to this joint civil society statement, please let me know within 24 hours from now.<br><br>Thanks again!<br><br>Best,<br>Robin<br><br><br>On Dec 28, 2014, at 10:25 PM, Robin Gross wrote:<br><br><blockquote type="cite">Hello All,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">If any of NCSG's member organizations (or NCSG as a whole) would like to sign-on to this civil society statement regarding a GAC sub-group's proposal to give governments veto power on new top level domain names that use "geographic names" please let me know asap.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The GAC sub-group's proposal on "geographic names" and other comments submitted on this proposal are available here:<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"> <a href="https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee">https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/Governmental+Advisory+Committee</a><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">The GAC's deadline for comments is 31 December, so please let me know by 30 December if your civil society organization would like to sign-on to this joint civil society statement; it is currently open for sign-on by other civil society organizations until 30 December. Or send in your own comment on the proposal if you are so inclined (at the link above) by 31 December. Holiday deadlines are tough, I know! <br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">I think this is a very important policy issue for protecting freedom of expression and the positive development of the multi-stakeholder model for Internet governance.<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Thanks very much!<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">All best,<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite">Robin<br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><2014_December_Comments_GAC-Geo-Names_FINAL_1.docx><br></blockquote><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>