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2018-06-28 Protection of IGO Identifiers
GAC Advice
2018-06-28 Protection of IGO Identifiers
ICANN62 Panama Communique
Consensus met
2018-06-28 Protection of IGO Identifiers
The GAC considers that a unified access model is central to providing access to non-public WHOIS data for users with a legitimate purpose and this should continue to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Therefore,
a. the GAC advises the ICANN Board to:
- Maintain current temporary protections of IGO acronyms until a permanent means of protecting these identifiers is put into place;
- Work with the GNSO and the GAC following the completion of the ongoing PDP on IGO-INGO access to curative rights protection mechanisms to ensure that GAC advice on protection of IGO acronyms, which includes the available “small group” proposal, is adequately taken into account also in any related Board decision; and
- Continue working with the GAC in order to ensure accuracy and completeness of IGO contacts on the current list of IGO identifiers.
Rationale
The GAC continues to await the long-delayed completion of the PDP on IGO-INGO access to curative rights protection mechanisms.
As to (i), this PDP will have a direct impact on a permanent means of protecting IGO identifiers, which has been the subject of longstanding and consistent GAC advice.
As to (ii), the GAC provided input to the PDP’s draft report in 2017, notably on the issue of IGO immunities, as did individual members and observers. The final report should reflect that substantial input; noting that current indications are that the PDP recommendations will not adequately reflect the GAC’s advice on this topic, the GAC remains open to discussions with the GNSO and the Board to ensure that this is the case. The GAC notes that the work on this PDP began by at least mid-2014 and has yet to satisfactorily reach a positive resolution. The GAC moreover notes that a 2007 GNSO Issue Report provided a blueprint for a means for handling domain name disputes concerning IGO identifiers which substantially matches the “small group” proposal. The temporary protections currently in place for IGO acronyms must remain in place until such time as the Board makes a decision regarding the most appropriate means to provide a permanent means for protecting these identifiers, given the irreparable harm that could result if these acronyms are released from the temporary reserve list before a permanent mechanism is established.
As to (iii), the GAC has previously advised the ICANN Board to allocate sufficient resources to ensure the accuracy and completeness of IGO contacts on the reserve list and awaits progress on this issue.