On 11/27/2010 10:19 PM, Evan Leibovitch wrote:
I often wonder if registrants are sufficiently represented in ICANN as stakeholders
"Registrants" have contracts that define their rights and duties. It is a shame, and indeed worse - it is scandalous - that ICANN does not grant to registrants what are called "third party beneficiary" rights that would allow registrants to require Registrars and Registries to live up to the obligations imposed upon them by their own contracts with ICANN. But at least registrants have some grounds to stand upon; they have "standing" to be recognized and heard. Internet users within ICANN have none. ICANN's policies are often justified from the effect of a given practice not on name registrants but on internet users and other third parties. For example the huge brouhaha about Verisign's Sitefinder was largely argued on the basis of how it would impact internet users rather than name registrants. Similarly, whois policy is argued by ICANN on reasons pertaining to trademark protection and law enforcement, neither of which are necessarily registrants. In such an ICANN who is there to speak for these users and third parties? For users the answer is no one. (For law enforcement and trademark protection ICANN has created welcome mats.) Looking at the at-large as a mouthpiece for name registrants is to essentially subtract from its power to be a voice for internet users. Moreover, ICANN's role encompasses more than domain names; ICANN also covers IP addresses. An IP addresses is a more basic requirement for internet use than is a domain name. An ICANN at large that sees itself only in the reflected light of domain names is an ICANN at-large that is walking on one leg and fighting with one arm. By-the-way, in my dictionary the word "stakeholder" is a pejorative - it is a polite bundling of Freddy the Pig's line in Animal Farm that some animals are more equal than others. We have seen in ICANN how the "stakeholder" game gives some people multiple voices - as registries and registrars and technicians and intellectual property protectors and commercial groups - in addition to whatever voice they may have as natural people. That contrary to the democratic idea that to one man/woman goes one vote and only one vote. --karl--