When:  Monday, 19 October, 2009

Time:   14:00 to 17:00 UTC

Dear ICANN Community Member:

You are cordially invited to participate in a public, interactive, conference call discussion on registry/registrar separation models. This session has been scheduled to provide ample opportunity for community input on registry-registrar separation requirements in new gTLDs, and to respond to several
requests for more public sessions on this topic.  If you are unable to attend this session, there will be another opportunity to discuss this topic at the "Registry/Registrar Separation Discussion" forum on Monday, 26 October, 15:00 - 16:30, at the ICANN Seoul meeting. Recordings and presentations from both of these events will be publicly posted. Alternatively, you may choose to  send your comments on this issue to the version 3 Draft Applicant Guidebook public forum, which is open through 22 November 2009.

Session Details:

As space is limited, this is an invitation-only event. If you would like to attend, please RSVP via email to <rrseparationwebinar@icann.org> prior to COB on October 14, 2009 to secure your place. An email reminder will be sent to registered individuals before the event with all log-in and dial-in details.   Please DO NOT reply to this email or RSVP to ICANN Staff members.

IMPORTANT – call for additional presenters!

If you or a community representative wish to present at this session, please email Carole Cornell <carole.cornell@icann.org> and Kurt Pritz <kurt.pritz@icann.org>no later than 13 October 2009. Please include in this email a paragraph describing your proposed presentation, your (short) biography and, if possible, a photo. Each prospective presenter will be notified by 14 October whether their presentation can be accommodated, and presenters also will receive details on speaking time and other requirements. All presentations must be submitted to carole.cornell@icann.org by 16 October 2009.

Since the conference call time is limited, presentation slots will be given to the Registrar and Registry Constituencies, and remaining slots will be offered first to representatives for the At-Large Advisory Committee, the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group, and the Commercial Stakeholder Group. After presenters are set, a detailed agenda and information on speakers will be distributed.

The session is scheduled for three hours and will be conducted in English only.  During the conference call, slides will be presented via Adobe Connect, a dial-in conference bridge will be provided for audio, and questions may be submitted using the Q&A function of Adobe Connect. All questions and answers received, as well as the audio recording of the session and materials used during the presentation, will be posted on ICANN’s website. 

Session Description:

The initial agenda is included below.  This session will focus on models for proposed structural/organizational separation requirements. Multiple models will be presented and discussed, and opportunities for Q&A will be provided. 

Initial Agenda

Moderator: Joe Sims

Presenters: Steve Salop and others to be determined. ICANN is soliciting presentations that will be made according to the agenda and rules below. If there are more offers of presentations than there is time permitted than representatives from the registrar constituency, registry constituency and the community at-large will be given a preference.

Agenda and conduct of the session will follow these lines:

Dr. Steve Salop will make an introduction: briefly describing the subject matter and describing the results of recent consultations with certain registries and registrars.

Joe Sims will describe the rules for participating in the session.

A presenter will describe a model for proposed structural/organization separation requirement. Each presentation should include slides and last about 20 minutes. The model should: (1) define and address organizational separation requirements (co-ownership or affiliation); (2) structural separation requirements; (3) if the model proposes that co-ownership be permitted, describe what limits or restrictions should be placed on the affiliated parties; (4) also describe the benefits or harms avoided to registrants through the proposed model.

After each presentation, the presenter will answer questions. The moderator or Steve Salop may ask clarifying questions. Session attendees can ask questions through the interactive format by typing in questions. All questions are actually posed by the moderator who will read the questions typed in by the participants and, depending on volume, select from them. Selection will be based on asking at least a representative sample of all questions.
This will be followed by another presentation. It is anticipated that there will be 4-5 presentations.

Initial Speaker Information:

Joe Sims – Moderator is a Senior Antitrust Partner, Jones Day.

Steve Salop – Professor of Law and Economics, Georgetown University Law Center; former Associate Director for Special Projects and Industry Analysis, Bureau of Economics, US Federal Trade Commission; former Economist at Civil Aeronautics Board/Federal Reserve Board; prolific author and speaker.

We are looking forward to your participation.

Regards,

Denise Michel, Vice President, Policy
Kurt Pritz, Senior Vice President, Services