Thanks Gary.
From: Zahid Jamil
[mailto:zahid@jamilandjamil.com]
Sent: 30 May 2009 01:38
To: owner-bc-gnso@icann.org
Cc: 'BC Secretariat'; 'Mike Rodenbaugh'; 'Philip Sheppard'
Subject:
Trademark owners get a chance to have
their say on new gTLDs
International - Latest news
May 29 2009
Trademark owners have
been urged to submit comments on a report issued today that looks at how
trademarks can be protected when new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) come on
line in 2010. The report is the work of the Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT), which was created
by the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) at the end of March.
The report should go live on ICANN's website before the end of business Pacific
Standard Time today (early Saturday morning GMT). "Many mark owners have
become cynical of ICANN and the ICANN process over the years – and for
good reason in many cases," IRT member Stacey King told WTR yesterday. "I
would hope that mark owners recognize that this is the time to re-engage."
The IRT published its draft report at the end of April (see "Trademark owners urged to comment on gTLDs").
Significant changes to this are expected in the final report, especially around
the proposals for the post-delegation dispute mechanism. This follows close
consultation with a number of interested parties, including the World
Intellectual Property Organization.
"I think that that you should be particularly interested in the foreword
to the report that we have drafted," Nick Wood, another IRT member, told WTR.
"This explains why the team gave up six working weeks without remuneration
and sets the context for what we have done. We just hope that the comments from
business and the trademark community are forthcoming and taken seriously."
Other IRT members include J
Scott Evans, senior director - legal at Yahoo!, who has been vocal in his condemnation of ICANN's
plan to introduce gTLDs. "Yahoo! does not believe there should be
gTLDs," he said at a special session added to the programme at the recent
International Trademark Association (INTA) annual meeting. "Individuals'
service on the IRT is a voluntary service to the community and is in no way an
endorsement of the report," he explained. Fellow IRT member Ellen Shankman
added that it was important to recognize that gTLDs were going ahead, and that
even stakeholders who disagreed with their introduction should become involved
in the process.
"A good deal of credit should be given to the ICANN Board for creating the
IRT and to ICANN staff for working with the IRT," said King. "This is
the time, while we have ICANN's ear, to re-engage."
Once the report is live, it is open for public comment. Those wishing to engage
can submit comments online, as well as at the 35th ICANN meeting, held in Sydney from June 21 - 26, or
during the following public sessions (note: ICANN has changed these dates since
WTR first published the plans for open sessions):
·
London - July 15, 2009 - Jarvis Suite, Royal Institute of British Architects
·
New York - July 13, 2009 - venue to be confirmed
·
Hong Kong - between 20 and 24 of July 2009 - date/venue
to be confirmed
·
Abu-Dhabi - between 2 and 6 of August 2009 - date/venue
to be confirmed
"Our work
is just beginning," added King. "Those who were not able to be
involved with the IRT or who are concerned with online brand abuse and fraud
should take this opportunity to comment on the report, attend ICANN meetings,
and have a say in the next phase of the Web.”
Zahid Jamil
Barrister-at-law
Jamil
& Jamil
Barristers-at-law
219-221
Central Hotel Annexe
Merewether
Road, Karachi. Pakistan
Cell:
+923008238230
Tel: +92
21 5680760 / 5685276 / 5655025
Fax: +92
21 5655026
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