September 2025 - council - lists.icann.org

Notice | Official appointment of the GNSO Representative to the Empowered Community Administration
by Terri Agnew Dec. 11, 2025

Dec. 11, 2025

Dear Council, Please find attached the letter on the official appointment of the GNSO representative to the Empowered Community administration. This will posted on the Correspondence page [gnso.icann.org]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gnso.icann.org/en/council/correspondence…> on the GNSO website shortly. Thank you. Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO

1 1

Reminder: Input welcome on GNSO Council agenda for 2025 meetings
by Terri Agnew Nov. 17, 2025

Nov. 17, 2025

Dear councilors, A reminder to all that a Google doc<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/docs.google.com/document/d/1FSNlAHTjbWAz…> is open for all to add their suggestions and comments to the upcoming GNSO Council meeting agendas. This does not have to be in the form of a full agenda item proposal, simple comments and questions are equally welcome! You are welcome to add to the document<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/docs.google.com/document/d/1FSNlAHTjbWAz…> via the comments feature. Thank you! Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO

10 48

FW: Interim appointment of the GNSO Representative to the Empowered Community Administration
by Terri Agnew Oct. 30, 2025

Oct. 30, 2025

Dear Council, Please find attached the letter informing you of the interim appointment of the GNSO representative to the Empowered Community administration. This was sent to John Jeffrey, ICANN Secretary and posted on the Correspondence page<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gnso.icann.org_en_coun…> of the GNSO website. Thank you. With kind regards, Terri --- Terri Agnew Policy Team Supporting the GNSO Policy Operations Senior Specialist (GNSO) Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Skype ID: terri.agnew.icann Find out more about the GNSO by visiting: https://learn.icann.org/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__learn.icann.org_&d=DwM…> Follow @GNSO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICANN_GNSO<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ICANN-5FGN…> Transcripts and recordings of GNSO Working Group and Council events are located on the GNSO Master Calendar <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gnso.icann.org_en_grou…>

1 1

Your proposed friendly amendment re Reserved Names and String Similarity
by Anne ICANN Sept. 30, 2025

Sept. 30, 2025

Paul, We do not have to wait until Dublin to finalize the AGB based on Council's direction. Council can choose to vote October 9 or a vote outside the meeting can be noticed pursuant to 4.10. The AGB will move forward in a timely way and that is why we are having an Extraordinary meeting. No one wants to delay. Unfortunately an alternative that states only that both options are implementable does not yield adequate direction from Council to respond to the staff's question regarding the intent of the policy recommendations. This is the central question before the Council and we should answer. We should answer because there is a disagreement at the IRT level and Council is being asked to settle it. Your proposed friendly amendment would not settle that question and would not provide adequate direction to ICANN staff for finalizing the draft AGB for Board consideration. If you mean for Council to direct the IRT to let the Board decide between Option 1 and Option 2 because both are equally implementable, then the Board's correspondence becomes more relevant. The Board has stated it prefers Option 2 and considers it to be more in line with the recommendations noted as an Annex to the staff briefing paper linked in the Motion and attached again here for convenience, but acknowledges that the Council may have a different point of view. The Board has also noted that the global public interest may be implicated and that GAC Advice is possible. IRT Staff awaits instruction from the Council on which of the two options should be selected in order to finalize the AGB. This can be readily supplied before Dublin. Again, Susan and I both agree that the question before the Council is which Option properly reflects the natural meaning and intent of the policy Recommendations. The two Options differ significantly in their consequences and so this question is not a "toss-up". The Motion submitted seeks to clarify these points. Anne Anne Aikman-Scalese GNSO Councilor NomCom Non-Voting 2022-2026 anneicanngnso(a)gmail.com

2 1

GNSO Council sessions | ICANN84 GNSO Sessions - How to Get Organized / Remote Participation Details
by Terri Agnew Sept. 30, 2025

Sept. 30, 2025

Dear all, As a follow up to Julie’s email below, reminding you how to add ICANN sessions to your schedule, please find below a list of sessions of interest to GNSO councilors. Please note, certain sessions are considered mandatory attendance for seated councilors and are marked as such. Please refer to the full schedule <https://icann84.sched.com/> to select the other SO/AC, Stakeholder Group, Constituency sessions you may be interested in. In-Person attendance registration remains open until 23 October 2025.. (On-site registration will not be available.) All sessions will be conducted during regular working hours in Dublin, Ireland (Irish Standard Time, IST / UTC+1). [Note: Dublin starts Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) / UTC+0, from Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 2:00 am local time]. Saturday, 25 October 2025 * 10:30 - 12:00: Latin Script Diacritics PDP Working Group (1 of 2)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QHS/gnso-ld-pdp-wg-1-of-2> * 13:15 – 14:30: Latin Script Diacritics PDP Working Group (2 of 2)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QHV/gnso-ld-pdp-wg-2-of-2> * 15:00 – 16:00: RDRS Standing Committee Work Session (1 of 4)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QGg/gnso-rdrs-standing-committee-work-ses…> * 16:30 – 17:30: RDRS Standing Committee Work Session (2 of 4)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QGj/gnso-rdrs-standing-committee-work-ses…> Sunday, 26 October 2025 – REMINDER Clocks adjust by one hour * 09:00 – 10:00: GNSO Working Session (1 of 2)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QJI/gnso-working-session-1-of-2> - ( All councilors) * 10:30 – 12:00: DNS Abuse Work Session<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QJN/gnso-dns-abuse-work-session> * 13:15 – 14:30: GNSO Working Session (2 of 2)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QJK/gnso-working-session-2-of-2> - ( All councilors) * 15:00 – 16:00: Joint GAC and GNSO Council<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QJ3/joint-meeting-gac-and-gnso> - ( All councilors) * 16:30 – 17:30: RDRS Standing Committee Work Session (3 of 4)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QKV/gnso-rdrs-standing-committee-work-ses…> Monday, 26 October 2025 * 09:00 – 10:15: Welcome Ceremony<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QIQ/welcome-ceremony> * 10:45 – 12:00: Geopolitical Forum: WSIS +10 focus<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QIK/geopolitical-forum-wsis+20-focus> * 13:15 – 14:30: Community Session – Review of Review Session 1 of 2<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QIN/review-of-reviews-session-1-of-2> * 15:00 - 16:00: GNSO Council Informal Meeting [Closed session]<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QKM/gnso-council-informal-meeting-c> - ( All councilors) * 16:30 – 17:30: Joint Session: ICANN Board and GNSO Council<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QIH/joint-session-icann-board-and-gnso-co…> - ( All councilors) * 19:00– 22:00: Evening Reception at EPIC, The Irish Immigration Museum<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29WEj/evening-reception-at-epic-the-irish-i…> Tuesday, 28 October 2025 * N/A for GNSO Council specific – reminder check the main schedule for other SO/AC, Stakeholder Group, Constituency sessions you may be interested in. Wednesday, 29 October 2025 * 09:00 – 10:00: GNSO Council Small Team [Closed session]<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QOz/gnso-council-small-team-c> * 13:15 – 15:15: GNSO Council Meeting (Part 1 of 2)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QND/gnso-council-meeting-part-1-of-2> - ( All councilors – outgoing councilors last meeting) * 15:30 – 16:00: GNSO Council Meeting (Part 2 of 2 - Admin meeting)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QNF/gnso-council-meeting-part-2-of-2-admi…> - ( All councilors: Note INCOMING councilors this will be your first meeting, includes vote on next GNSO Chair) * 16:30 – 17:30: RDRS Standing Committee Work Session (4 of 4)<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QN4/gnso-rdrs-standing-committee-work-ses…> * 19:00 - ? - GNSO Council dinner – GNSO Councilors & GNSO Staff support only - ( All incoming and outgoing councilors ) Thursday, 30 October 2025 * 09:00 - 10:00: GNSO Council Wrap-up<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QNL/gnso-council-wrap-up> - ( All councilors) * 09:00 – 19:00: Q&A with ICANN Executive Team<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QLh/qa-with-icann-org-executive-team> * 10:30 – 12:00: ICANN Public Forum<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QLk/icann-public-forum> * 13:15 – 14:30: Community Session – Review of Reviews Session 2 of 2<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QLl/review-of-reviews-session-2-of-2> * 16:30 – 17:30: ICANN Board Meeting<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QLn/icann-board-meeting-icann84> * 17:30 – 18:30: Closing Reception<https://icann84.sched.com/event/29QSI/closing-reception> Safe Travels! Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO From: Julie Bisland <julie.bisland(a)icann.org> Date: Monday, September 29, 2025 at 11:45 AM To: "council(a)icann.org" <council(a)icann.org> Cc: GNSO-Secs <gnso-secs(a)icann.org> Subject: ICANN84 GNSO Sessions - How to Get Organized / Remote Participation Details Dear all, With ICANN84<https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/> just around the corner, please take a moment to read the information below for a seamless and successful meeting. ICANN84 key dates: * Prep Week will take place virtually 13 - 15 October 2025. * Deadline for IN-PERSON registration is 24 October 2025. * ICANN84 will take place in Dublin 25 - 30 October 2025. On-site registration will not be available. Registration for ICANN84 does not automatically create a user account on sched.com. Instructions and guides to register as well as personalize your schedule can be found on these pages: * Visit this page to REGISTER: https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/ * General information about Dublin, hotels, transportation and rates, and links to food options can also be found here * The ICANN84 Schedule: https://icann84.sched.com/ * Instructions for personalizing your schedule can also be found here There will be no calendar invitations sent, as the meeting schedule allows you to download all sessions of interest to your individual calendars A reminder to review the Participation Tools page and update Zoom * All sessions that use Zoom rooms, access details will be available 24hrs prior. * Visit the Participation Tools page<https://meetings.icann.org/en/remote-participation> for links to download the latest version of Zoom for access to the ICANN Meeting sessions. * Please see the ICANN Meeting VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION GUIDES in the blue box on the right side of the page for more information on how to get the most out of the virtual meeting tools. * If participating on-site, please read the Frequently Asked Questions here<https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/#faq>. Links to Bookmark ICANN84 Meeting Schedule<https://icann84.sched.com/> ICANN84 GNSO Remote Participation Wiki Page<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/FYBUGQ> GNSO Session agendas<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYCMFQ> For all GNSO meeting-related queries, please email us at: gnso-secs(a)icann.org<mailto:gnso-secs@icann.org> and we will be more than happy to assist! Kind regards, GNSO SO/AC Support team -- Julie Bisland Policy Operations Analyst (GNSO) Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Find out more about the GNSO by visiting: https://learn.icann.org/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__learn.icann.org_&d=DwM…> Follow @GNSO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICANN_GNSO<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ICANN-5FGN…> Transcripts and recordings of GNSO Working Group and Council events are located on the GNSO Master Calendar <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gnso.icann.org_en_grou…>

1 0

FINAL REMINDER | Document and Motion deadline | Monday, 29 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC for Extraordinary GNSO Council Meeting 09 October 2025 at 13:00 UTC
by Terri Agnew Sept. 30, 2025

Sept. 30, 2025

Dear all, Reports, motions, and documents for consideration are due no later than (NLT) 10 days in advance (i.e. Monday, 29 September 2025 at 23:59 UTC) for the Extraordinary GNSO Council Meeting on Thursday, 09 October 2025 at 13:00 UTC Motions should be sent to the Council mailing list by a councilor and will then be posted on the Motions Wiki at: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/cQCSHQ Thank you. Kind regards, Terri Policy Team Supporting the GNSO

5 10

PPSAI Small Team Responses to IRT Threshold Questions
by John Emery Sept. 29, 2025

Sept. 29, 2025

Dear Councilors, Please find attached the GNSO Council Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Issues (PPSAI) Small Team's responses to the PPSAI IRT’s Threshold Questions. Thank you very much to the Small Team members and especially Paul McGrady, the Small Team Lead, for their diligent and speedy work on responses to these questions. Paul will be presenting these answers during the upcoming GNSO Council meeting at ICANN84, but please be sure to review these prior to the next meeting. When reviewing these responses, please keep in mind that a representative group worked together to agree to the compromise language. Thank you, John R. Emery, Ph.D. Policy Development Support Senior Specialist Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

1 0

Re: Draft Proposal: Board Reversal of its Adoption of a GNSO PDP Recommendation
by Steve Chan Sept. 29, 2025

Sept. 29, 2025

Dear Councilors, I have an update on the development of the draft redlines for the ICANN Board’s non-adoption of previously adopted GNSO policy recommendations. Having neither seen nor heard any objections, staff has developed proposed redlines to the relevant procedural manuals. * PDP Manual: A new section 16 has been added (and FYI, there was a numbering issue where 13 was repeated) - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WxnQEsswTbeLuT-D_iZzD8N9BXGIgiGkYiaADsx… * EPDP Manual: No edits appear necessary as the relevant sections for the EPDP rely upon the PDP Manual. * GGP Manual: Here, a new section 10 has been added, which is very, very similar to the proposed edits to the PDP Manual - https://docs.google.com/document/d/159UvOrKfigdEvWCB9f4cmHNo8cVVlOMCE2LTTRE… Staff would like to propose that Councilors review these redlines with their respective groups and provide comments or concerns on Council list. In the likely event that a special meeting will need to be scheduled for the SubPro Reserved Names issue, perhaps this topic can be added for a brief discussion as well; the scheduling of that meeting can help dictate the deadline for feedback on the updated manuals. These next steps are proposed with an eye towards putting the Council in a position where it’s able to discuss the proposed redlines with the Board at ICANN84. Best, Steve From: Steve Chan via council <council(a)icann.org> Reply-To: Steve Chan <steve.chan(a)icann.org> Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM To: "council(a)icann.org" <council(a)icann.org> Subject: [council] Draft Proposal: Board Reversal of its Adoption of a GNSO PDP Recommendation Dear Councilors, You will likely recall that during the Council’s last Strategic Planning Session (SPS), the Council came to general agreement on the approach for the ICANN Board to reverse its adoption of a GNSO recommendation. The action item from the SPS was to identify the proper place to document that generally agreed upon process. Your GNSO support staff has coordinated with ICANN legal to determine the most appropriate location to capture the process and in short, the recommendation is to update the EPDP, PDP, and GGP Manuals. In the attached document, you will see a briefing document that contains about 2.5 pages of text that explains the thought process and rationale for the approach; if you’re able to recall the conversation at the SPS, this text should feel very familiar. What has been included on page 3 is a very brief analysis on which documentation is most appropriate for capturing the process, which specific section could be updated, and the nature of the changes. Proposed next steps: * Council to review the attached document and in particular, consider the suggestion of where to document the process, and provide any questions or concerns by 27 August. * If there are no substantive concerns on how to capture the process, staff to develop proposed redlines to the EPDP, PDP, and GGP Manuals, in time for discussion by the Council during the September meeting. * Again, if no substantive concerns, the ICANN Board and GNSO Council can discuss the proposed redlines during their bilateral at ICANN84. * Once there is a set of mutually agreed upon (i.e., Board and Council) redlines, the amended GNSO Operating Procedures would be put out for public comment, as is required for such changes. The proposed next steps assume that there are no major concerns that need to be addressed along the way; if that turns out to not be the case, then intervening discussion can and would of course take place, pushing out timelines as needed. If you have any questions or concerns, about either the attached documentation or the proposed next steps, please do let us know. Best, Steve Steven Chan  VP, Policy Development Support & GNSO Relations Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 12025 Waterfront Drive, Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90094-2536  Email: steve.chan(a)icann.org<mailto:steve.chan@icann.org> Skype: steve.chan55 Mobile: +1.310.339.4410 Find out more about the GNSO by visiting: https://learn.icann.org/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__learn.icann.org_&d=DwM…> Follow @GNSO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICANN_GNSO<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ICANN-5FGN…> Transcripts and recordings of GNSO Working Group and Council events are located on the GNSO Master Calendar <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gnso.icann.org_en_grou…>

4 11

ICANN84 GNSO Sessions - How to Get Organized / Remote Participation Details
by Julie Bisland Sept. 29, 2025

Sept. 29, 2025

Dear all, With ICANN84<https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/> just around the corner, please take a moment to read the information below for a seamless and successful meeting. ICANN84 key dates: * Prep Week will take place virtually 13 - 15 October 2025. * Deadline for IN-PERSON registration is 24 October 2025. * ICANN84 will take place in Dublin 25 - 30 October 2025. On-site registration will not be available. Registration for ICANN84 does not automatically create a user account on sched.com. Instructions and guides to register as well as personalize your schedule can be found on these pages: * Visit this page to REGISTER: https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/ * General information about Dublin, hotels, transportation and rates, and links to food options can also be found here * The ICANN84 Schedule: https://icann84.sched.com/ * Instructions for personalizing your schedule can also be found here There will be no calendar invitations sent, as the meeting schedule allows you to download all sessions of interest to your individual calendars A reminder to review the Participation Tools page and update Zoom * All sessions that use Zoom rooms, access details will be available 24hrs prior. * Visit the Participation Tools page<https://meetings.icann.org/en/remote-participation> for links to download the latest version of Zoom for access to the ICANN Meeting sessions. * Please see the ICANN Meeting VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION GUIDES in the blue box on the right side of the page for more information on how to get the most out of the virtual meeting tools. * If participating on-site, please read the Frequently Asked Questions here<https://meetings.icann.org/en/meetings/icann84/#faq>. Links to Bookmark ICANN84 Meeting Schedule<https://icann84.sched.com/> ICANN84 GNSO Remote Participation Wiki Page<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/FYBUGQ> GNSO Session agendas<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYCMFQ> For all GNSO meeting-related queries, please email us at: gnso-secs(a)icann.org<mailto:gnso-secs@icann.org> and we will be more than happy to assist! Kind regards, GNSO SO/AC Support team -- Julie Bisland Policy Operations Analyst (GNSO) Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Find out more about the GNSO by visiting: https://learn.icann.org/<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__learn.icann.org_&d=DwM…> Follow @GNSO on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICANN_GNSO<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_ICANN-5FGN…> Transcripts and recordings of GNSO Working Group and Council events are located on the GNSO Master Calendar <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__gnso.icann.org_en_grou…>

1 0

FW: GNSO Council Absence Notification Form: Damon Ashcraft
by Julie Bisland Sept. 29, 2025

Sept. 29, 2025

Full Name of Officer: John McElwaine Officer Email Address: john.mcelwaine(a)nelsonmullins.com Date Prepared: 29 September 2025 GNSO Organization: Intellectual Property Constituency Officer Position or Title: President Name of Absent Councilor: Damon Ashcraft Voting Remedy: Proxy Proxy Information Reason(s) for or condition(s) leading to the remedy: Previously scheduled air travel Specific subject(s)/measure(s)/motion(s)/action(s) of the Council for which the remedy is being exercised: Extraordinary GNSO Council meeting schedule for Thursday, 09 October 2025 Date upon which the remedy will expire or terminate: 10 October 2025 I affirm that a voting position has been established on the matter(s) at issue pursuant to provisions contained in our Charter or Bylaws. Yes Our GNSO Councilor has been instructed on how to vote on the matter(s). Yes Full Name of GNSO Councilor Serving as Voting Proxy: Susan Payne By submitting my personal data, I agree that my personal data will be processed in accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy<https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy>, and agree to abide by the website Terms of Service<https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos>. I Agree

2 1