With the hope of jump-starting a bit the data escrow discussion that is teed up for Tuesday, let me share with the list the question I raised on this morning’s brief attempted call of the subteam re unaffiliated providers.

The data escrow provisions in the draft accreditation agreement are quite complex and detailed, amounting to a 5-page specification.  We are told this specification is drawn from the standard gTLD registry agreement. By contrast, the data escrow obligations in the Registrar Accreditation Agreement are boiled down to a single paragraph (section 3.6).

Since all the p/p providers that have engaged in the WG and in the IRT are affiliated with accredited registrars, we have sought to maximize the situations in which these providers may be able to “piggy-back” on obligations already undertaken by registrars,  in order to minimize unnecessary duplication of effort.  Data escrow would appear to be an excellent candidate for this treatment as well.   Perhaps RAA section 3.6 could be adapted for the p/p accreditation context. (Of course, if the RAA provision is modified in the future to align more closely  with the registry obligations, the p/p obligations may be able to move in lockstep with it.) 

Of course this is not a complete solution, we would still have to look at the obligations for unaffiliated providers, but at least for the affiliated ones this seems more efficient.  So my question is, what is the downside of this approach?  Put another way,  what would be the advantage gained by aligning the p/p escrow obligations with those of registries, rather than those of registrars? 

Amy perhaps you can also pass this question on to the ICANN technical staff that will be on Tuesday’s call, so that they can respond to it on this list, or if not, on Tuesday’s call. 

Thanks all and have a good weekend. 

Steve Metalitz

Hi, All,

Thanks so much for your attendance at the PP IRT call today.

As mentioned, next week, we plan to discuss:

1. The data escrow specification in the draft PPAA (attached);
2. IRT prioritization of issues from issues list (attached, updated as of most recent communication this morning from PSWG);
3. (Possibly) PPAA amendment process (will confirm by end of this week)

IRT Action Items

1. Review the draft data escrow specification and come to 25 July meeting prepared to discuss:
   1. Any over-arching comments you have on the specification;
   2. How this specification should be applied to Registrar-affiliated Providers. Prior IRT input was that affiliates should be able to satisfy escrow requirements through the registrar’s deposits. Given that registrars are on a different specification, this raises a potential issue;
   3. Any thoughts about how use of this specification might impact/mitigate concerns that have been raised about third-party providers.
2. Review the PPAA “issues list” and be prepared to discuss the IRT’s prioritization of issues for discussion. The goal of this discussion is to map out a discussion schedule, by topic, for at least the next several weeks.

For your info, I’m also attaching the most recent of the Policy document and the Applicant Guide (both of which are referenced in the Final Recommendations mapping document and will be revisited by the IRT in the coming weeks/months. ICANN is currently updating the Applicant Guide per IRT feedback and will be distributing to the IRT for review in the coming months (significant changes expected in the Application section). I’m searching for the communication about the Transfer Policy work that could be added to this IRT and will send to the list when I locate it.

If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to share them with the list. If you have specific suggestions for edits to the PPAA draft, please submit the “suggested modification” form (attached).

Best,

Amy

Amy E. Bivins

Registrar Services and Engagement Senior Manager

Registrar Services and Industry Relations

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Direct: +1 (202) 249-7551

Fax:  +1 (202) 789-0104

Email: amy.bivins@icann.org

www.icann.org