Dear IRT,

I hope you are all well. I’m writing to share an update on implementation activity since our last meeting.

The team is revising the proposed UDRP/URS updates in light of IRT feedback. As part of this work, we are developing an alternative approach for administering the arbitration pathway, given that not all of the current UDRP or URS providers are able to support the process outlined in the current drafts. We are making good progress, but additional work and internal co-ordination is still required. We have also not received the anticipated further comments on the original drafts, and at this time there is no new input to discuss.

We have therefore decided to cancel Wednesday’s meeting (10 September). You will receive a formal notice of this shortly. While cancelling a meeting is regrettable, it will allow time to finalize the revised updates before publishing them to the list in advance of our next meeting on 24 September.

To help the group plan ahead, below are the upcoming meetings and milestones for September/October, with the ultimate goal of publishing the updated UDRP and URS documentation for public comment as soon as possible in October, subject to IRT agreement:

The goal of our next meeting on the 24 September will be to review the revised drafts, and any comments received at that point.
A further meeting is already scheduled for 1 October, to review further comments and any subsequent revisions available at that time.
8th and 15th October (to be scheduled): to allow time for further additional review and discussion of redrafts. Formal invitations will follow. We may not one or both of these calls and can cancel as appropriate, but we want to ensure sufficient time for group discussion alongside exchanges on list.

In parallel, the team has been working hard to identify providers interested in administering the new arbitral process. We have held initial discussions with several providers and will continue this outreach in the coming weeks. I will provide a progress update on this topic at the next IRT meeting.

As ever, please reach out to Renate or me with any questions,

Best,

Peter

Peter Eakin

Policy Research Specialist, Policy Research & Stakeholder Programs

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Tel: + 32 493 547 913

Office: 6 Rond Point Schuman, Bt. 1, Brussels B-1040, Belgium