Michael,
> As the Final Report contains a wealth of material that is new, or
> substantially different from the Interim Report, including the
> critical Annexes, further review and public comment is likely to be
> essential before ICANN takes action.
>
> [Please feel free to repost as appropriate until May 27, 1999.]
I am pleased to see your comments here, but I have to object to
your final lines. The bracketed deadline suggests that you accept
the likelihood that ICANN will take action on this in Bonn, and that
therefore public review and comment must try to fit that window of
opportunity.
I should say the priorities are just the opposite: ICANN should not
take action *until* such public review and comment have been
developed. If the public sees no pressing need for adoption of such
extra-legal quick fixes, what mandate does ICANN have to do so?
Yesterday the CRTC found that Canadians felt the Net needed no
regulation, and therefore refrained from regulating it; I recommend
that model of governance to the Interim Board.
Beyond that, what do you see as a plausible way out of the 'abusive
registration' corner? Would some sort of 'omsbudsman' panel
serve the purpose? The WIPO report may be a good faith effort, but
if all it amounts to is 'we'll know when we see one,' it hardly
qualifies as intellectual property itself.
Cheers,
kerry
