COMPUTERGRAM INTERNATIONAL: JULY 06 1999 Some Root Operators Refuse to Sign on to ICANN/DOC Project By Nick Patience Last week the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) distributed a memorandum of participation (MoP) to the operators of the 13 root servers that maintain the internet's address book of domain names. The latest version of the document, which ComputerWire has seen, affirms the operator's willingness to participate in the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) that has been signed by ICANN, the Department of Commerce and its agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to come up with ways of formalizing the relationship between the root server operators and establishing formal procedures for the operation of the server network. According to sources, at least three of the operators have refused to sign as of press time but, as none of them will talk to the press, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number. The MoP gives the operator the option of withdrawing from the list of participating operators and does not create any legal liability on the part of the metaphor or his or her company or organization. It says work plans developed by the research project will have to be approved jointly by ICANN and Commerce before being put into effect. And the operator is obliged to operate the root in the manner agreed upon as part of the project - although it is not clear if they are still obligated to do so if they have withdrawn their name from the list of project contributors.
