By Yvette Miller
The multistakeholder community’s response to ICANN’s Novemeber 17th announcement of its Panel on the Future of Global Internet Cooperation was to create a working group, which is now gaining its footing and defining its mission and scope. This Internet Governance working group, which is comprised of multiple constituencies in the ICANN model, will ultimately inform the Panel on the Future of Global Internet Cooperation and aims to foster discussion across all other Internet Governance groups such as the Internet Society (ISOC), the World Wide Web Consortium (WC3), and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). The group enters into this saturated field of groups already immersed in Internet governance debates – not to mention the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and the newly formed 1net.org.
All of these groups have kicked into high gear with the anticipated April 2014 Internet governance summit in Brazil, one of the more conspicuous governments to enter into the discussion with several major power plays in the online landscape this past year. By some reports, the European Commission is likewise preparing to make some waves. One thing is for sure: 2014 will bring with it some serious discussions about who should be in charge of Internet governance and what form that Internet governance should take. Multistakeholderism? Multinationalism? The debate continues.
For Your Radar
For those interested in learning and discussing the latest developments with the New gTLD Program, the Internet Society Chapter of DC, in conjunction with FairWinds Partners, is hosting a panel discussion about the impact of gTLDs on December 16 from 12 PM – 2 PM at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street in Washington D.C. The purpose of this panel is to present a rounded view of, raise awareness of, and encourage discussion around gTLDs, specifically the ways in which the addition of the new gTLDs will impact the Internet and Internet users.
On Thursday, December 12, The International Trademark Association (INTA) will hold an event in Shanghai on “how to protect a not-so-famous mark from trademark squatters“.
December 29: First Sunrise Period Ends (.SHABAKA)
January 24: First Donuts’ Sunrise Periods End
January 2014: ICANN Sends out Notifications of Intent for Auctions (Expected)
March 2014: First ICANN Auctions Begin (Expected)
March 23-27: ICANN 49 Singapore
Public Comment Periods:
December 27: Comment period closes on Whois Misuse
Jan 31: Comment period closes on ICANN’s Draft Vision, Mission & Focus Areas for a Five-Year Strategic Plan
Be sure to stay posted to this site and follow us on Twitter for the latest in the domain name space.