Goldstein Report

Tag: Coalition For ICANN Transparency

  • ICANN: Pre-ICANN 55 Policy Update Webinar

    ICANN55 Marrakech logoThe ICANN Policy Development Support Team will provide a Policy Update Webinar on Thursday, 25 February 2016 at 10:00 UTC and 19:00 UTC, summarizing policy activities across the ICANN policy development community and the ongoing Transition of Stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) Functions and the ICANN Accountability efforts.

    Please RSVP via this form by 19 February 2016.
    Remote participation details will be sent the week of 22 February 2016.

    Updates will also be provided on topics from ICANN‘s Support Organizations and Advisory Committees:

    • Address Supporting Organization (ASO) and Regional Internet Registries (RIR) Activities
    • Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO): New generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) Subsequent Procedures Policy Development Process
    • Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO): Next-generation Registration Directory Services Policy Development Process
    • Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO): Review of Rights Protection Mechanisms in all generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs)  Policy Development Process
    • Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) Activity Update
    • At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) review of criteria and expectations of At-Large Structures in parallel with the At-Large Review.
    • At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) and Regional At-Large Organizations (RALO) Activities
    • Government Advisory Committee‘s (GAC): IANA Stewardship Transition – GAC Verdict on the CCWG Accountability report.
    • Government Advisory Committee‘s (GAC): Remaining issues with the New gTLD Program, in particular implementation of GAC Advice
    • Root Server System Advisory Committee (RSSAC) Advisories and Activity Update
    • Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) Activity Update

    The two sessions are duplicates, scheduled to accommodate different time zones. Each session runs for 90 minutes and will be conducted in English. The webinar will be conducted in Adobe Connect along with a dial-in conference bridge for audio.

    Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each session. During the course of the webinar, questions may be submitted using the chat function in Adobe Connect.

    Recordings of the webinars will be made available here. The Policy Development Support Team is always available to answer any questions via email at policyinfo@icann.org.

    Please RSVP via this form by 19 February 2016.
    Remote participation details will be sent the week of 22 February 2016.

    This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
    https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2016-02-08-en

  • Verisign Reports 13% Growth In Year To End Q2

    VeriSign logoVerisign reported financial results for the second quarter to end 30 June 2011 with reported revenue of $190 million for the quarter, up five per cent from the prior quarter and up 13 per cent from the same quarter in 2010.

    Verisign Registry Services ended the quarter with 110 million active domain names in the adjusted zone for .COM and .NET, representing an eight per cent increase year-over-year.

    In the second quarter of 2011, Verisign processed 8.1 million new domain name registrations, representing a two per cent increase year-over-year.

    Other highlights of the report relating to domain names included:

    • On May 11, 2011, Verisign announced that it had entered into a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release with the Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. (CFIT), CFIT’s members and specified related parties that resolved the over five year long CFIT litigation
    • On June 28, 2011, Verisign announced that ICANN and Verisign have renewed Verisign’s contract to serve as the authoritative registry operator for the .NET registry for another six years
    • On 14 July, 2011, Verisign announced that as of 15 January, 2012, the registry fee for .COM domain names will increase from $7.34 to $7.85 and that the registry fee for .NET domain names will increase from $4.65 to $5.11, the maximum possible under the registry agreement with ICANN.

    The full Verisign news release with further details of the financial results is available here.

  • VeriSign and CFIT End Litigation

    VeriSign and the Coalition for ICANN Transparency have reached an agreement to settle the antitrust lawsuit CFIT brought against VeriSign with no payment made and both parties agreeing to end proceedings with prejudice of all claims in the litigation.In their announcement saying that all proceedings had been resolved, VeriSign noted that “CFIT voluntarily agreed to dismiss its claims in their entirety with prejudice in view of recent developments in the case, including the Amended Opinion of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the subsequent orders of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division dismissing the claims regarding .NET and for disgorgement, and Verisign’s motion for summary judgment.”The court case was brought about when CFIT challenged on antitrust grounds both Verisign’s pricing of domain names and Verisign’s threat, as described by CFIT, to usurp the vibrant secondary market for the sale of expiring domain names as a sole source supplier.Had they won, CFIT would have impacted dramatically on VeriSign’s business, so it must be reassuring to VeriSign that the court action has ended.

  • VeriSign Court Case Loss Could Shake Up Registry for .COM and .NET Domains

    “VeriSign has suffered another legal setback in its antitrust court battle with the Coalition For ICANN Transparency (CFIT), after an appeals court ruled that CFIT has a case to be heard,” writes Kevin Murphy on his Domain Incite blog.The CFIT believes VeriSign’s deal with ICANN to run the .COM registry, which has a presumptive right of renewal and allows annual price increases, breaks US competition law, says Murphy in his report.Domain Name Wire summarised the case as thus: The CFIT sued VeriSign for its no-bid contract with ICANN, among other things. The district court dismissed the case, and CFIT appealed. Last year the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the district court had erred. VeriSign essentially appealed that ruling, asking for a rehearing. Today the court of appeals denied that motion for a rehearing.And in a comment on the case, Bret Fausett told Domain Name Wire the case has the potential to do one of two things: either VeriSign will petition the Supreme Court to hear the case, or it will go back to the district court for a trial.A worst case scenario could see VeriSign lose its right to operate the registry for .COM and .NET domain names. However whichever way it goes, there is a good chance the wholesale price of .COM and .NET domains could be reduced.For more information see:
    domainincite.com/verisign-antitrust-claims-will-be-heard-in-court/
    domainnamewire.com/2010/07/09/verisign-loses-big-in-court-on-com-domains/To register your .COM or .NET domain names, check out America Registry here.