As the ICANN Guard Changes, Taking Care of Business at Home

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced its intent to relinquish remaining oversight over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organization that oversees technical functions of the Internet. What does this mean for anti-cybersquatting efforts?
The decision is not entirely surprising. It is the culmination of a process initiated in 1998 with the establishment of ICANN.  The original intent had always been to pass the reins of Internet leadership  to the broader global community.
The 2009 Affirmation of Commitments, which loosened the policy ties between the U.S. and ICANN, was one step in that process.  Now, with the recent National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance revelations, the timeline for unraveling technical ties has been accelerated. The U.S. contract with ICANN is set to expire in 2015, at which time ICANN and the multistakeholder community that support it will have full control over the Internet Assigned Names Authority, which coordinates the Domain Name System.
This does not change the fight against cybersquatting. ICANN has never been at the forefront of the cybersquatting battle, which makes CADNA’s role that much more important: We will continue to advocate for the U.S. Government to focus on anti-cybersquatting efforts through education, strengthening national anti-cybersquatting legislation, and seeking cooperation from other countries.
“Now is the time to promote legislation that protects consumers,” said Josh Bourne, President of CADNA. “We are already seeing instances of cybersquatting in new top-level domains. So it’s more important than ever to take care of business at home.”
Contact us to find out how to participate in CADNA’s efforts to reduce instances of cybersquatting through education and strengthening anti-cybersquatting legislation.

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