Boucher’s Hearing on ICANN Governance Spurs Private Sector Call to Arms

By Press Releases

Carlson Joins CADNA to Help Promote ICANN Reform

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2009–The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) is pleased to announce the addition of Carlson Companies to its membership.

As a global brand owner with companies in several industries, including travel and hospitality, Carlson knows first-hand the scope of the online infringement problem and the harmful effect it has on brands and consumers.  “Carlson is dedicated to protecting its businesses and its customers,” said Travis Bachman, Associate General Counsel for Carlson.  “We joined CADNA to advocate action to stop illegal and unethical infringement of brands online.”

With major Internet policy being developed and enacted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)—such as the potential launch of an unlimited number of Top Level Domains (TLDs)—brand owners like Carlson are looking to positively impact the governance of the domain name space. Many companies, such as CADNA member Nike, see encouraging signs that Congress’ interest in these issues has been renewed, including Rep. Boucher’s (D-VA) recent hearing on the U.S. government’s relationship with ICANN.

“ICANN’s push to expand gTLDs could have a direct and significant financial impact for companies like Nike,” said Jim Carter, General Counsel for Nike, Inc. “Domain name space expansion should only be made with the right enforcement mechanisms put in place. We appreciate Chairman Boucher’s support and pursuit of seeking regulation in this area and believe his efforts will help both businesses and consumers use the Internet more effectively and safely.”

Congress’ active interest in this issue makes now an opportune time for brand owners to get involved. CADNA urges brands owners to reach out to their congressional representatives and inform them about the impact that online domain name infringement has on businesses and consumers.

The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the systemic domain name abuses that plague the Internet today. For more information, please visit www.cadna.org.