<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Arial Black";
panose-1:2 11 10 4 2 1 2 2 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://domainincite.com/icann-chair-expects-more-new-tlds-delay/">http://domainincite.com/icann-chair-expects-more-new-tlds-delay/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="http://domainincite.com/icann-chair-expects-more-new-tlds-delay/">ICANN chair expects more new TLDs
delay</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><a href="http://domainincite.com/about">Kevin Murphy</a>, February 3, 2011, 10:55:21 (UTC),
<a href="http://domainincite.com/category/domain-registries/" title="View all posts in Domain Registries">
Domain Registries</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">ICANN’s new top-level domains program is unlikely to be approved at its San Francisco meeting next month,
according to chairman Peter Dengate Thrush.</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">“We don’t think we’ll be able to approve the final applicant guidebook in March,” he said in a new
<a href="http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=62470E83-F9B8-4921-9823-72D0FF149415">
interview with World Trademark Review</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">This confirms
<a href="http://domainincite.com/governments-to-take-trademark-concerns-to-icann/">
my suspicion</a> that changes to the Guidebook made following the upcoming meeting between ICANN and its Governmental Advisory Committee may be too extensive for ICANN to rubber-stamp without first consulting the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">The ICANN board and the GAC are
<a href="http://domainincite.com/details-of-icanns-government-showdown-emerge/">due to meet</a> in Brussels, February 28 and March 1, to discuss the GAC’s outstanding concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Chief among these concerns is trademark protection, where the GAC is pretty much aligned with the interests
of the intellectual property constituency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Brussels will also cover matters such as geographic names protection and procedures for dealing with
<a href="http://domainincite.com/us-wants-veto-power-over-new-tlds/">controversial strings</a> that governments may want to object to.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">While ICANN is under no obligation to adopt the GAC’s suggestions wholesale, if it makes substantial concessions
its bylaws will likely demand more public comment on the changes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">ICANN’s board indicated last week that it plans to tell the GAC where it disagrees with its advice at a consultation
March 17, one day before its San Francisco meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">It also said that it
<a href="http://domainincite.com/breaking-icann-sets-march-deadline-for-new-tlds/">
plans to approve a Guidebook</a> “as close as practically possible to the form as set out in the Proposed Final Applicant Guidebook” published in November.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">UPDATE:</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""> I had an opportunity
to put Dengate Thrush’s comments to ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom this afternoon. He said: “I’m not going to forecast when the final Applicant Guidebook will be approved.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.8pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:4.8pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy">Philip S. Corwin <br>
Partner <br>
Butera & Andrews <br>
1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW <br>
Suite 500 <br>
Washington, DC 20004</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.8pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:4.8pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy">202-347-6875 (office) </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.8pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:4.8pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy">202-347-6876 (fax</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:navy">)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.8pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:4.8pt;margin-left:0in">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy">202-255-6172 (cell)</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:4.8pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:4.8pt;margin-left:0in">
<i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy">"Luck is the residue of design."</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial Black","sans-serif";color:navy"> -- Branch Rickey</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>