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<div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; ">During today's closed CSG meeting, we discussed whether to object to GAC's Advice against .amazon and .patagonia, and the potential for precedent in GAC obtaining new IP rights, particularly at
the second level.</div>
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<div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; ">I researched prior BC statements on geo names. In Mar-2013 we advocated against strict second-level restrictions for single-registrant TLDs, as part of our Registry Agreement comments, building
on comments we made in 2011. (link <a href="http://www.bizconst.org/Positions-Statements/BC%20Comment%20on%20final%202013%20RAA%20[FINAL].pdf ">
here</a> and excerpt below). :</div>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Bold; ">Specification 5: Reserving Country and Territory Names at the Second Level
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<p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">The BC continues believes that the proposed new gTLD Registry Agreement should include an exception or a centralized mechanism for
</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, Bold; ">single-registrant TLDs
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">to request release of reserved country and territory names.
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<p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Specification 5 of the proposed registry Agreement continues to require default reservation of country and territory names, only to be
released by express agreement of each applicable government: </span></p>
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<p style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; "><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">The country and territory names contained in the following internationally recognized lists shall be initially reserved at the second
level and at all other levels within the TLD at which the Registry Operator provides for registrations </span><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">… </span><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">provided, that
the reservation of specific country and territory names may be released to the extent that Registry Operator reaches agreement with the applicable government(s), provided, further, that Registry
</span><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Operator may also propose release of these reservations, subject to review by ICANN’s Governmental Advisory
</span><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Committee and approval by ICANN.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">In the BC’s May-2011
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">comments, we proposed that single-registrant TLDs be exempt from the requirement to obtain express authorization from governments for each country and territory name.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-size: 10.000000pt; font-family: 'Arial'">Single-registrant TLDs will reasonably want to create second level domains for their operatingunits or chapters in each country or region. (e.g., Canada.Canon or Haiti.RedCross).
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<p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">Now that there are several hundred single-registrant TLDs in this new gTLD round, the BC reiterates our request for an exception that allows single-registrant TLDs to register domains for their
markets and operations based in countries and territories. (e.g. Canada.canon; Haiti.redcross, etc.)
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<p><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Calibri'">If not an exception for single-registrant TLDs, ICANN should propose a centralized mechanism where single- registrant TLDs can request authorization from all governments in a consolidated request. </span></p>
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<div>-- </div>
<div>Steve DelBianco</div>
<div>Executive Director</div>
<div>NetChoice</div>
<div>http://www.NetChoice.org and http://blog.netchoice.org </div>
<div>+1.202.420.7482 </div>
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