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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Verisign’s RSEP proposal for offering “O.Com” contains no Rights Protection Mechanisms (“RPMs”). Such protections should be inherent in any new offering of domain names. By way of example, registry operators
subject to the Trademark Clearinghouse are required to offer a Sunrise period of at least thirty (30) days.
<i>See </i></span><a href="https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/sdrp-2013-10-31-en"><i><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/sdrp-2013-10-31-en</span></i></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">.
To this end, Verisign offered a Sunrise period for various IDNs of “.com”. Verisign should not be permitted to offer any SCDN in .com or .net without similar RPMs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">It is unclear why Verisign’s subject RSEP does away with RPMs, especially in light of a November 28, 2006 communication between Overstock.com and the ICANN Board that is available publically at
</span><a href="https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/warren-to-board-28nov06-en.pdf"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/warren-to-board-28nov06-en.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">.
Therein, Overstock.com expresses interest in the release through auction of SCDNs to “parties with established trademark or use rights in the ‘name.’” Overstock.com suggests in its 2006 communication that auction proceeds go to ICANN except for “a one time
per name contribution [in the form of] a percentage of the payment from the auctioned name [going] to any special/restricted funds which the Board and the community have agreed … .”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Overstock’s communication is significant for at least three reasons. First, it seems to outline the process for the auction of “O.com” currently under consideration in the form of Verisign’s RSEP. Second,
Verisign’s RSEP nevertheless omits a key aspect of Overstock.com’s 2006 proposal,
<i>i.e.</i>, mechanisms to protect trademark or use rights in “names” to be auctioned. Third, the communication raises the specter of impropriety in Verisign’s RSEP for auctioning off “O.com” in the form of a potential
<i>quid pro quo</i> in which ICANN permits the registration of “O.com” in exchange for funding from Overstock.com for ICANN programs and/or ICANN-supported projects over a number of years.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Recognizing that ICANN and Versign derive their contracts from the United States government, both entities are responsible for upholding their obligations. These obligations include transparency and equitable
treatment to avoid confusion and protect brand owners. Instead of providing RPMs, the RSEP states that “if any disputes arise from the allocation of this SCDN, it is recommended that the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy be used.” Yet, the Uniform Dispute
Resolution Policy applies only to bad-faith registrations and thus would fail to protect a brand owner from a registrant savvy enough to avoid providing indicators of bad faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Importantly, public comments have already supported a sunrise period for the release of SCDNs. ICANN proposed releasing SCDNs through auction back in 2007. The
public comment period brought submissions supporting a sunrise period or some other procedure for protecting intellectual property rights in the release of SCDNs. (<i>See
</i></span><a href="https://forum.icann.org/lists/allocationmethods/pdf6q6lG1u1pw.pdf"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">https://forum.icann.org/lists/allocationmethods/pdf6q6lG1u1pw.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">).</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"><img border="0" width="330" height="61" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.png@01D4040F.B82833D0" alt="cid:image001.png@01CF7061.3AE55380"></span><span style="font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#7F7F7F">Joseph J. Weissman, Esq.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#7F7F7F">Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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