<html 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=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS Gothic";
panose-1:2 11 6 9 7 2 5 8 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@MS Gothic";
panose-1:2 11 6 9 7 2 5 8 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.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>
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Please see ICANN orgs response to the EPDP’s question below. This response will also get posted here:
<a href="https://community.icann.org/x/5BdIBg">https://community.icann.org/x/5BdIBg</a>.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Question:</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Is there an attorney-client relationship between ICANN Org and Bird & Bird?</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"MS Gothic";color:black">
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Response: </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Dear EPDP Team:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">In light of your recent question, “Is there an attorney-client relationship between ICANN Org and Bird & Bird,” and related communications on the EPDP Team list, we wanted
to provide this background.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">ICANN org retained the law firm of Bird & Bird as an additional expert to help advise on GDPR matters, including advising the EPDP Team. There is an attorney-client relationship
between ICANN org and Bird & Bird. In connection with this engagement, Bird & Bird is providing analysis on issues related to the EPDP’s work that is being shared with the EPDP Team. In
</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><a href="https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/gnso-epdp-legal/2019-January/000015.html"><span style="color:#1155CC">announcing</span></a><span style="color:black"> this engagement to the EPDP Team, ICANN org noted that ICANN
has used the services of Bird & Bird in the past in a similar engagement, in providing public advice to the community Thick WHOIS Implementation Review Team. Given the positive experience with working with Bird & Bird on that public advice, Bird & Bird’s understanding
of ICANN and its ecosystem, as well as its deep expertise in international privacy and data protection matters, ICANN org determined that the Bird & Bird team could help provide additional expertise to advance the efforts of ICANN org and the GNSO Expedited
PDP Team.</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Members of the EPDP Team’s legal committee proposed using the same independent outside counsel for both the EPDP Team and ICANN Org. To that end, in the “Considerations for
Procurement of Legal Services” </span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><a href="https://mm.icann.org/pipermail/gnso-epdp-legal/2019-January/000012.html"><span style="color:#1155CC">document</span></a><span style="color:black"> compiled by Kurt Pritz, the Phase
1 Chair, which incorporated the Statement of Work written by Stephanie Perrin and Diane Plaut, as well as a note on Conflict (by Margie Milam), and on possible efficiencies by Thomas Rickert, it was noted that the same outside counsel could be used for both
the EPDP Team and ICANN org. The notes to ICANN included in the “Considerations” document stated that it was the EPDP Team’s belief that both ICANN org and the EPDP Team would require answers to the same or similar questions and that, therefore, reaching out
to one firm might avoid duplicate costs and also potentially conflicting advice.
</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">I hope that this background is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions or wish to discuss this topic further.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Best,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black">Dan and Trang</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>