<div dir="ltr"><span class="" style="border-collapse:collapse;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><p class="" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px"><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri">We submit the following comments (below and attached) to the EWG on the difficult topic of Conflict of Interest.</span></i></b></p>
<p class="" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px"><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri"><br>Sincerely,<br></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri">Kathy Kleiman<br>
Tamir </span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri">Israel</span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri"><br></span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri">Milton</span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri"> Mueller<br>
</span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri">Roy</span></i></b><u></u><u></u><b><i><span style="font-size:14pt;font-family:Calibri"> Balleste<br>Robin Gross<br>Avri Doria<br>Marie-Laure Lemineur<br>
Peter Green<br>Edward Morris <br>All members of the NCSG<br><br>************************<br></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Potential Conflict of Interest</span></i></b></p><p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt">
<span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">This is a more difficult comment to write. In light of the very active participation of MarkMonitor in this proceeding, including its active support of a very controversial “labeling of domain name speech and content” proposal (in the public forum in </span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Durban</span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> and written comments), we feel it is incumbent to point out that MarkMonitor has an over-representation on the EWG.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Faisal Shah, a member of the EWG, is the former co-founder and president of MarkMonitor, a company that successfully supported and worked on behalf of trademark owners prior to its recent sale to Thompson Reuters.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Margie Milam, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives also has strong historical affiliations with MarkMonitor, and served as its Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary prior to joining ICANN staff. Ms. Milam’s personal involvement on Whois issues on behalf of MarkMonitor and in support of large trademark owners is well established. Her ICANN Wiki bio confirms this, noting that Milam “coordinated and participated in seminars on WHOIS related issues” on behalf of MarkMonitor clients who used Whois aggressively to pursue their business interests online against Registrants.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">While we do not question the integrity or objectivity of Ms. Milam, and we do recognize that no one should be stigmatized for having worked for a particular company or organization, we point out that ICANN rightfully takes its conflict</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri;color:maroon"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">of interest policies very seriously. For example, Board members were asked to recuse themselves from the New gTLD Program Committee so as to avoid the merest apprehension of bias. ICANN has also demonstrated the application of these stringent conflict avoidance principles to senior staff when Kurt Pritz left his position as Senior Vice President in order to avoid a potential conflict of interest.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">We reiterate that the integrity of ICANN staff members or their right to having chosen a particular employer in the past, is not in question. We are concerned, however, that while in her current role as a member of ICANN staff, a strong apprehension of bias arises from the long and enduring association between Ms. Milam and MarkMonitor – a major contributor to and senior policy staff member on the EWG process. Staff must be neutral and this staff member boasts a past record on advocacy on this specific issue, has worked for one of the members of this Working Group, and has advocated on this specific issue on behalf of a member of this Working Group.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom:12pt"><b><i><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">We respectfully ask that ICANN apply its conflict of interest policies and reassign Ms. Milam outside of the EWG for the duration of this project. This decision would, without any doubt, also contribute to enhanced transparency of the process, and an avoidance of even the slightest appearance of a conflict.</span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Appendix: ICANN Wiki</span></p><p align="center" style="margin-bottom:12pt;text-align:center"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam</a></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0in"><span>“</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Margie Milam is </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/ICANN" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">ICANN</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">'s Senior Policy Counselor.</span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam#cite_note-0" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><sup><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">[1]</span></sup></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> She works on important policy initiatives regarding domain names, and supports the </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/GNSO" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">GNSO</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> policy development efforts. Prior to this, she worked as the Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/MarkMonitor" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">MarkMonitor</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">, Inc., an ICANN accredited registrar based in </span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Boise</span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">, </span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Idaho</span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">. She was responsible for MarkMonitor's ICANN policy initiatives. She left </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/MarkMonitor" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">MarkMonitor</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> to join ICANN's Policy Department in 2009.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">When she was working for MarkMonitor she was an active user of </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Whois" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Whois</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> information for the purposes of MarkMonitor's registrar related business. She is experienced in providing services to financial institutions and governmental agencies to help detect phishing attacks, identify the culprits, and provide take down services.</span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam#cite_note-1" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><sup><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">[2]</span></sup></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"></span></p>
<p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Milam is also Member of the </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php?title=OPOC_Working_Group&action=edit&redlink=1" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">OPOC Working Group</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> and Internet Security Operations Community. She is interest in intellectual property, corporate securities, mergers and acquisitions.</span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri;font-weight:normal">Prior Work</span></h2><p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">She not only served as MarkMonitor's representative to the ICANN </span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Registrar_Constituency" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Registrar Constituency</span></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">, but also served on the Internet Committee of IACC and the </span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">INTA</span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> Services Committee. Margie is a frequent speaker on intellectual property issues, and have coordinated and participated in seminars on WHOIS related issues.</span></p>
<p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Prior to joining MarkMonitor, Margie Milam was a partner with the </span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Los Angeles</span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> global law firm, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pitman, representing many international clients with respect to general corporate and intellectual property issues.</span><u><span style="color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam#cite_note-2" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)"><sup><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">[3]</span></sup></a></span></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"></span></p>
<h2><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri;font-weight:normal">Education</span></h2><p style="margin-top:5.05pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:5.05pt;margin-left:0.5in"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Symbol"><span>·<span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">University of Southern </span><u></u><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">California</span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> </span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">Law</span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri"> </span><u></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">School</span><u></u><u></u><u><sup><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri;color:navy"><a href="http://icannwiki.com/index.php/Margie_Milam#cite_note-3" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)">[4]</a> </span></sup></u><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:Calibri">“</span></p>
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