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<font size="2" class="">Hi John: <br class="">
<br class="">
Thanks for taking time to make this detailed report, and also thanks to the well-intentioned people that participated in the effort, in particular, our GNSO representatives. I am not surprised by the outcome. <br class="">
<br class="">
I am surprised by the recommendation to pause any release of closed generics to a future round. Such an action would turn the consensus-based policy development process on its head.<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">1. I don’t understand how the SO/AC leaders have the authority to revise the PDP final report recommendation. <br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">The PDP final report (approved by each of the Councillors) stated that the closed generic decision should be left up to the ICANN Board. The final report did not recommend the conflicting direction that the closed generics ban be continued
until a future round.<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">The Board made an attempt to (re)involve the community by inviting the GAC and GNSO to develop a solution. With that effort closed, we should revert back to the final report recommendations. We should not change the consensus position
developed. Do we think the PDP team would have approved a recommendation to pause closed generics for an additional round? (No.) <br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">We have thoroughly discussed the conditions under which a Council approved final report can be changed (e.g., GGP), and this is not one of them. <br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">2. Continuing the ban on closed generics effectively abandons the consensus policy model of decision making.<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">The new gTLD policy developments, in 2007-8 and 2016-21 have asked the questions: (1) should there be a round of TLDs and, if yes, (2) what restrictions / conditions should be in place to address SSR, IP, and competition concerns.<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">Restrictions and conditions enjoying consensus support were implemented in the program. (An illustrative example is the RPM IRT, whose recommendations were ratified by the community STI.)<br class="">
<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">During discussions on closed generics, there were people for barring them, allowing them, and allowing them with restrictions. Pausing any introduction of closed generics essentially creates a policy advocated by a minority (and in any
case not enjoying consensus support). The final report indicated as much.<br class="">
<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">This result provides an incentive to avoid compromise. Going forward, those wanting to implement an unsupported policy can refuse to compromise through a PDP and subsequent ad-hoc discussions with the hope that leadership will “give
up” and implement unsupported restrictions.<br class="">
<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">3. The decision to ban closed generics for an additional round contradicts the one step the Board took.<br class="">
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<font size="2" class="">The Board direction to the GAC-GNSO team established guardrails, prohibiting a model that would either ban or provide for the unrestricted release of closed generics. We cannot be sure this is where the Board will land absent input from
the GAC-GNSO effort, but we should not erase the chance that the Board would develop a balanced decision.</font></blockquote>
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<div class=""><font size="2" class=""><br class="">
</font></div>
<font size="2" class="">Two additional points:<br class="">
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<font size="2" class=""><br class="">
1. I do not believe that deferring the issue to the Board will delay the next round, despite the recent GAC-GNSO detour. The Board has more than a year to make a call. </font></blockquote>
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<font size="2" class=""><br class="">
2. I do not believe the Board is exceeding their authority in making the call. The GNSO specifically assigned the task to the Board as part of their policy management responsibility. In any event, the Board established that authority when it paused closed
generics in 2012, contradicting the Council-approved policy. </font></blockquote>
<font size="2" class=""><br class="">
If given the opportunity to participate in a discussion on this issue, I would oppose the recommendation that the issue should be paused, and closed generics banned for the reasons stated above. I would support the final report recommendation that the issue
be decided by the Board. </font>
<div class=""><font size="2" class=""> <br class="">
Sincerely,<br class="">
<br class="">
Kurt<br class="">
</font>
<div><br class="">
<blockquote type="cite" class="">
<div class="">On 10 Aug 2023, at 7:33 am, John McElwaine via council <<a href="mailto:council@gnso.icann.org" class="">council@gnso.icann.org</a>> wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<div class="">
<div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Dear Councilors,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">As GNSO Council liaison to the ALAC-GAC-GNSO Facilitated Dialogue on Closed Generic gTLDs, I wanted to update you on the latest developments on this project. On 7 July 2023, after discussions amongst themselves that I
also participated in, Sebastien (in his capacity as GNSO Chair), Jonathan Zuck (ALAC Chair) and Nico Caballero (GAC Chair) sent the attached letter to the participants in the dialogue. For reasons set out in the letter, and in response to questions that the
dialogue participants had referred to them (also noted in the letter), the three Chairs have collectively decided that it will be neither necessary to continue with the dialogue to develop a final framework nor initiate further policy development work on this
topic.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">The dialogue participants have discussed the Chairs’ joint letter and agreed to conclude their work as requested, including producing an outcomes report to ensure that the work to date is thoroughly documented. Participants
also agreed to forward the Chairs’ letter to all the commenters that submitted input on the draft framework (viz., Tucows, RySG, BC, ISPCPC, ALAC and GAC), and have invited those commenters that wish to engage with the group to join their next call to clarify
any significant concerns they raised in the feedback they provided.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">The staff team that is supporting the dialogue is currently preparing a draft outcomes report for the group to review. The group intends for the outcomes report to serve as an introduction and summary of their work, including
expressly clarifying that the draft framework the group published in June 2023 does not reflect agreed outcomes but, rather, was a product of compromise that was reached in the interests of soliciting community feedback on the various elements and points included
in the draft framework. The outcomes report will also include all the community feedback that were submitted in full, links to the group’s community wiki space and other relevant documentation, and the participants’ feedback on the consensus building techniques
and approaches that were used for the dialogue.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">The group hopes to wrap up its work by September, in line with its previous plan to conclude the dialogue and final framework by end-Q3 2023. I understand that Sebastien, Nico and Jonathan will also be sending a separate
communication to the ICANN Board that reflects the decision they took and, as stated in the letter, expressing the collective view that:<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">(1) closed generic gTLDs should not be viewed as a dependency for the next round;<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">(2) until there is community-developed policy, the Board should maintain the position from the 2012 round (i.e., any applications seeking to impose exclusive registry access for "generic strings" to a single person or
entity and/or that person's or entity's Affiliates (as defined in Section 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement) should not proceed<b class="">;</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">(3) should the community decide in the future to resume the policy discussions, this should be based on the good work that has been done to date in the facilitated dialogue.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Sebastien and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have on the letter, the Chairs’ decision and the proposed next steps. You may also wish to check in with the representatives that each of your Stakeholder
Groups appointed to the dialogue for further information.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Finally, I am sure I speak for all of us when I say that we are very grateful to the dialogue participants and the staff support team for all the hard work and consensus building that resulted in a detailed and substantive,
if preliminary, draft framework. I also hope that the participants’ feedback on the methods and techniques used in the dialogue, as well as other lessons learned from the experience, will provide the GNSO Council and community with useful information that
we can put into practice in future policy discussions.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">Best regards,<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class="">John<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in; font-size: 10pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class="">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;" class=""><o:p class=""> </o:p></span></div>
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<span id="cid:2E1C7B3E-57AF-4A18-A1D3-17CA62596F68"><Message from ALAC GAC GNSO Chairs to Closed Generics Facilitated Dialogue Participants - FINAL - 5 August 2023 (002).pdf></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; float: none; display: inline !important;" class="">_______________________________________________</span><br style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;" class="">
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