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Hi Mary,<br>
I appreciate your welcoming of comments, and appreciate your serving on
the IRT committee. I know this work takes huge amounts of time, and it
is important for the NCUC to have representatives on the committee. I
hope you can comment as I see Steve Metalitz and others commenting.<br>
<br>
What I see see emerging from the IRT Committee is a "wish list" of all
that the Intellectual Property Constituency has wanted since the
beginning of ICANN. Then we were told that business as we know it
would cease to exist if we did not create massive new rules and
protections for the largest intellectual property owners in the worlds
(and those best able to defend themselves). Yet, in 10 years, we have
shown that the Internet, modern business and the sky have not fallen
without these protections. We have not had to skew the traditional
balance of trademark rights and their protection for free speech and
fair use too badly (although I am not crazy about the UDRP). Why, of
all times, would we give the intellectual property owners their Wish
List now? <br>
<br>
In 2000, the Famous Marks working group met for months to determine
whether the opening of new gTLDs should be stalled pending protection
of a globally famous marks. After a hue and cry about famous marks, it
turned out that there were no international lists of famous marks --
and not even any international consensus on what they were (many
countries didn't even have legislation protecting famous marks).
Further, the courts were ruling against the direction the intellectual
property community wanted ICANN to go. In a famous Spanish case, the US
NIKE (of sneaker fame) sued a Spanish NIKE in local court. It turned
out that the Spanish NIKE, far smaller, had been using the mark far
longer than the US company and, as the senior user, was completely
protected under trademark law. Both users could coexist. That's not
the answer the US NIKE wanted, and under the IRT proposals, equities
would flip.<br>
<br>
Could you help me understand the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS)?
The UDRP is already a system far expedited over a court process, and
far, far cheaper than bringing a court action. It already stretches
domain name registrants incredibly, and results in forfeitures because
registrants don't get the message, or don't have time to act (with
vacations, holidays, family illnesses, etc).<br>
<br>
To set up a parallel proceeding will further expedite it will cause
real harm. Every trademark owner I know thinks it has a famous mark.
They will use this Rapid Suspension System (URS) to stomp out all other
uses of what they view as "their words." But companies don't own
words. Further these largest companies in the world have all the time
in the world to prepare their URS filing, with the world's largest law
firms, and then -- from out of nowhere -- individuals, noncommercial
organizations, and political groups have to race against the clock
(with virtually not time), against the equities of trademark law, and
against a stacked deck of rules to defend themselves and their very
existence online -- and pay for it too!<br>
<br>
I would really appreciate your insight. Please help me to understand
how the Uniform Rapid Suspension System serves the noncommercial
interest -- and the interest of all future companies, organizations,
and ideas which must use the same basic words already trademarked many
times over?<br>
Best,<br>
Kathy<br>
<blockquote cite="mid:4A1AEA8E.D84C.005B.0@piercelaw.edu" type="cite">
<div>I'm glad to see more comments and contributions from NCUC'ers
and like-minded friends on the IRT proposals!</div>
<div> </div>
<div>While my take on the IRT report may differ to some extent from
some of you (I'm on the IRT), I think it's important to make those
public comments so that divergent views and alternative proposals can
emerge.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>The final IRT report will be released toward the end of this
week, and I encourage everyone with an interest in the intersection of
trademark law and domain name policy, as well as those who are
concerned about how the new gTLDs will operate, to track it and comment.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I will be happy to discuss the final report once it's released;
there will also be a public forum at the Sydney meeting that I
encourage everyone who will be there to attend.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Best,</div>
<div>Mary</div>
<div> </div>
<div>
<div><strong><font color="#800080">Mary W S Wong</font></strong></div>
<div>Professor of Law</div>
<div>Franklin Pierce Law Center</div>
<div>Two White Street</div>
<div>Concord, NH 03301</div>
<div>USA</div>
<div>Email: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:mwong@piercelaw.edu">mwong@piercelaw.edu</a></div>
<div>Phone: 1-603-513-5143</div>
<div>Webpage: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.piercelaw.edu/marywong/index.php">http://www.piercelaw.edu/marywong/index.php</a></div>
<div>Selected writings available on the Social Science Research
Network (SSRN) at: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://ssrn.com/author=437584">http://ssrn.com/author=437584</a></div>
<br>
<br>
>>> Robin Gross <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:robin@IPJUSTICE.ORG"><robin@IPJUSTICE.ORG></a> 5/25/2009 5:50 PM
>>><br>
Wonderful, Kathy! Excellent work!</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Thank you,</div>
<div>Robin</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On May 25, 2009, at 2:01 PM, Milton L Mueller wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite">
<div style="margin: 0px;">Really excellent comments, please read</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://forum.icann.org/lists/irt-draft-report/msg00068.html">http://forum.icann.org/lists/irt-draft-report/msg00068.html</a><span
class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Shows how the IRT proposals are a power
grab that go way beyond trademark law and ICANN's mission.<span
class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Milton Mueller</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Professor, Syracuse University School of
Information Studies</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">XS4All Professor, Delft University of
Technology</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">------------------------------</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">Internet Governance Project:</div>
<div style="margin: 0px;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://internetgovernance.org">http://internetgovernance.org</a></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<br>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span"
style="word-spacing: 0px; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; text-transform: none; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; letter-spacing: normal; border-collapse: separate; orphans: 2; widows: 2;">
<div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder">
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<div>IP JUSTICE</div>
<div>Robin Gross, Executive Director</div>
<div>1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA</div>
<div>p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451</div>
<div>w: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.ipjustice.org">http://www.ipjustice.org</a>
e: <a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:robin@ipjustice.org">robin@ipjustice.org</a></div>
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