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Evan,<div><br></div><div>In your theory of a model for IG where ICANN staff decisions replace bottom-up policy, how are the staff held accountable and to whom?</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div><div>Robin</div><div><br></div><div><br><div><div>On Mar 22, 2013, at 8:44 AM, Evan Leibovitch wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr">[ donning firefighter's suit ]<div><br></div><div>Allow, perhaps, a different perspective.</div><div><br></div><div>In its current ICANN state the so-called multi-stakeholder process is, through the GNSO, simply a compact between domain sellers (ie, CPH) and buyers (ie, NCPH). The rest of the world is left outside. It's "multi", but it's exclusive and unequal.</div> <div><br></div><div>While the ALAC certainly has its structural flaws, it does attempt to at least offer a perspective of those who intend to never buy or sell a domain, yet are heavily impacted by the decisions made inside the compact. And yet neither end users nor governments have a full seat at the table. The NCUC claims to speak for end users, but you can't join if you don't own a domain -- and the vast VAST majority of people out there don't own a domain.</div> <div><br></div><div>Not all believes that everyone on earth ought to own a domain. As such, a large segment of the population will be forever shut out of representation of policy making, at least via the GNSO.</div> <div><br></div><div>Sure, ALAC is occasionally invited to the table. But as was evidenced so clearly in the Consumer Metrics WG, its opinions can be cavalierly tossed aside if "real" GNSO members don't like the At-Large PoV. And when the public interest efforts of the ALAC coincide with those of the NCUC (as they did on issues such as Applicant Support), we're still in the minority and heavily out-resourced.</div> <div><br></div><div>So, while you may vociferously object to it, you may want to consider that what is considered ham-handed Staff intervention by some might be considered by others that finally someone -- even occasionally and partially -- is asserting the interests of non-domain-owning end-users. Fadi's early references to not just multi-stakeholderism, but multi-EQUAL-stakeholderism, resonate within many in At-Large which has too often seen the end-user PoV shut out of the compact's internal deliberations.</div> <div><br></div><div style="">As Alan Greenberg noted in his analysis of the staff action on the TMCH Strawman proposals.</div><div style=""><br></div><div style=""><i style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)"><font color="#0000ff"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Although the outcomes were not exactly as the ALAC advised (in terms </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">of what required policy development), all of the IP protections that </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">ICANN will be moving ahead with were supported by the ALAC, and the </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">one additional protection that the ALAC explicitly did not support </span><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">will not be implemented.</span></font></i><br> </div> <div><br></div><div style="">Similarly, many in At-Large have no problem at all with the RAA unilateral right to amend.</div><div style=""><br></div><div style="">My main point is that not everyone is disgusted with the current path. Calling the opposition unanimous, <a href="http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130316_icann_must_drop_request_for_unilateral_right_to_amend_agreements/">as some have</a>, is inaccurate; however, such claims re-enforce the perception that the end-user PoV is ignored. ICANN staff under Fadi's watch -- with all of its flaws -- is now seen by a significant number, as part of a system of checks and balances against what the domain buyer/seller compact wants to inflict outside the ICANN bubble. Given the clear threat to the MSM as seen in WCIT and elsewhere, arguably some form of this was inevitable.</div> <div style=""><br></div><div style=""><div>The ALAC, through its R3 paper, attempted to envision an evolved set of checks and balances. It may not be THE answer but the status quo may not be sustainable if it isn't true MSM.</div> <div><br></div></div><div style="">I think this issue is certainly worth discussing between the NCSG and ALAC in Beijing.</div><div style=""><br></div><div style="">If not, that's OK too.</div><div style=""><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"> -- <br><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left">Evan Leibovitch</div><div style="text-align:left">Toronto Canada</div></div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"> <div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left">Em: evan at telly dot org</div></div><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left">Sk: evanleibovitch</div></div><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"> Tw: el56</div></div></blockquote> </div></div></blockquote></div><br><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div><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 href="http://www.ipjustice.org">http://www.ipjustice.org</a> e: <a href="mailto:robin@ipjustice.org">robin@ipjustice.org</a></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></div></body></html>