Advice: NDRP case

[karen banks]

dear all

This is my first *substantive* post to the list, i hope it's appropriate.

As some of you know, I work for APC, an international network of civil
society organisations dedicated to empowering and supporting groups and
individuals working for peace, human rights, development and protection of
the environment, through the strategic use of information and communication
technologies (ICTs), including the Internet.  (Blurb)

Many of our members are ISPs, some are members of the NCUC. We were very
active as a network in all regions during the At-Large 'experiment' and
participated in the .org deliberations.

In the past 5 years or so, we have done more and more work defending
organisations who's rights have been threatened, this specifically in
relation to the internet and ICTs. Most commonly, we have defended
threatened content (attacked via legal and commercial intimidation) mainly
through accusations of copyright, defamation or libel. This probably
relates more to users of our networks, than ISPs, but more recently, ISPs
in some countries have of course come to be classified as secondary
publishers, and therefore equally libel as the original content producer.

Data retention and surveillance is of course the most recent challenge to
those of us trying to uphold existing privacy and data protection
principles, and this relates most directly to ISPs.

Currently, one of our members is involved in a struggle to retain the right
to use a domain, (used for legitimate purpose) as it is hosting content
that is critical of a company involved in mining in the area. The company
has threatened legally, to take the domain in all it's configurations. The
domain - www.

The company is Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC) - and i can't find a
website for them.

The domains they are threatening is: http://www.rosiamontana.org (they also
lay claim to www.rosiamontana.com and .ro)

The campaign itself (against mining in the region) seems to have broad
support from some governments, international agencies, organisations and
activists.

Our member would like to mount a response to this threat, and we will be
working with them re the content - but i am particularly interested in
anyone who could advise on the domain name dispute resolution process.. or
the case in general.

I a happy to post the details of the case, which we are seeking support and
advice for, if list members are interested. Otherwise, could you please
write me offlist at karenb at apcwomen.org

karen