[NCUC-EC] Domain Name Rights Coalition

[Michael Karanicolas]

Hi fellow EC-ers,

Hope you're keeping well. Just wanted to drop you a line to let you know
that Kathy and I have launched a new NGO today - the Domain Name Rights
Coalition - which will be a principle avenue for our engagement with ICANN
going forward.

I'm copying our press release below - would very much appreciate any help
to spread the word, particularly via our Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/DomainRights/> and Twitter
<https://twitter.com/DomainRights> pages.

Best,

Michael

[image: Inline image 1]

*26 February 2018 – for immediate release*



*The Domain Name Rights Coalition: Working for fair, balanced and
principled approaches to Internet Governance*



Today, a public interest group is reborn. Twenty years ago, at the start of
the commercial Internet, a group of advocates came together to fight for
the rights of registrants - for individuals, entrepreneurs and
organizations who registered domain names and posted their ideas, concerns,
products, and services online. The DNRC defended political parody, argued
in support of protections for Internet Service Providers (then a new type
of company), and worked to make the rules for the Internet fair and
balanced for everyone. At that time, the Internet hosted only 70 million
people.



Now, with over 3 billion people online, the need for registrant
representatives is even more important. The Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has been untethered from the US
government, leaving its multistakeholder community as the ultimate
guardians of a free and open Internet. With the rebirth of the Domain Name
Rights Coalition, we resume our work on behalf of Internet users. The
Domain Name Rights Coalition will be headed by Kathy Kleiman, one of the
original founders, and Michael Karanicolas.



Kathy Kleiman is part of the group that founded ICANN. She is well-known
for her passionate work seeking fairness and balance in Internet policies
and served on the final drafting teams of both the Uniform Dispute
Resolution Policy and Uniform Rapid Suspension Policy.  Michael Karanicolas
is a Canadian-based human rights advocate who has published extensively on
a range of digital rights issues, and has experience at the highest levels
advising governments, private sector entities, and intergovernmental
organizations on how to bring their policies into line with international
human rights standards. He currently serves as Co-Chair of ICANN's
Cross-Community Working Party on Human Rights, and as the Rapporteur for
the subgroup reworking ICANN’s transparency policies.



Both Michael and Kathy are leaders in the ICANN ecosystem, particularly
through the Non-Commercial Users’ Constituency, which Kathy co-founded, and
on whose Executive Committee Michael now serves.



*“I am thrilled to see the Domain Name Rights Coalition reboot. We need
experienced people helping to ensure that domain names – the street signs
of the Internet – are fairly distributed and not arbitrarily revoked. The
Domain Name Rights Coalition will once again be a home for education,
participation, research and advocacy for users and registrants who are
online today – and the millions who will come online tomorrow.*  -- Kathy
Kleiman, Co-Founder and President, DNRC.



*“The DNRC will fill a crucial void in the modern digital rights space, by
providing a dedicated vehicle for programming aimed at advancing human
rights in Internet governance. We look forward to engaging directly with
academics, advocates, and other like-minded organizations, to collaborate
on research, advocacy, and outreach. I am honoured to take up this role,
and excited about the road ahead.” *-- Michael Karanicolas, Director of
Policy, DNRC.



DNRC is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization under US law and seeks the
support of the Internet Community. To find out more about the DNRC and our
principles, membership and donations, visit our website at www.dnrc.tech/ and
follow us on Twitter at @DomainRights and Facebook at
www.facebook.com/DomainRights.



*For further information, please contact:*



Kathy Kleiman, President

Domain Name Rights Coalition

Email: kathy at dnrc.tech

Twitter: @DomainRights and @KleimK



Michael Karanicolas, Policy Director

Domain Name Rights Coalition

Email: michael at dnrc.tech

Twitter: @DomainRights and @M_Karanicolas



**
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