The International Trademark Association (INTA) has given a mild rebuke to the efforts of the Internet Assigned Number Authority (IANA) to create a non-profit entity to run the domain name system. INTA says in a letter to IANA’s present attorney, Joe Sims who is credited with doing much of the work on the IANA proposal, that while it supports the work of IANA and its director Jon Postel, it cannot support the current draft. The move is something of a surprise, because the two organizations have been close for years and worked together on the formation of the International Ad-Hoc Committee (IAHC), which led to the Policy Oversight Committee overseeing the Council of Registrars and the attempt to have seven new top-level domains added to the internet. That whole process was started by Postel in May 1996 (09/04/98) and INTA still sits on the board of the POC. INTA’s main gripe is IANA’s choice of method for selecting the board of directors of the new entity, which it code-names NewCo. Postel proposes using an advisory board that he has picked to advise on the selection of the interim board members. He also proposes that there should be nine at-large directors who will serve as members of the eventual permanent board. It also says that the supporting organizations, or the three councils (protocols, naming and IP address allocation) should have more freedom to develop their own ideas and then present them to the board, than is proposed by Postel’s draft. However, INTA does not go as far as saying that this is a process with which it totally disagrees, rather it merely advises Postel that he should consider individuals who embody significant experience in business operations, display an understanding of the important role that the internet plays in the continued development of the global economy, and possess a strong background in protecting the interests of consumers. Anyone would think INTA is angling for a seat on the board itself.
