Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight

Type:	Advocacy Initiative
Industry:	Internet
Founded:	November 2011
Founder(s):	ANA
Headquarters:	New York
Country:	USA
Website:	crido.org
Key People
Dan Jaffe, ANA EVP for Government Relations

The Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight (CRIDO) is an advocacy organization created by the Association of National Advertisers on November 2011 to stop the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in implementing its latest program to expand the number of top level domain names (TLDs) in the Domain Name System scheduled on January 12, 2012. CRIDO sent a petition to the Department of Commerce objecting the proposed TLD expansion program. The petition was signed by 49 associations and 54 companies including major brands such as Adidas, Dell Inc.,Toyota, Walmart etc. A complete list of petitioners can be found here

Backgound

ANA/Brand Owners Opposition to the new gTLD Program

On August 4, 2011, ANA President and CEO Robert Liodice wrote to Rod Beckstrom, President of ICANN regarding the new generic top level domain names (gTLDs) program that was approved by the ICANN Board on June 20, 2011 . In his letter, Liodice pointed out that the 400 member companies of ANA strongly opposed ICANN's plan to add unlimited number of TLD. The organization believed that the program does not provide benefit to the internet community but it will only cause harm and damage to brand owners and to consumers. According to him, once the program is implemented it will increase the incidence of cybersquatting and other cyber crimes. He cited that ANA conducted a research and found that the proposed TLD expansion is not supported by majority of businesses, consumers, academics including private and government agencies. He also quoted the statement of former ICANN Chairman Esther Dyson that the new program is "way for registries and registrars to make money, there are huge issues, it is offensive and will create a lot of litigation." In addition, Liodice enumerated some sections of the Economic Considerations in the Expansion of Generic-Top Level Domain Names, Phase II Reports: Case Studieswherein the experts opined that there is no scarcity of gTLds, the last ICANN TLD expansion provided little benefit thus it was a failure and the implementation of new TLD expansion may result to the following economic harms:

• Misappropriation of Intellectual Property
• Defensive Registrations
• Domain Navigation Dilution
• Increased Cybersquatting
• Reduced Investment by Intellectual Property Owners
• Losses from Failed TLDs

Liodice also claimed that international international internet governing body violated its Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Commerce as well as the Affirmation of Commitments and the ICANN Code of Conduct. Despite Liodice's strong criticism to ICANN, he expressed the willingness of ANA to work collaboratively with ICANN to develop better solutions for the benefit of the entire internet community such as the systematic and one by one implementation of TLD. However if ICANN disregards the concerns raised by the brand owners through ANA and will push the implementation of the new gTLD program, ANA will take all measures to prevent it.

Top-Level Domain