Dates: October 23-28, 2011
Location: Dakar
Host: MICOMTELTIC
ARTP
Venue: Pointe des Almadies
Website: dakar42.icann.org


ICANN 42 was held in Dakar, Senegal, between October 23rd and 28th, 2011. It was hosted by Senegal's Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Communication (MICOMTELTIC) and Agence de Regulation des Telecoms et Postes.

Major Events edit

IDN edit

A draft version of Guidelines for Implementation of Internationalized Domain Names was modified and approved during ICANN 42 by the ICANN Board, and subsequently implemented in November 2011.[1][2]

Batching edit

Popularized during ICANN 42 was batching, the term for dividing new gTLD applications into manageable batches of 500. During a GNSO working session in Dakar, ICANN Senior Vice President Kurt Pritz announced that the date of submission during an application window will not be a factor in determining placement, meaning all applicants who filed between January 12th and April 12th would have an equal opportunity of being in any batch. ICANN did not detail how the batches would be processed, though a "charity auction" method has been ruled out and a random selection seems preferred, if workable under proper laws.[3] It was also stated that applicants may be able to "opt out" of the first batch if not concerned about time-to-market.[4]

Trademark Clearinghouse edit

In order to work through outstanding logistical issues related to the Trademark Clearinghouse, ICANN announced plans for an Implementation Advisory Group to be formed in November 2011. The group will consider details related to sunrise periods, infringement notices, receipt verification, database redundancy, and technical protocols by which trademark data will be exchanged.[5]

AFRALO Capacity Building Sessions edit

An extension of a 2009 document outlining the capacity building needs of AFRALO to inform and educate its representatives on ICANN activities, AFRALO held a series of capacity building sessions at ICANN 42. More than 20 representatives from each of the African At-Large Structure joined the meetings, which had about 300 people in attendance. The five-day program, conducted by ICANN officers and staff, aimed to provide ALS representatives with briefs on key policies, issues, and facets of ICANN.[6]

Elected Officials edit

  • Chairman of the Board: Steve Crocker
  • Vice-Chairman of the Board: Bruce Tonkin
  • Board Committee Members
    • Audit: Erika Mann (Chair), Bill Graham, Gonzalo Navarro, Judith Vazquez
    • Compensation: R. Ramaraj (Chair), Steve Crocker, George Sadowsky, Bruce Tonkin
    • Executive: Steve Crocker (Chair), Rod Beckstrom, Cherine Chalaby, Bruce Tonkin
    • Finance: Cherine Chalaby (Chair), Sébastien Bachollet, Chris Disspain, George Sadowsky
    • Governance: Bruce Tonkin (Chair), Cherine Chalaby, Bill Graham, Ram Mohan (Liaison), Ray Plzak, R. Ramaraj, Mike Silber
    • Global Relationships: Gonzalo Navarro (Chair), Chris Disspain, Bertrand de La Chapelle, Erika Mann, George Sadowsky, Kuo-Wei Wu
    • IANA: Kuo-Wei Wu (Chair), Bill Graham, Bretrand de La Chapelle, Thomas Narten (Liaison), Suzanne Woolf (Liaison)
    • Public Participation: Sébastien Bachollet (Chair), Chris Disspain, Thomas Narten (Liaison), Gonzalo Navarro, Mike Silber, Kuo-Wei Wu
    • Risk: Mike Silber (Chair), Steve Crocker, Ray Plzak, R. Ramaraj, Thomas Roessler (Liaison), Bruce Tonkin, Judith Vazquez, Suzanne Woolf (Liaison)
    • Structural Improvements: Ray Plzak (Chair), Sébastien Bachollet, Bertrand de La Chapelle, Thomas Roessler (Liaison), Judith Vazquez

Confirmed edit

Sessions edit

October 22

October 23

  • Newcomer sessions, open to all
  • GNSO working session, open to all
  • ALAC and Regional Leadership Working Session
  • GAC Working Group Sessions
  • Welcome Cocktail Event

October 24 - Welcome Ceremony

  • Formal opening of the meeting
  • Public Workshops
  • Joint SO Meetings

October 25 - Stakeholder Day / Constituency Day

  • GNSO Stakeholder Group and Constituency Meetings
  • ALAC Policy Discussions
  • GAC Meetings
  • Joint SO/AC Meeting
  • ccNSO Meetings
  • Music Night

October 26 - Workshop Day

  • GNSO Council Meeting
  • Various Workshops
  • Reviews
  • ccNSO Meetings
  • Gala Event

October 27 - Public Forum

  • Morning Workshops
  • Reports
  • Public Forum
  • Board Wrap-up/Dakar Review

October 28 - ICANN Board Meeting

  • ICANN Board meeting, open to all[8]

Sponsors edit

Platinum: Verisign, PIR, Orange Brand Services Limited

Gold: Afilias, Neustar

Silver: InterNetX, CNNIC, Siter.com, CORE, GMO Registry, AFNIC, TANGO REGISTRY SERVICES, ARC, DotConnectAfrica

Bronze: IronDNS, RU-CENTER, Iron Mountain

Local: Senecatours, AfriNIC, Tigo, Loment, NIC.sn, La Fracophonie, NEXT Global Solutions

Hotel Controversy edit

Following ICANN 42, ICANN's Head of Communications, Barbara Ann Clay, issued a formal complaint to the management of Hotel des Almadies, Senegal's Communications Minister, Moustapha Guirassy, and others. In the letter, she stated that, "The extremely poor quality of the Hotel and its services, noted in detail on the basis of our delegates' feedback, has damaged ICANN's reputation, as well as the reputation of the Hotel and Senegal."[9] The letter called for compensation for the poor experience, and was initially posted on the ICANN website until it was ultimately pulled.[10]

On November 2012, Clay wrote an apology letter to Guirassy, noting that the 20-page complaint was sent without appropriate clearance and was not an official statement from ICANN.[11][12]

References edit

  1. Implementation Notice - Version 3.0 of IDN Guidelines, ICANN.org. Published 22 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  2. Guidelines for the Implementation of Internationalized Domain Names | Version 3.0, ICANN.org.
  3. New gTLDs: no advantage to applying early, DomainIncite.com. Published 23 October 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  4. New gTLD batching: should .brands go first?, DomainIncite.com. Published 9 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  5. Intellectual Property Advisory: New gTLD Program Updates from the Dakar, Senegal ICANN Meeting, Steptoe.com. Published 1 November 2011.
  6. ICANN POLICY UPDATE | Volume 12, Issue 1 — January 2012, ICANN.org. Published 1 January 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  7. Approved Board Resolutions | Organizational Meeting of the ICANN Board, ICANN.org. Published 28 October 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  8. Schedule Overview, ICANN.org.
  9. Formal Complaint Letter, Dot-Nxt.com. Published 23 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  10. Dear minister, here is the process we followed to build a complaint about our stay in a hotel in your country, Dot-Nxt.com. Published 30 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  11. ICANN says sorry for crappy hotel complaint, DomainIncite.com. Published 2 December 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  12. ICANN comms head apologizes for hotel complaint letter, Dot-Nxt.com. Published 2 December 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2012.

External Links edit