NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE NAMED
TO RESOLVE DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM ISSUES
WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 1996 -- An Internet International
Ad Hoc Committee (IAHC) has been named to resolve issues resulting
from current international debate over a proposal to establish additional
global registries and international Top Level Domains (iTLDs).
"We are pleased to have attracted such a high level of leading
international experts in their fields to examine these questions that are
critical to the current and future growth of the Internet," Donald M. Heath,
president and CEO of the Internet Society said in announcing the
eleven-member committee. Heath will serve as chairman.
Deliberations of the committee may lead to the establishment
of new international Top Level Domains (iTLDs), adding to the current
three-letter tags, such as .com, .net, and .org, that end many Internet email
and World Wide Web addresses.
Dr. Donald N. Telage, president of the Herndon, Virginia - based
Network Solutions, Inc., which manages the InterNIC Registry administering
the .com, .net, .edu, and .org top level domains, said: "Network Solutions has
supported the registration process and the growth of the Internet since 1991.
We have seen its evolution from a research and education tool to a powerful
medium for global communication and collaboration. The National Science
Foundation has played a critical role in the early governance activities, and
we support the Internet Society's efforts to review issues critical to the
future of Internet growth, evolution and governance. Network Solutions will
participate and support this effort enthusiastically supplying our extensive
operational knowledge as needed."
Named to the new IAHC are:
Sally M. Abel, specializes in international trademark and trade
name counseling, chairs the Internet Subcommittee of the International
Trademark Association (INTA), and will represent that organization on
the IAHC. Ms. Abel is the partner in charge of the Trademark Group of
the law firm of Fenwick and West, a Palo Alto, Ca. firm specializing in
high technology matters.
Dave Crocker, is co-founder of the Internet Mail Consortium, an
industry trade association. He is also a principal with Brandenburg
Consulting in Sunnyvale, Ca., a firm specializing in guiding the development
and use of Internet applications. With ten years in the ARPA research
community, ten years developing commercial network products and services,
and extensive contributions to the Internet Engineering Task Force, he is
considered an expert about the Internet, email, electronic commerce, Internet
operation and the Internet standards process.
Geoff Huston is the technical manager of Australia's Telstra
Internet and is responsible for the architecture and operations of its
service. He formerly was technical manager of the Australian Academic and
Research Network, and was largely responsible for the introduction and
subsequent development of the Internet into Australia.
David W. Maher, a partner at the law firm of Sonnenschein
Nath & Rosenthal, of Chicago, IL, is a registered patent attorney and has
extensive experience in intellectual property and entertainment law.
Principal outside trademark counsel for several nationwide companies, he
has served as special counsel to the American Bar Association for
telecommunications matters.
Perry E. Metzger is the president of New York - based Piermont
Information Systems Inc., a consulting firm specializing in communications
and computer systems security. He has worked with the New York financial
community for many years and is active in the Internet Engineering Task
Force's (IETF) security area, chairing the group's Simple Public Key
Infrastructure working group.
Jun Murai is an associate professor on the Faculty of Environmental
Information at Keio University in Tokyo. He developed JUNET, Japan's first
UUCP network and the WIDE Internet, Japan's first IP network. He is president
of the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC) and serves as adjunct professor
at the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University in Tokyo.
Hank Nussbacher, an independent networking consultant,
currently works with IBM Israel as Internet Technology Manager and has been
responsible for all aspects in establishing IBM Israel as a major ISP in Israel.
He also consults for the Israeli inter-university consortium and is on the board
of directors of the Internet Society of Israel.
Robert Shaw is an advisor on Global Information Infrastructure
(GII) issues at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The ITU,
based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a United Nations treaty organization within
which governments and the private sector coordinate global telecom networks and
services.
George Strawn is with the US National Science Foundation (NSF),
which has funded Internet development for research and education. Mr. Strawn
has been involved with the NSF's Internet activities for the last five years and
also co-chairs the Federal Networking Council, a US government committee
coordinating inter-agency Internet activities, including funding for
administrative activities, such as the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
(IANA).
Albert Tramposch is senior legal counsellor at the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. WIPO is a United Nations
organization which has responsibility for the promotion of the protection of
intellectual property throughout the world. It also administers various
treaties dealing with legal and administrative aspects of intellectual property,
including the international registration of trademarks.
In addition, Stuart Levi, a partner in the New York Office of
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and the head of the firm's Computer and
Information Technology Practice, will serve as outside counsel supporting
the IAHC.
"The IAHC will be charged with fairly and openly looking at the
complex issues surrounding the current domain name and registry situation,
including trademark and infringement, economics and administration of registry
operations, dispute resolution policies, fees and iTLDs," Heath said. He anticipates the
Committee reaching reasonable consensus on issues identified, sometime in January.
A subset of the IAHC will seek to implement its recommendations very shortly
after that.
To meet its aggressive schedule, the widely dispersed group will
primarily operate online, over the Internet. Interested parties throughout the
Internet world will be able to participate in the IAHC's process, through an
electronic mail list service and a Web site that are being established.
Discussions, evaluations and decisions will be available for public inspection.
An archive, and relevant documents, will be available for public comment at the
Web site which will be established by November 15 at www.iahc.org.
To subscribe to the IAHC's email list service, send email with the word
"subscribe" to: iahc-discuss-request@iahc.org.
# # # # # # #
Contact:
Internet Society
12020 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA 20191-3429
TEL 703-648-9888
FAX 703-648-9887
E-mail info@isoc.org
http://www.isoc.org