Domainers might think it is a good idea, but it is likely nobody else would. But still, it will give people a laugh, which seems to be the intention of Hank Alvarez to announce his candidacy for the ICANN CEO and President position. The position will become vacant in July 2012 now that Rod Beckstrom has announced he will not be applying for a second term. In a statement on his website , Alvarez says: “It reminds me of the good old days when I ran the show at SnapNames and was able to make decisions for the good of the company. “Of course, those days are now in my distant past as I am a changed man and I have no desire to go back to tweaking the outcome of domain auctions. “But I’d like to share with you that I will be considering applying for the position of CEO at ICANN, once Rod Beckstrom steps down. I am equally capable of creating controversy and I believe I am able to deliver matching sub-standard results. “Of course, I am only kidding; a CEO’s duty is to perform for the company and the shareholders and I would do my best to outrank any past and present ICANN CEO. I know I can, because I am a man of convictions, who has reached out to the average domainer: you. “I love you all, Hank.”

ICANN have announced that ICANN President and CEO will leave the organisation at the end of his term on 1 July 2012. Beckstrom has been considered a somewhat controversial appointment with him not seeing eye-to-eye with many people both within the organisation and in the domain name world. It was often rumoured he had a frosty relationship with several board members and senior staff. Under his tenure there has been a sweeping of the broom through ICANN with many long term, and not so long term, employees leaving. It could be asked whether they were pushed, did they see the writing on the wall and left before they were pushed, or did they leave for better or new opportunities. It could also be asked whether Beckstrom also left before his term ended or whether he was pushed. In their announcement, ICANN noted Beckstrom will continue to fulfil his term as ICANN’s President and CEO, which will be completed on 1 July 2012. He has held this position since 1 July 2009. The announcement was first made via Twitter, a point noted by Michele Neylon on his Internet News blog . Possibly unusual, but then possibly reflecting the growing importance and popularity of social networking. Beckstrom’s Twitter announcement said “I have decided to wrap up my service at ICANN July 2012. Press release soon.” ICANN will now begin a search for a replacement President and CEO and while there are no obvious successors, Jeff Moss, currently ICANN Chief Security Officer and also known as The Dark Tangent, and founder of the Black Hat and DEF CON computer hacker conferences, could be a candidate, especially if security issues were foremost in the organisation’s mind. But the board is sure to look widely and globally for a successor with security concerns being one but several issues the organisation has to grapple with. Taking into account concerns from several developing countries that ICANN does not adequately represent their interests could also be a consideration. Beckstrom only served one term and it was often wondered how long he would serve. That he has not appointed to a second term is not a surprise to many. But it is also worth noting that only one President and CEO, Paul Twomey, has completed more than one term in the organisation’s eleven year history. “I am incredibly proud of ICANN’s achievements throughout my tenure,” Beckstrom said in a statement. “In two short years we have advanced this organisation to a new level of professionalism and productivity, and turned it into a genuinely multinational organisation that will serve the world community long after my time here.” Beckstrom has had many notable accomplishments at ICANN. They include the negotiation and signing of the Affirmation of Commitments, the historic 2009 agreement with the US Government that moved ICANN’s oversight from one government to the world, and the signing of the Internet’s root with DNSSEC. The introduction of internationalised domain names under his watch has allowed millions of Internet users to access the Internet entirely in their primary language script. “I can summarise my time here in four words: strong execution, great teambuilding,” he said. “We have built a world-class executive team, and elevated ICANN’s stature through strategic relationships with governments, businesses, top technology firms and international organisations.” A program to launch new generic top-level domains – a major change to the domain name system – was approved in June and will launch in the next year. ICANN’s agreement with the US government – the IANA functions contract – expires in March, and Beckstrom emphasised his commitment to bring the contract renewal to a successful conclusion. “The Board of Directors fully supports Rod through the completion of his July 2012 term and is committed to continuing the collaboration that has produced so many benefits for ICANN and for the global Internet,” said Steve Crocker, Chair of ICANN’s Board of Directors. “I remain committed to leading this critical organisation with the utmost dedication, and to living up to our common vision: One world, one Internet,” Beckstrom said.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau proved that they too are asleep at the wheel belatedly complaining to ICANN about its plan for new generic Top Level Domains, saying that the programme to assign hundreds of thousands of new domain names would cause incalculable financial damage to brand owners, including the hundreds of media brands in its membership. The complaint coming after the ICANN board approved its Applicant Guidebook in June at the Singapore meeting, also comes after America’s Association of National Advertisers woke up and complained about new gTLDs last week. While it subsequently came out that the ANA had complained about the new gTLD programme back in 2008, something the organisation seems to have forgotten in its complaints to ICANN, one has to wonder what they have been doing to more or less ignore the proposal for so long. “ICANN’s potentially momentous change seems to have been made in a top-down star chamber. There appears to have been no economic impact research, no full and open stakeholder discussions, and little concern for the delicate balance of the Internet ecosystem,” said Randall Rothenberg, CEO and President, IAB. “This could be disastrous for the media brand owners we represent and the brand owners with which they work. We hope that ICANN will reconsider both this ill-considered decision and the process by which it was reached.” The IAB is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86 per cent of online advertising in the United States.

Jeff Moss, ICANN’s Vice President and Chief Security Officer, told the Black Hat Technical Security conference in Las Vegas that now is the time for corporations and organizations to embrace DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions). “If you only call us after the house is on fire, you have very few options,” Moss told the conference in emphasizing the need for business to prioritize online security, including adoption of DNSSEC. “If you don’t have a corporate policy or strategy to sign your zone, you should,” said Moss, who is the founder of the Black Hat conference. “You’re not only going to be helping your own organization, you’re going to be helping the rest of the Internet.” DNSSEC helps to assure that Internet users end up at the Internet site to which they intended to navigate and minimizes the ability of cyber-criminals to misdirect them to bogus sites. Moss called the adoption of DNSSEC by the vast majority of the Internet’s top-level domains (TLDs) a “foundational upgrade” for the Internet. “Once we get enough critical mass with signed zones then the whole Internet starts to the get the benefit of this technology,” said Moss. Moss was named ICANN’s Chief Security Officer in April. Throughout his career, the self-proclaimed hacker of more than of 20 years has used his skills and understanding of the hacking community and its methods to help organizations secure their global networks. He currently serves as a member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. ### To download a high resolution pictures of Jeff Moss go here: www.flickr.com/photos/icann/5658860869/sizes/l/in/photostream/ www.flickr.com/photos/icann/5659434198/sizes/l/in/photostream/ To learn more about DNSSEC go here: www.icann.org/en/announcements/dnssec-qaa-09oct08-en.htm This ICANN news release was sourced from: www.icann.org/en/news/releases/release-03aug11-en.pdf

Hustler has prohibited ICM Registry, the operator of the .XXX registry, “from registering or selling to a third party any .XXX domain names that contain the famous Hustler trademark or other Hustler-related trademarks.” Hustler President Michael Klein said “it appears that the .XXX TLD will do nothing but drive up costs to the adult community and will force us to fight infringement on yet another front,” according to an XBix.com report. Hustler has made clear in writing several times “that any attempt to do so will constitute infringement of its intellectual property rights and that legal action will be taken, the company said.” “Like many other companies in the adult industry, Hustler will not allow its trademarks to be bought, sold or used by any other entity nor will be we be shaken down by ICM,” Klein said. “We are prepared to take whatever legal action may be necessary.” The report also noted that attorneys for Hustler said they are continuing attempts to initiate dialogue with ICM, but the company has remained silent. “We are constantly policing the registration and use of domain names that attempt to capitalize on Hustler’s trademarks,” said Jonathan Brown, attorney for Hustler. “ICM’s silence is particularly disconcerting, especially in light of ICM’s supposed aim of ‘working proactively to balance the rights of existing domain name holders, and other trademark and intellectual property holders.’” In a separate report on AVN, the parent company of Brazzers, Manwin, also signalled its intention to assertively protect its online properties in a letter to ICM Registry last week demanding protection of its domain names and trademarks as the launch date for .XXX nears.

[news release] The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR), the non-profit organization tasked with policy making for the new .XXX Top Level Domain TLD, has today announced the founding members of its board of directors and policy council. The high-profile and highly respected members include leading global figures in internet security, online child protection and freedom of expression, including Professor Nadine Strossen and Sharon Girling OBE. IFFOR is an independent non-profit body, which has been created by ICM Registry, the organization responsible for the new .XXX TLD, which opens to trademark owners under a sunrise launch period in September 2011. IFFOR will receive significant funding from ICM at a rate of $10 per domain registration per year. The policy council will be responsible for initiating a series of policies for responsible business practices and conduct within the .XXX online adult-entertainment community. This includes making adult content less accessible to children online and protecting the privacy and security of consenting adult consumers of online adult-entertainment goods and services. Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry and Chairman of IFFOR commented, “IFFOR has the potential to become one of the internet industry’s greatest forces for good. The caliber of our founding members, international leaders in their fields from child protection, to privacy, to freedom of expression is testament to the organizations vision and ambition. We are extremely honored by their commitment to IFFOR’s mission and we all look forward to collaborating with our industry and other partners as IFFOR begins its important work. Professor Nadine Strossen, the Free Expression Policy Council member for IFFOR, added: ‘Wearing both of my hats, as a scholar and activist, I have long championed the freedom of consenting adults to make their own choices about what sexual expression to access online as well as the rights of parents and guardians to make such choices regarding their own children. It is an honor – and an important responsibility – to serve as the inaugural member of IFFOR’s Policy Council who is designated as the advocate of these fundamental freedoms. IFFOR Board Members The Chair of the IFFOR Board will be Stuart Lawley, the current chairman and CEO of ICM Registry. Joining Lawley as board directors will be Clyde Beattie, CEO of Yorkland Investment Corp and Sebastien Bachollet, CEO of BBS Consulting and a member of the Board of Directors of ICANN. Beattie’s experience includes serving as Chairman of the Canadian Internet registry Authority (CIRA), where he was responsible for the .CA top level domain, as well as serving as a director of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (CAIP). Bachollet’s expertise also stems from a technological background, having launched the www.sncf.fr website and built CIGREF (Club Informatique des Grandes Entreprises Françaises). The board is assisted by Joan Irvine as Executive Director, the recent CEO of the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP). IFFOR Policy Council Members The IFFOR Board is also supported by its Policy Council and the initial Non-Adult Industry Members are: Child protection authority Sharon Girling OBE, has over 30 years’ experience in policing, specializing in the last ten years in addressing international Internet enabled pedophilia, advising both the British Prime Minister and the President of the United States. Fred Cate is a distinguished Professor of Law at the Indiana University School of Law-Bloomington and director of the Indiana University Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research. He specializes in privacy, security, and other information law issues, and appears regularly before Congress, government agencies, and professional and industry groups on these matters. Bob Corn-Revere, Partner at Davis Wright Tremaine, has extensive experience in First Amendment law and communications, media and information technology law. Bob speaks and writes extensively on First Amendment and communications policy issues. The fourth member of the IFFOR Policy Council is Nadine Strossen. Strossen has written, lectured, and practiced extensively in the areas of constitutional law, civil liberties, and international human rights. From 1991 through 2008 she served as president of the American Civil Liberties Union, the first woman to head the nation’s largest and oldest civil liberties organization. The remaining five policy council members selected to represent the online adult entertainment industry on an international basis will be announced in July/August. For further information, please contact: Giles Barron, Diffusion, icm@diffusionpr.com, +4420 7025 150 About IFFOR ( www.iffor.org ) IFFOR is a non-profit entity that will serve as the policy-making body for the .XXX extension. It is independent from ICM Registry and has its own board of directors and Policy Council representing all stakeholders, including child safety representatives, members of the free speech community and adult entertainment industry leaders. IFFOR will engage in various programs and activities, including but not limited to: (1) Promoting public awareness of technologies, programs, organizations and methods available to protect children online; (2) Enhancing development and proliferation of systems for labeling and identifying material online; (3) supporting free expression to allow Internet users the right to choose the online material they desire; and (4) Contributing to various organizations that support Internet safety. This ICM Registry news release was sourced from: icmregistry.com/press/pressrelease11.php

Free online resources outline opportunities for dot.BRAND TLDs in today’s new Internet environment [news release]  In a historic move, ICANN approved its long-discussed New gTLD Program. This program allows any brand or community of interest to apply for a unique “right of the dot” top-level domain. For example, instead of “.com,” a brand like Nike could apply for “.nike” to reinforce its brand on the Web. “The ICANN program creates opportunities for brand builders to re-invent how customers experience brands on the Internet,” said Roland LaPlante, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Afilias. “However, there are a variety of challenges in applying for, winning and running a dot.BRAND Web space. One significant issue is time. The program application period starts on January 12, 2012, and will end on April 12, 2012. Once the application window is closed, the opportunity to apply for a dot.BRAND TLD is gone. There are no firm plans to accept new applications after this round of submissions closes.” To help global brand builders understand the complex ICANN application process — as well as the many benefits of owning and operating a unique dot.BRAND TLD — Afilias has created an easy-to-digest video and e-book to explain the program. “Afilias is ideally positioned to offer this information,” LaPlante said. “Afilias is among the world’s largest providers of diverse domain registry services, and has supported the applications for and launches of numerous new TLDs under ICANN processes — including the highly successful .INFO, .MOBI and .ASIA domains. This also means we are uniquely qualified to help organizations apply for new dot.BRAND TLDs as well as launch and manage new dot.BRAND Internet spaces.” Organizations interested in pursuing a dot.BRAND investment will need to act quickly to assemble a team of experts, which will likely include the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), a brand advisor, the ad agency, a trademark lawyer and a domain registry technology partner. Properly assembled, this team will be able to prepare and submit an application that will meet ICANN’s stringent requirements and be awarded their own dot.BRAND. To access the free Afilias e-book, Envisioning Your .BRAND New World: A Field Guide for Brand Builders , as well as the educational video, Welcome to Your .Brand New World , visit www.afilias.info/dotbrand . About Afilias Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias’ reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications, including Internet domain registry services and Managed DNS. For more information on Afilias, visit www.afilias.info . This Afilias news release was sourced from: www.afilias.info/news/2011/06/20/afilias-launches-campaign-educate-“brand-builders”-icann-new-tld-progra