Concur.  I'm thinking that a specific "working definition of Public
Interest" might be too particular to apply generally without getting into
the weeds of caveats and exceptions, but some sort of principles/guidelines
as to how to find the PI in a particular case might be achievable.

That's what I liked about Joy's phrasing, I'll pull it verbatim here: "The
broader notion of public interest ... ensures that the mighty cannot
overpower the weak, just because they are more powerful" and so "in the
ICANN context this notion of public interest needs to be protected to
ensure the DNS is not appropriated to suit purely private ends."  This
seems to me the core of what PI is all about, especially at ICANN.

So, that might be useful, but not so much as a position statement but more
like a reminder for how to pull out the right counter-example when a
specific case arises that requires some sort of push-back.

Dan


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At 10:12 PM -0500 12/25/14, Sam Lanfranco wrote:
>
>The core ICANN issue is that an Internet policy issue with a Public
>Interest component, is not per se grounds for ICANN engagement. The
>challenge is having Internet Public Interest issues addressed in the most
>appropriate venues. For ICANN to refrain from, or limit participation in,
>a particular Public Interest issue is not an abdication of responsibility.
>ICANN's responsibility is to help insure that Public Interest issues are
>address in their proper venues. Stakeholders, including those within
>ICANN, share the responsibility to steer Internet Public Interest issues
>to appropriate venues on a case by case basis.
>
>Electricity is ever present the operations of the global Internet. Energy
>production is linked to climate change. It does not follow that ICANN
>should draw the climate linked energy production issue into its internal
>operational remit. At the same time ICANN and stakeholder groups are free
>to formulate organizational and individual positions on Internet energy
>use, energy production, and climate change, and pursue those positions in
>appropriate venues.
>
>As for ICANN developing a working definition of Public Interest, my only
>contribution would be to invite a resurrected Mr. Aristocles from Athens
>(Greece) to the celebration party. [Mr Aristocles is better known as
>Plato] ;-)
>
>Sam