Hi,

I beleive they do.  And I beleive that is the avenue they should be working through.   And should have been working through all these years.

The only thing that giving them special treatment can achieve is to delegitimize ICANN as a global organization and show it up as merely a US puppet organization - a description many have spent long years trying to avoid.  The Board should obviously answer their questions politely and firmly, but it should not change course based on their comments.

avri

On 19 Dec 2011, at 12:12, Adam Peake wrote:

> Don't IGOs have an automatic observer status in GAC?  ITU used to attend, OECD I think still does.  Sort of makes it a bit late to be demanding special treatment now?
> 
> Adam
> 
> 
> 
> 2011/12/19 William Drake <[log in to unmask]>
> Hi
> 
> As expected, the UN and other public intergovernmental organizations are now demanding that their names and acronyms be protected---not only at the top, but the second level as well—"Consistent with the rationale for protection envisaged for the important causes represented by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Olympic Committee."  The door has been opened, why wouldn't they want to go through it?   
> 
> The letter is attached below.  Kieren has an article on this at http://news.dot-nxt.com/2011/12/14/igos-special-gtld-exemption.  While I agree with him that there is no chance of a TLD application with an international organization's name or acronym making it through the application process anyway, that the second level demand is problematic, and that the guidebook mechanisms would seem sufficient, it's not obvious that ICANN can easily tell these organizations to just chill out and expect them to go away.
> 
> On last Thursday's Council call Wolfgang and I raised questions about how GNSO & ICANN would deal with this.  There's a GNSO group being formed to work on the RC & IOC, but apparently no consideration of expanding its remit at this time.  Clearly, there will have to be a broader discussion about the relative merits of transforming the Reserved Names list into a broad "rights protection" mechanism. GAC has argued that reserving RC & IOC are required by ICANN's public interest mandate; presumably we'll be hearing the same here.  The intersection of the DNS and state-related claims raises a host of issues which NC may wish to consider and weigh in on.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Bill
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
>> From: Stéphane Van Gelder <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: December 18, 2011 12:49:08 PM GMT+01:00
>> To: GNSO Council <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: [council] Fwd: Open letter to ICANN from the Legal Counsels of intergovernmental organisations (IGO's)
>> 
>> Councillors,
>> 
>> In the context of our own discussions at the end of last week's meeting, please see below the message I was copied on last Friday.
>> 
>> Stéphane
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Début du message réexpédié :
>> 
>>> De : <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Objet : Open letter to ICANN from the Legal Counsels of intergovernmental organisations (IGO's)
>>> Date : 16 décembre 2011 18:00:27 HNEC
>>> À : <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Cc : <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>, <[log in to unmask]>
>>> 
>>> Dear Sirs,
>>> 
>>> Several additional International Organizations have signed on to the open letter transmitted to you on 13 December.  You will find enclosed the same letter containing an updated list of signatories.
>>> 
>>> We take this opportunity to also copy the letter to the GNSO President Stephane Van Gelder and the ALAC Chair Olivier Crepin-Leblond.
>>> 
>>> Sincerely yours,
>>> 
>>> 
> 
>>> Nicola Bonucci
>>> Director & Accession Coordinator / Directeur et coordonnateur de l’adhésion
>>> Directorate for Legal Affairs / Direction des affaires juridiques
>>> 
>>> 2, rue André Pascal - 75775 Paris Cedex 16 
>>> Tel: +33 1 45 24 80 77 – Fax: +33 1 44 30 62 45
>>> [log in to unmask]  || www.oecd.org
>>> 
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