On Mar 27, 2013, at 8:45 AM, Alain Berranger wrote:
[...]
2) Robin, I fully understand your TM arguments and they make sense to me as a non-specialist. Can you please elaborate a bit on who the "powerful political interests" you refer to are? This may help me and others at the base of the NCSG pyramid understand the context and the issue better...
The powerful political interest I am referring to is the big brand / trademark industry, which is near-universally from the US/EU. These trademark lobbyists have captured ICANN since its inception (as evidenced in the creation of single-issue constituency (the IP Constituency), while all noncommercial users and their diverse interests had to share NCUC for over a decade, with equal weight to this single commercial interest). That is just one example of how this organized narrow interest has been given priority over other equally legitimate interests in policy development at ICANN since the organization was created. And because this focused narrow interest is constantly 'on message' beating on politicians' doors in Washington, Brussels, etc. to apply pressure to ICANN's staff, and because they know how to play the lobby game (campaign contributions), it is a very politically powerful interest.
Best,
Robin
IP JUSTICE
Robin Gross, Executive Director
1192 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 USA
p: +1-415-553-6261 f: +1-415-462-6451