An exceptional series. Should be required reading.

The question it brings to mind is why, given the lack of transparency and accountability, anyone would want to be part of an ICANN supporting organization. It's a question I think increasingly we all need to ask ourselves individually.

You write about Steve Crocker. I was an academic member for about five years of the International Trademark Association, the trademark lobby. Saw Steve a few times at our meetings and conferences. The last one I was at was in December 2011 in Dublin:  http://www.inta.org/Programs/Pages/2011EUInternet_Overview.aspx . I spoke to Steve in the lobby, he came over the night before, was leaving the following day...

What was interesting to me was that Steve didn't come on as the 'keynote' until 5:45 Friday afternoon, a few weeks before Christmas, the last speaker of a one day conference. He had been in the hotel, in his room,  all day.By the time he came on to 'keynote', all but 10 to 15 of the participants had left the conference and gone elsewhere. All of the tables in the conference hall had been packed up and stored. Steve spoke for about 15 minutes, he had 3 or 4 slides - one of a gas station from 1950's California - and he left. It was the most unusual keynote address I've ever seen. He came all the way from North America for that? Interesting. I've always wondered what type of honoraria was involved - there may have been none, Dr. Crocker may have just been doing free outreach..but questions.

Now I read that Steve condemns your writings without even reading them. I hate to break it to you, Milton, but there are a few members of the intellectual monopoly lobby that aren't big fans of yours. I've been to a number of CC/ORG / Pirate Party gigs in my life - never saw Steve at one of those. I admire a lot of what Dr. Crocker has accomplished in his life and all of my interactions with him have been nothing but pleasant but...I have questions. The man regularly shows up at trademark lobby events yet condemns writings of a man whose positions are contrary to the lobby - without reading them?

Questions...yet with no defined accountability and transparency mechanisms to help me get the answers.

Great work Milton. Sad work Milton.

Ed