Minds + Machines

What’s ICANN without acronyms? Here’s a new one: IRT. That’s not Interborough Rapid Transit, the subway on the west side of Manhattan, it’s the Implementation Recommendation Team. Their job is to come up with a plan to address the concerns of trademark holders in connection with the introduction of new TLDs.

What’s brilliant about this move is that the team is comprised of people who suggested solutions to the trademark quandary during the public comments to the last version of the guidebook. Those who simply said “hurrah” or “harumph” will not be asked for any more of their opinions.

Nicely played, ICANN.

Mexico City, Mexico… March 7, 2009: ICANN’s 34th International public meeting in Mexico City has drawn to a close after the organization’s Board of Directors approved the establishment by staff of an Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) comprised of an internationally diverse group of people to develop and propose solutions to the over-arching issue of trademark protection in connection with the introduction of new generic top level domain names (gTLDs).

“The Board has clearly heard and believes strongly that the concerns of trademark holders must be addressed before this process is opened for applications,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ICANN. “The establishment of this team, is an attempt to get proposed solutions from the people with skill in trademark protection and other issues.”

The IRT will be comprised of people who put forward solutions in the first public comment period on the new GTLD Applicant Guidebook. The IRT has been asked to draft a report by 24 April for comment and to produce a final report no later than 24 May so it can be considered at ICANN’s Sydney meeting in June.