Volume II

Issue : 5: March 4, 2004

• ICANN Faces Suits over Internet Domain Name Regulatory Practices
• Microsoft Brings Its Battle with Lindows to Canada
• U.S. Federal Trade Commission Levies Fines under the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Act
• California Appeals Court Reverses Order Prohibiting Internet Publication of DVD-Cracking Code
• FDA Sends Warning to Minnesota over its Prescription Drug Website
• Texas Doctor Sentenced to Jail for Prescribing over the Internet
• District Court Enjoins Manufacture and Distribution of DVD copying software
• U.S. Do-Not-Call Registry Does Not Violate the First Amendment
• U.S. Court Rules Extraction of Data by American Company from a Canadian Companys Online Database Does Not Violate DMCA
• UK High Court Asserts Jurisdiction in Internet Libel Case
• U.S. Supreme Court Rules No Recovery against Government for Privacy Act Violations without Actual Damages
• Supreme Court of Canada Rules Law Society's Photocopying Policy Does Not Violate Copyright Law

Home > Volume II > Issue 5: March 4, 2004 > ICANN Faces Suits over Internet Domain Name Regulatory Practices

ICANN Faces Suits over Internet Domain Name Regulatory Practices

In two suits filed in the past week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) faces separate actions challenging the authority of the domain name regulation entity to control the provision of internet domain name-related services. The suits are by Web address giant VeriSign Inc. and a group of eight small domain name registrants. In the first suit, VeriSign seeks its freedom to develop new services for Internet users, particularly its Site Finder service. In the second suit, the registrant group seeks to block ICANN and VeriSign Inc. from the offering of a "Wait-Listing Service" providing a right to register abandoned .com and .net registrations. ICANN is a non-profit organization empowered by the US government to manage and coordinate the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). ICANN is also responsible for accrediting domain name registrars, setting and enforcing minimum standards requirements. VeriSign Inc. contracted with ICANN to run the popular generic top level domains .com and .net. VeriSign's suit alleges that: ICANN overstepped its contractual authority and improperly attempted to regulate VeriSign's business in violation of its charter and its agreements with VeriSign. By straying from its charter and agreement to be a technical coordination body, VeriSign asserts that ICANN has improperly attempted to become the de facto regulator of the domain name system and, in doing so, stifled the introduction of new services that benefit Internet users and promote the growth of the Internet.

A major part of the business of each of the eight registrants is to wait for the expiration of attractive domain names and then register them on behalf of their clients. The group of eight registrars considers that the proposed wait-list service to be an abuse of VeriSign's monopoly position that will put them out of business.

The two suits appear to be the first serious challenge to the authority's regulatory powers.

For a copy of the respective complaints, visit:
http://fightwls.com/pdf/registersitevicanncomplaint.pdf
http://www.politechbot.com/docs/verisign.complaint.p2of2.022604.pdf
For further information on the respective complaints, visit:
http://news.com.com/2100-1038_3-5165982.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12937-2004Feb27.html
http://www.verisign.com/corporate/news/2004/pr_20040226.html