World Wide Alliance of Top Level Domain-names

Communiqué from Montréal meeting

Communiqué of the World Wide Alliance of ccTLD Managers Meeting in Montréal, Canada
June 22-25 2003

25 June 2003

1. Managers representing approximately 55 Country Code Top Level Domains met at Montreal, Canada on June 22 to June 25 2003. A list of attendees, the agenda and presentations can be seen at http://www.ccwhois.org/meetings/cctld/20030622.Montreal-documents.html , and http://www.wwtld.org.

2. Our grateful thanks go to Maureen Cubberley, Bernard Turcotte and the rest of the CIRA Board and staff for organising the hosting and other arrangements for this excellent meeting, and at no cost to the managers.

   Progress on a ccNSO

3. Considerable time and effort by all parties to the negotiations has resulted in the preparation of draft bylaws providing for the creation, structure, scope of operations, and other features of a Support Organisation with ICANN.

4. A considerable number of managers present have indicated their support of the Bylaws and a willingness to join the SO or recommend to their Boards that they should join.

5. Statements in general support of the S.O. have been received and were presented to the meeting by the African Top Level Domain Association. This statement can be seen at http://www.ccwhois.org/communique/20030625.ccTLDmontreal-AFTLD-communique.html and http://www.wwtld.org.

6. Managers will work with the staff on the implementation phase of this important development in the vital mission that ICANN has, of co-ordination of the technical resources of the Internet.

7. Disputed Change of Manager

   A presentation on contested changes of country code manager was received from Richard Francis of iGCL, (Oxford), discussing forms of dispute resolution that might be adopted in this area. ccTLD managers are interested to further investigate the potential role they might play in such a process.

8. IDN Status

   Updates on the status of IDN were prepared and distributed by Dr. Young Eum Lee (.kr) and Hiro Hotta (.jp) and Gabriella Schittek (Centr).

9. Relations with other Icann Constituents

   We welcomed to our session, and enjoyed presentations and exchanges with the Business and Commercial Users, Intellectual Property, Internet Service and Connectivity Providers and Non-Commercial Users constituencies of the GNSO, and the members of the ALAC. We look forward to a continuation of this exchange of views and experiences.

   A session with the Chair of the GAC working group on ccTLDS and the GAC Principles provided an opportunity to continue dialogue on those issues.

10. Special Thanks

    The passing of the bylaws into force will mark the end of a long passage of development and effort by many people who have been involved in the creation of the ccTLD Support Organisation. Managers wish to record their special thanks to: Peter Dengate Thrush, who chaired the many ccTLD meetings which developed the consensus ccTLD positions, to Chris Disspain, Bart Boswinkel and Bernard Turcotte for their work in successfully negotiating terms with the ERC, for the untiring contributions of many ccTLD leaders, past and present who have collaborated in the development of ccTLD consensus positions, the members of the ccNSO Assistance Group, the ccTLD Adcom and Executive Directors, past and present, to Alejandro Pisanty and Hans Kraaijenbrink, ICANN Board members on the ERC, Vint Cerf, Theresa Swineheart, ICANN staff who have worked to turn those negotiations into documented consensus, to Marilyn Cade, Tony Holmes and Steve Metalitz, officers of the Business, ISP and IP constituencies who gave early and consistent support to the concept of a SO for the ccTLDs, and the many other contributors to this complex and challenging development of the ICANN structure.

    Louis Touton

    Finally, special thanks and recognition are due to Louis Touton, Icann's retiring General Counsel, for his dedication and commitment to the cause of ICANN throughout his tenure.

    Louis has been one of the key resources to permit Icann to do its work for the past few years, showing extraordinary skill and patience with the diverse and challenging issues confronting us all.

Wednesday, 25 June 2003