[Comment-Ip] Request by the AIP to Submit WIPO report to DNSO first

[Jeff Graber <jgraber@usa.net>]

Dear ICANN Board,

Your dedication and efforts to develop the ICANN is greatly appreciated.  It
is a daunting and historical task.  Therefore, it is understandable that these
efforts have been met with a wide range of critiques.  However, the level of
such activity has recently reached a growing crescendo and has begun to be
noted in the media and halls of Congress.  We think that this begins to
jeopordize the establishment of ICANN and the future of the Internet.  We
would like to urge you to revise your short term agenda and consider focusing
on the original intent of the Interim Board which is to create the permanent
governance structure of ICANN by the establishment of a membership structure
and the election of a regular board of directors.

In particular, we would urge you to defer any decisions regarding
implementation of the WIPO Final Report and to refer it to the Domain Name
Supporting Organization when it is constituted. 
As the ICANN by-laws state, "The Board shall refer proposals for substantive
policies not received from a Supporting Organization to the Supporting
Organization, if any, with primary responsibility for the area to which the
proposal relates for initial consideration and recommendation to the Board."
ICANN Bylaws Section VI (2)(d). 
http://www.icann.com/bylaws-09apr99.html#VI 

ICANN has only one obligation to the Internet community right now and that is
to put into place a membership structure so that we can elect a new,
accountable board of directors. Everything else is distraction, diversion, and
divisiveness which threatens to jeoporadize the establishment of ICANN. We
urge you for the sake of the success of ICANN that you return you efforts to
organization and defer policy efforts.  We would be glad to discuss this
further with you at your conveniece.

Sincerly
Mitch Ahern, 
Chairman, on behalf of the 
Board of Directors of the
Association of Internet Professionals (AIP) 
http://www.association.org/

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