ICANN’s 44th meeting officially kicks off Saturday, June 23, in the Czech Republic and it’s shaping up to be quite an event. The meeting agenda is packed with topics that will directly affect the new gTLD program, its applicants, and brand owners alike.
I’ll be attending the meeting and we’ll have a full recap of the week’s news here on T+B when I return. Among the list of topics that are likely to be discussed are:
- The Trademark Clearinghouse
- Application Batching and “Digital Archery”
- New gTLD Program Timeline
- The Second Application Round for New gTLDs
- Uniform Rapid Suspension
- UDRP Policy Updates
ICANN does provide some ability for remote participation in the meetings, so if you’re a brand owner and unable to make it to Prague, here’s a rundown of the sessions you may wish to try and take part in:
Monday, June 25
At-Large New gTLD Working Group Meeting
Planning for the Next gTLD Round
Tuesday, June 26
Intellectual Property Constituency
Wednesday, June 27
New gTLD Objection & Dispute Resolution
Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS)
Thursday, June 28
Locking of a Domain Name Subject to UDRP Proceedings
A press conference has also been scheduled for Friday, June 22, when ICANN Board Chairman Dr. Stephen Crocker will announce the next ICANN President and CEO. ICANN’s current President and CEO, Rod Beckstrom, announced last August that he would step down at the end of his contracted term, which ends on July 1.
Which of the topics listed above are of most interest to you?
