Agreement reached on internet control

THE US government and the body in charge of assigning internet addresses have signed an agreement this week that allows for greater…

THE US government and the body in charge of assigning internet addresses have signed an agreement this week that allows for greater global participation in the internet domain name process.

The US Commerce Department said it reached an agreement with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, drawing praise from US legislators who wanted more trademark protections and from companies and international officials seeking greater independence from US control.

The agreement, which allows the corporation to become a “private sector-led organisation”, subjects it to periodic reviews by a panel that includes a US representative and independent experts, essentially allowing the organisation to no longer report solely to the US.

Ending an 11-year partnership with the US Department of Commerce, the pact also provides stability for companies such as Verisign and Go Daddy that sell domains and maintain extensions like .com. It also comes months after the EU said the internet corporation should be delinked from the US government and made fully independent.

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“The pie actually became bigger” for greater involvement from other governments, said Larry Strickling, administrator of the commerce department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which signed the agreement. Before the signing, the US government wanted certain conditions to be met, including keeping the internet corporation a non-profit organisation with headquarters in the United States.

Rick Boucher, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, said the internet corporation had promised to address various issues, including consumer protection and trademark matters, before implementing new domain names. – (Reuters)