[bc-gnso] Seven ICANN directors have new gTLD conflicts

[Phil Corwin <psc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://domainincite.com/seven-icann-directors-have-new-gtld-conflicts/

Seven ICANN directors have new gTLD 
conflicts<http://domainincite.com/seven-icann-directors-have-new-gtld-conflicts/>
Kevin Murphy<http://domainincite.com/about>, February 17, 2012, 14:41:33 (UTC), 
Domain Policy<http://domainincite.com/category/domain-policy/>
Seven members of ICANN's board of directors have self-identified conflicts of 
interest when it comes to the new generic top-level domains program, according 
to a report from its last meeting.
Chair Steve Crocker, CEO of the consulting firm Shinkuro, appears to be newly 
conflicted.
He was among the directors to excuse themselves before the board discussed a 
resolution on new 
gTLDs<http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/prelim-report-07feb12-en.htm#4> last 
week, but he did vote on a new gTLD resolution at its December meeting.
Crocker has previously revealed that new gTLD applicant and registry services 
provider Afilias has an investment in Shinkuro.
Vice-chair Bruce Tonkin is chief strategy officer at Melbourne IT, which is a 
registrar as well as a new gTLD consultancy, and he also excused himself.
Ram Mohan and Suzanne Woolf, both non-voting directors, excused themselves 
because they work for registry service providers (Afilias and Internet Systems 
Consortium respectively).
Non-voting liaison Thomas Narten also declared a conflict, which is a heavy 
hint that his employer, IBM, is poised to apply for a dot-brand gTLD.
The other conflicted directors were Sébastien Bachollet, CEO of BBS 
International Consulting, and Bertrand de La Chapelle of the International 
Diplomatic Academy.
Two directors appear to be newly unconflicted.
Kuo-Wei Wu and Thomas Roessler declared new gTLD program conflicts at the 
board's December 
meeting<http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/minutes-08dec11-en.htm#1> but did not 
excuse themselves last week.
Erika Mann of Facebook missed the meeting (she also missed the December 
meeting) so it's not clear whether there's a ".facebook" conflict of interest 
yet.
The board of directors has 16 voting members. Nine need to be present for its 
meetings to be quorate.
ICANN introduced new conflict 
rules<http://www.icann.org/en/committees/board-governance/coi/> after former 
chair Peter Dengate Thrush took a job with new gTLD applicant/consultant Minds 
+ Machines shortly after voting to approve the program last June.
________________________________


Philip S. Corwin, Founding Principal
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