Re: [npoc-voice] NPOC Objection to Proposed European Union Policy with Negative Impact on Non-Profit Organizations

[Sam Lanfranco <lanfran@xxxxxxxx>]

Olevie,

Your /suggestion/ is already included in the statement I circulated 
yesterday where it said: "NPOC will now draft a Public Comment 
objection, /*post it here for comment*/, and then submit it to the EU.". 
That is the plan and this is moving quickly because the EU will process 
comments in January. Of course, if there is a wish within NPOC 
membership to do nothing here, nothing will be submitted.
Also, while this concern in Europe is motivated by Intellectual Property 
interest with respect to the treatment of trademarks, and by registrars 
worried about registrations, there is a real risk here that the main 
impact will be felt by regions like Africa. Trademarks are usually 
registered globally and African organizations (NGO, SME, Civil Society 
groups) are the latecomers to seeking domain names. European groups have 
already acquired theirs. There is a risk that, as the Internet becomes a 
more integral part of African life and business, an extraterritorial 
extension such policies, via existing or new multilateral agreements, 
may hit Africa hard.
Sam Lanfranco, Chair
NPOC Policy Committee

/On 17/12/2014 7:04 AM, Olévié Kouami wrote://
/
> /Hi Sam,/
> /
> /
> /As theChair of NPOC Policy Committee, //I think you should make us a 
> proposal for comments to validate.//It's better. It seems that, for 
> the moment, you're the only one in the group (NPOC) come to see the 
> dispute that may arise from this position of the European Union (EU). 
> Obviously we in Africa, we think about the African Union (AU). What 
> position will be the AUs ones in relation to this situation?/
> /This is to say that the reviews will certainly make valid for all 
> regions of the world./
> /
> /
> /My 2 cents./
> /
> /
> /Cheers !/
> /-Olevie-/
>
>
> 2014-12-17 1:05 GMT+00:00 Sam Lanfranco <lanfran@xxxxxxxx 
> <mailto:lanfran@xxxxxxxx>>:
>     NPOC members:
>
>     On December 5, here on npoc-voice, I asked for comments on the
>     proposed European Union revision of the EU Regulation on the
>     Community Trade Mark and the European Union Directive Relating to
>     Trade Marks. The proposed revised wording can have a serious
>     negative impact on the ability of non-profit and civil society
>     organizations (NPO/CS) to select appropriate website/domain names
>     and email address strings. The proposal involves the insert of the
>     following prohibition concerning domain names. It prohibits "Using
>     the sign as a trade or company name/[...], or as a domain name, or
>     as a part thereof."
>
>     This wording risks promoting spurious complaints against
>     non-commercial uses by making domain names effectively analogous
>     to "a trade or company name". This would have a chilling effect on
>     non-commercial expression by registrants in the European Union,
>     and possibly elsewhere, via trademark litigation. While NPOC did
>     not get much feedback on this issue, NPOC will now draft a Public
>     Comment objection,/*post it here for comment*/, and then submit it
>     to the EU.
>
>     Sam Lanfranco, Chair
>     NPOC Public Policy Committee
>
>
>
> --
> Olévié Ayaovi Agbenyo KOUAMI
> Responsable du Projet CERGI Education
> Directeur-Adjoint de KT Technologies Informatiques sarl
> SG de ESTETIC  - Association Togolaise des professionnels des TIC 
> (http://www.estetic.tg)
> ICANN-NPOC Communications Committee Chair (http://www.icann.org/ et 
> http://www.npoc.org/)
> Membre du FOSSFA (www.fossfa.net <http://www.fossfa.net>) et Membre de 
> de Internet Society (www.isoc.org <http://www.isoc.org>)
> BP : 851 - Tél.: (228) 90 98 86 50 / (228) 98 43 27 72
> Skype : olevie1 FB : @olivier.kouami.3 Twitter : #oleviek Lomé -- Togo

--
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"It is a disgrace to be rich and honoured
in an unjust state" -Confucius
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Dr Sam Lanfranco (Prof Emeritus & Senior Scholar)
Econ, York U., Toronto, Ontario, CANADA - M3J 1P3
email: Lanfran@xxxxxxxx   Skype: slanfranco
blog:  http://samlanfranco.blogspot.com
Phone: +1 613-476-0429 cell: +1 416-816-2852