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Correction to MarkMonitor's Comments to Preliminary WHOIS Task Force Report with Additional Endorsements

  • To: <whois-services-comments@xxxxxxxxx>
  • Subject: Correction to MarkMonitor's Comments to Preliminary WHOIS Task Force Report with Additional Endorsements
  • From: "Margie Milam" <Margie.Milam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 11:20:15 -0700

Dear Task Force Members:
 
Please note that the endorsement below referring to Mozilla was intended to be 
an individual endorsement, not a corporate endorsement, of the MarkMonitor 
Comments.
 
Please accept this late clarification.  We apologize for any inconvenience in 
this regard.
 
Sincerely,
 
Margie Milam
General Counsel
MarkMonitor Inc.

        -----Original Message----- 
        From: Margie Milam 
        Sent: Mon 1/15/2007 5:26 PM 
        To: whois-services-comments@xxxxxxxxx 
        Cc: 
        Subject: RESENDING- Updated: MarkMonitor's Comments to Preliminary 
WHOIS Task Force Report with Additional Endorsements
        
        

        Dear Task Force Members:

         

        The organizations identified below join MarkMonitor in submitting 
comments to the two new WHOIS proposals described in the Report.

         

        Introduction

         

        Billions of Internet users benefit from the protection enabled by 
current WHOIS policy, which requires free, unrestricted and immediate access. 
If ICANN policy creates new obstacles or delays for those seeking to protect 
consumers from illegal activity involving domain names, Internet users will 
suffer. Thwarting the current and successful process will profoundly increase 
the number innocent consumers made victims by Internet criminals.

         

        The undersigned ask the WHOIS Task Force to recognize that brand owners 
are most often first to respond to online illegal activity and that they rely 
almost exclusively on WHOIS to identify and stop the persons behind such 
illegal conduct. Identification is criticalâit helps parties communicate and 
speed dispute resolution without legal action, and when such action is 
necessary, enables service of process, without which the legitimate rule of law 
cannot provide a safe environment for consumers and businesses on the Internet.

         

        While many legitimate and important privacy concerns exist over access 
to WHOIS data (for example, registration data of a battered womenâs shelter 
site) many others seek anonymity as a cover for nefarious intent like cyber 
squatting, phishing and other for profit illegitimate behavior. While those 
with ill-intent profit from anonymity, consumers and legitimate online commerce 
suffer, often unknowingly. We request that ICANN evaluate models that offer 
protection from those who seek to abuse the system while making decisions 
related to blocking access to WHOIS data.

         

        We therefore ask that ICANN and the WHOIS Task Force act on the behalf 
of Internet users and consumers to preserve the collective trust instilled in 
the Internet. We request that any new policies be examined by the WHOIS Task 
Force in light of their impact on consumers and those seeking to maintain and 
protect the safety and reliability of electronic commerce.

         

        To preserve order and maintain a sense of security and accountability 
for Internet users, we recommend the adoption of the Special Circumstances 
proposal.

         

        Evaluation of Proposals

        I. The Operational Point of Contact (OPOC) Proposal

         

        The OPOC proposal is troubling for a number of reasons. First, it 
reduces the amount of information available in investigating instances of 
online abuse. Brand owners often rely on the various fields in WHOIS to track 
down cybersquatters and fraudsters. Reducing the amount of such information 
will likely cause delays for brand owners in identifying and commencing action 
against registrants who engage in illegal conduct.

         

        The OPOC proposal does not specify the qualifications, 
responsibilities, and standards to be applicable to the OPOC. For example, it 
is unclear whether the OPOC would be able to accept service of process for 
legal actions involving domain names, such as the UDRP. Under the proposal, the 
OPOC could be a party with no relationship to the actual registrant. Since the 
OPOC can be a third party (such as a proxy service or even a registrar), there 
is no assurance that important communications will be promptly forwarded to the 
registrant. Thus, cease & desist letters, domain transfer approvals, notices of 
inaccurate WHOIS information, phishing take-down notices, UDRP complaints and 
other similar communications may not be received and processed in a prompt 
manner.

         

        In addition, the OPOC proposal does not address the privacy concerns 
that have been raised as the primary reason for changing WHOIS policy. Without 
such improvements in privacy, it is difficult to justify the adoption of OPOC 
over the status quo.

         

        II. Special Circumstances Proposal

         

        The Special Circumstances proposal is preferable to the OPOC proposal 
because it provides a workable solution to the privacy concerns without 
significantly changing WHOIS for the vast majority of Internet users.

         

        The impact to brand owners should be minimal under the Special 
Circumstances proposal because registrants who misuse domain names to conduct 
illegal online activities should not qualify for the âspecial circumstances 
designationâ and therefore would continue to have their contact information 
displayed in the same manner as currently available today. The Special 
Circumstance proposal includes a practical mechanism that allows the WHOIS 
information to be revealed in the event the privacy designation is abused, or 
the domain name is used for commercial purposes.

         

        Thus, under the Special Circumstances proposal, brand owners would not 
need to significantly alter their current processes and procedures for 
monitoring, tracking and taking action against those illegally targeting their 
businesses and consumers.

         

        Respectfully submitted,

         

         

        Irfan Salim

        President and CEO

        MarkMonitor, Inc.

        San Francisco, California, USA

         

         

        Co-signed by:

         

         

        Abbott Laboratories

        Abbott Park, IL USA

         

        Activision Inc.

        Santa Monica, CA USA

         

        Acushnet Company

        Fairhaven, MA USA

         

        Advanced Micro Devices

        Sunnyvale, CA USA

         

        Alliance Data

        Dallas, TX USA

         

        ALLTEL Communications Corp.

        Sandusky, OH USA

         

        Anti-Phishing Working Group

        San Francisco, CA USA

         

        Apple Computer

        Cupertino, CA USA

         

        Avaya Inc.  

        Basking Ridge, NJ USA

         

        Bank of America

        Charlotte, NC USA

         

        BBC

        London, ENGLAND

         

        Bell Canada International

        Montreal, PQ CANADA

         

        Booz Allen Hamilton

        Mclean, VA USA

        Bose Corporation

        Framingham, MA USA

         

        British Sky Broadcasting

        London, ENGLAND

         

        Boy Scouts of America

        Newark, NJ USA

         

        Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

        Ottawa ON CANADA

         

        Capmark Financial Group Inc.

        Harsham, PA USA

         

        Carfax Inc.

        Fairfax, VA USA

         

        CarMax Business Services 

        Richmond, VA USA

         

        Carnival Corporation

        Miami, FL USA

        
        

        Caterpillar Inc.

        Peoria, IL USA

         

        Cingular Wireless

        Atlanta, GA USA

         

        CIT 

        New York, NY USA

         

        CMS Energy

        Jackson, MI USA

        Coldwater Creek

        Sandpoint, ID USA

         

        Comerica

        Detroit, MI USA

         

        Conair Corp.

        East Windsor, NJ USA

         

        Consumers Energy

        Jackson, MI USA

         

        Coors Global Properties, Inc.

        Golden, CO USA

         

        Dell, Inc.

        Round Rock, TX USA

         

        Delta Airlines

        Atlanta, GA USA

        
        

         

        Doctorâs Associates Inc.

        Milford, CT USA

         

        Dole Food Companies Inc.

        Westlake Village, CA USA

         

        dotBERLIN GmbH & Co. KG

        Berlin, GERMANY

         

        eBay Inc.

        San Jose, CA USA

         

        E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co.

        Wilmington, DE USA

         

        EMCOR Group

        London, ENGLAND

         

        First Data Corporation

        Greenwood Village, CO USA

         

        Fontainebleau Resorts

        Las Vegas, NV USA

         

        Forbes Media LLC

        New York, NY USA

         

        Ford Motor Company 

        Dearborn, MI USA

         

        Franklin Templeton Invest.

        San Mateo, CA USA

         

        Garmin

        Olathe, KS USA

         

        General Motors Corporation

        Detroit, MI USA

         

        Hasbro Inc.

        Pawtucket, RI USA

         

        Hilton Hotels Corporation

        Beverly Hills, CA USA

         

        HouseValues Inc.

        Kirkland, WA USA

         

        IBM 

        Armonk, NY USA

         

        InfoSpace Inc.

        Bellevue, WA USA

         

        Integis

        Charlotte, NC USA

         

        InterContinental Hotels Group

        Windsor, ENGLAND

         

        International Data Group

        Boston, MA USA

         

        Kelly Services

        Troy, MI USA

         

        Knowledge Adventure

        Schiller Park, IL USA

         

        Lastminute.com

        London, ENGLAND

         

        Live Nation

        Beverly Hills, CA USA

         

        Logitech Inc

        Romanel-sur-Morges Caud
        SWITZERLAND

         

        Lumenis

        Santa Clara, CA USA

         

        Mercer Human Resource
        Consulting

        New York, NY USA

         

        Microsoft

        Redmond, WA USA

         

        Molson Canada

        Montreal, PQ CANADA

         

        Mortonâs The Steakhouse

        Chicago, IL USA

         

        Mozilla

        Mountain View, CA USA

         

        NetJets

        Woodbridge, NJ USA

         

        News America Incorporated

        New York, NY USA

         

        Nordstrom Inc.

        Seattle, WA USA

        
        

        Novell Inc.

        Waltham, MA USA

         

        Optimo.com

        San Leandro, CA USA

         

        Overstock.com Inc.

        Salt Lake City, UT USA

         

        PACCAR Inc.

        Bellevue, WA USA

         

        Paypal Inc.

        San Jose, CA USA

         

        PerkinElmer

        Wellesley, MA USA

         

        PetSmart Inc.

        Phoenix, AZ USA

         

        Priceline.com

        Norwalk, CA USA

         

        Quiksilver

        Huntington Beach, CA USA

         

        Raymond James Financial

        St. Petersburg, FL USA

         

        Renold plc

        Manchester, ENGLAND

         

        Reviews.com

        New York, NY USA

         

        RevollvingDoorSlammers.net

        Jabiru, Australia

         

        Saint-Gobain

        London, ENGLAND

         

        SB Management Services Inc.

        USA

         

        Sherwin-Williams Co.

        Cleveland, OH USA

         

        Shimano

        Sakai, Osaka JAPAN

         

        Shopping Inc.

        Brisnane, CA USA

         

        Silverpop Systems

        Atlanta, GA USA

         

        Snap-on Inc et al

        Kenosha, WI USA

         

        State Farm

        Bloomington, IL USA

         

        T. Rowe Price

        Baltimore, MD USA

         

        Tahitian Noni International

        Provo, UT USA

         

        Terex Corporation

        Westport, CT USA

         

        The Body Shop International

        Littlehampton, ENGLAND

         

        The Clearing House

        New York, NY USA

         

        The Cobalt Group Inc.

        Seattle, WA USA

        
        

        The Dial Corporation

        Scottsdale, AZ USA

         

        The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

        Amherst, NY USA

         

        The Saul Zaentz Company

        Berkely, CA USA

         

        The Scotts Company LLC

        Marysville, OH USA

         

        Visa International

        Foster City, CA USA

         

        W.L. Gore & Associates Inc.

        Putzburnn, Bayern GERMANY

         

        Warner Bros. Entertainment 

        Burbank, CA USA

         

        Washington Mutual Inc.

        Seattle, WA USA

         

        Watson Pharmaceuticals

        Corona, CA USA

         

        WebHostingBuzz.com

        Wilmington, DE USA

         

        Wells Fargo

        San Francisco, CA USA

         

        Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company

        Chicago, IL USA

         

        Yahoo! Inc.

        Sunnyvale, CA USA

         

        Young Life

        Colorado Springs, CO USA

         

        Zurich Insurance Company

        Zurich SWITZERLAND

        
        Additional Endorsements since 1/12/07:

         

        Companies:

         

        Leap of Faith Financial Services Inc.

        Ontario, CANADA

         

        MOLI

        USA

         

        Yum Brands

        Louisville, KY USA

         

         

        Individuals:

                    

        Thomas Flannagan

                    Noble Brown

        Fatima Vazquez

         

         

         




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