ANA Urges ICANN to Adopt Effective Mechanism for Limited Preventative Registrations (LPRs) as Part of New TLD Universe
WASHINGTON (Jan. 15, 2013) – Concerned that the rights protections mechanisms currently in place are dangerously inadequate, the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) has urged ICANN (the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to adopt an effective mechanism for Limited Preventative Registrations (LPRs) as it considers proposals for enhancing trademark protection during the upcoming launch of new gTLDs. ANA’s comments argue that a strong LPR mechanism is critical to addressing the serious problem of defensive registrations.
Dan Jaffe, ANA Group Executive Vice President, stated: “The internet community is on the verge of a Top Level Domain tsunami which will create a huge wave of risk for both businesses and consumers. ICANN has proposed to add more than a thousand new gTLDs to the internet without adequately addressing consumer protections or trademark rights protections. ICANN must do the right thing and adopt LPRs to protect consumers, brand owners and the integrity of the internet.”
ANA’s letter notes the additional costs that will be imposed on brand owners with the new universe of gTLDs: “As new gTLDs are introduced, the defensive registration approach – already a burden without a true benefit – will become unworkable, unmanageable and extraordinarily expensive. The cost to brand owners (and thus consumers and others) to acquire defensive registrations across all the new domains could easily reach $7-$14 billion in sunrise and landrush acquisitions alone. These costs are exclusive of the major consumer harms and other rampant abuses of trademarks that are thoroughly predictable.”
Jaffe stated: “While the LPR is powerful, it is still a limited protective measure that must be accompanied by other ICANN reforms. In addition to the LPR, stakeholders and the internet need a WHOIS database that is reliable and accurate; a more functional Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) system; and a compliance department at ICANN that will diligently pursue wrongdoers without fear or favor.”
ANA has been advocating for serious reforms in ICANN’s operations and rules for more than a year. The international law enforcement community and consumer protection agencies have also called on ICANN to do much more. Jaffe concluded: “Cybersquatting and fraud are rampant problems in the current universe of 22 TLDs. ICANN has failed to build the effective protections that both consumers and brand owners deserve in the new world of more than a thousand TLDs. We are on the verge of grave threats to the stability of the internet, so now is the time for ICANN to act.”
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About the ANA
The mission of the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) is to drive growth for marketing professionals, brands and businesses, the industry, and humanity. The ANA serves the marketing needs of 20,000 brands by leveraging the 12-point ANA Growth Agenda, which has been endorsed by the Global CMO Growth Council. The ANA’s membership consists of U.S. and international companies, including client-side marketers, nonprofits, fundraisers, and marketing solutions providers (data science and technology companies, ad agencies, publishers, media companies, suppliers, and vendors). The ANA creates Marketing Growth Champions by serving, educating, and advocating for more than 50,000 industry members that collectively invest more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually.
Press Contacts:
Luna Newton, CooperKatz & Company for the ANA
917.595.3061 or lnewton@cooperkatz.com
Marcus Hardy, CooperKatz & Company for the ANA
917.595.3043 or mhardy@cooperkatz.com