Re: [Ianaplan] control and negotiation (was Re: draft-ietf-ianaplan-icg-response-02 working group last call)

[Milton L Mueller <[e-mail]>]

> -----Original Message-----
> Asking for a transfer sounds like a polite thing to do. Directing the IAOC to
> "conclude a supplemental agreement" which "requires the transfer of any
> associated marks and identifiers" - as the -02 text of the document reads
> - sounds to me like an ultimatum which would antagonize other
> stakeholders.

OK. I see the difference in the attitude with which we approach this. I am beginning to think it is a purely attitudinal matter and not all that substantive. So I have more sympathy for your position now but I still think you are focusing on the wrong things.

A request to the IAOC to "conclude an agreement" that "requires the transfer" is not an "ultimatum" it is a proposal for a rather impersonal set of institutional changes that sets the stage for long-term accountability improvements in Internet governance. 

To put it more concretely, we are not talking to "nice people" sitting across the dinner table from us, asking them to pass the salt. We are trying to set the parameters for long term interactions among impersonal organizational entities and functions. 

So if I were you I would focus on whether it is a good idea - for the general good of the Internet and for the IETF - for to have control of the iana.org domain and the trademark in the hands of the IETF trust or whether it is better for the public and the IETF to have it in the hands of ICANN. That's all that matters. The purpose of this exercise is to rearrange the institutional design to accommodate the withdrawal of the NTIA. The purpose is not to be polite or nice, or to avoid offending anyone. The purpose is to get it right. 

If you sincerely believe that IETF should be permanently locked in to ICANN as IANA provider, should have no choice as to who performs those functions for it, and therefore the marks and domain should stay with ICANN, then fine. Please argue that position. I will engage with those arguments respectfully. But please let's not argue about etiquette!