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    <font face="Verdana">James<br>
      <br>
      Yes, ICANN has never claimed it is not subject to US law. It will
      be ridiculous to do so for any responsible organisation based in
      the US. Problem is, ICANN apologists claim so, especially when
      caught on the wrong foot in global discussions - like on this list
      - faced with legitimate criticism of how a global infrastructure
      can be managed as per legal and executive authority of one
      country. <br>
      <br>
      They first claim that ICANN is <i>de jure</i> independent, but
      when pushed with facts, they try to say, ok, well, at least, it is
      <i>de facto</i>, independent of US laws. Now, this case, with an
      outcome that could go either way, shows that it is not even <i>de
        facto </i>independent. So, I was just asking those ICANN - US
      relationship apologists, what have they to say now. But they seme
      to ducking the question right now :). <br>
      <br>
      parminder<br>
      <br>
    </font>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On Tuesday 21 August 2012 10:05 PM,
      James S. Tyre wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote cite="mid:011001cd7fba$fbd55840$f38008c0$@jstyre.com"
      type="cite">
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        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D">To my knowledge, ICANN has never
              claimed (at least not in court) that it isn’t subject to
              U.S. law or subject to review by U.S. courts.  Certainly
              it didn’t so here, its argument was a more nuanced
              argument that U.S. antitrust law did not apply because
              ICANN was engaging in a noncommercial activity (and
              antitrust law does not apply to such activities).  The
              court disagreed with ICANN, but that’s different from a
              broad claim that ICANN is exempt from U.S. law.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D">But let’s use the Wayback Machine
              to go back in time a decade.  During the only time when
              ICANN had elected Directors, one of the elected directors
              was Karl Auerbach.  Karl attempted to assert his absolute
              rights as a Director of a California nonprofit public
              benefit corporation (which is what ICANN is), but ICANN
              rebuffed him at every step.  So, eventually, Karl hired a
              lawyer (me) to sue ICANN.  The short story is that we
              won.  The relevant part to your post is that, even back
              then, ICANN did not claim to be exempt from either U.S. or
              California law.  It’s defense of the lawsuit was based on
              either grounds.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D">That ICANN is subject to U.S.
              judicial review is neither new nor controversial.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
            size="2"><span
              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
        <div>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">--<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">James S. Tyre<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">Law Offices of James S. Tyre<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">10736 Jefferson Blvd., #512<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">Culver City, CA 90230-4969<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">310-839-4114/310-839-4602(fax)<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:jstyre@jstyre.com">jstyre@jstyre.com</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D">Policy Fellow, Electronic
                Frontier Foundation<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Courier New" color="#1f497d"
              size="2"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
                New";color:#1F497D"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.eff.org">https://www.eff.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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              style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Courier
              New";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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              <p class="MsoNormal"><b><font face="Tahoma" color="black"
                    size="2"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext;font-weight:bold">From:</span></font></b><font
                  face="Tahoma" color="black" size="2"><span
style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext">
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>
                    [<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a>] <b><span
                        style="font-weight:bold">On Behalf Of </span></b>parminder<br>
                    <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Sent:</span></b>
                    Monday, August 20, 2012 11:45 PM<br>
                    <b><span style="font-weight:bold">To:</span></b>
                    <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
                    <b><span style="font-weight:bold">Subject:</span></b>
                    Re: [governance] Big Porn v. Big Web Ruling Could
                    Spell Trouble for ICANN / was Re: new gTLDs<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman"
              color="black" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
          <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font
              face="Verdana" color="black" size="3"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif""><br>
                This is a very important, and possibly a historic, news,
                which exposing the meaninglessness of ICANN's claim of
                independence from the US establishment.<br>
                <br>
                A US court has given the go ahead to the anti-trust
                filing against ICANN decision instituting the .xxx gtld
                . There is every likelihood that this decision of ICANN
                may be found as going against US laws. What would ICANN
                do in that case? At the very least, it is quite probable
                that ICANN may be asked to put certain new provisions in
                its registry agreement regarding .xxx, as has been
                sought by the plaintiff. What would be ICANN's response
                in that case?<br>
                <br>
                Remember that each of the new gltds will be open to
                similar review by US courts.<br>
                <br>
                ICANN has lost a major battle regarding its claimed
                status as a global organisation responsible only to the
                global community, a claim which in any case had feet of
                clay....<br>
                <br>
                And with it, also those who defend ICANN on the above
                ground have lost a major battle. I hope such defendants
                on the list will respond to this news and the paradox it
                poses.<br>
                <br>
                It is now clear that ICANN is subject to US judicial
                review (which of course it always was), and that its
                decisions can be struck down by US courts, in which
                case, ICANN has just no option other than to reverse its
                decisions. For those who have expressed lack of clarity
                about the meaning of oversight, this is oversight. Well,
                to me more precise, this is judicial review which is a
                part of overall oversight.<br>
                <br>
                parminder </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
          <div>
            <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman"
                color="black" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">On
                  Tuesday 21 August 2012 06:37 AM, Robert Pollard wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
          </div>
          <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
            <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font
                face="Times New Roman" color="black" size="3"><span
                  style="font-size:12.0pt">Salanieta<br>
                  <br>
                  Thanks for these interesting links. I'm re-posting
                  your message with a new subject line, as the issue
                  would seem to deserve a separate thread from "new
                  gTLDs".<br>
                  <br>
                  Although the suit may have some implications for new
                  gTLDs, many of the allegations re antitrust issues re
                  the .xxx tld are based on the the particular history
                  of the establishment of .xxx and the actions of ICM
                  Registry, LLC in obtaining control of it<br>
                  <br clear="all">
                  Robert <br>
                  <br>
                  <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><font
                  face="Times New Roman" color="black" size="3"><span
                    style="font-size:12.0pt">On Mon, Aug 20, 2012 at
                    6:44 PM, Salanieta T. Tamanikaiwaimaro <<a
                      moz-do-not-send="true"
                      href="mailto:salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com"
                      target="_blank">salanieta.tamanikaiwaimaro@gmail.com</a>>
                    wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
              <p><font face="Arial" color="black" size="3"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a
                      moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202567792748"
                      target="_blank">http://www.law.com/jsp/lawtechnologynews/PubArticleLTN.jsp?id=1202567792748</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
              <p><font face="Arial" color="black" size="3"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a
                      moz-do-not-send="true"
                      href="http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/tal/icann.pdf"
                      target="_blank">http://pdfserver.amlaw.com/tal/icann.pdf</a></span></font> 
                <o:p></o:p></p>
            </div>
            <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman"
                color="black" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
          </blockquote>
          <p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Times New Roman"
              color="black" size="3"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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