[governance] IANA transition - BR Gov comments on the CCWG-Accountability Draft Proposal

Michael Froomkin - U.Miami School of Law froomkin at law.miami.edu
Tue Jun 9 10:01:45 EDT 2015


I don't know what it means to say that ICANN should be subject to 
"international jurisdiction and law".  For the relevant issues, that 
sounds like a pretty empty set.

As regards most of the sort of things one might expect to worry about - 
e.g. fidelity to articles of incorporation - international law is 
basically silent.  And there is no relevant jurisdiction either.  So I 
remain stuck in the position that there must be a state anchor whose 
courts are given the job.  It does not of course need to be the US, 
although I would note that the US courts are by international standards 
not shy and actually fairly good at this sort of thing.

I do think, however, that it should NOT be Switzerland, as its courts are 
historically over-deferential to international bodies - perhaps as part of 
state policy to be an attractive location for those high-spending 
international meetings.

I'd be real happy with Canada, though.

On Tue, 9 Jun 2015, parminder wrote:

> 
> 
> On Tuesday 09 June 2015 06:26 PM, Michael Froomkin - U.Miami School of Law wrote:
>
>       I think that bodies which do not need to fear supervision by legitimate courts end up
>       like FIFA. FIFA had a legal status in Switzerland that basically insulated it the way
>       that the Brazilian document seems to suggest would be what they want for ICANN.  (It's
>       also the legal status ICANN has at times suggested it would like.)
>
>       The lesson of history seems unusually clear here.
> 
> 
> Agree that ICANN cannot be left jurisdictionally un-supervised - that may be even more dangerous
> than the present situation. However, the right supervision or oversight is of international
> jurisdiction and law, not that of the US . This is what Brazil has to make upfront as the
> implication of what it is really seeking, and its shyness and reticence to say so is what I noted as
> surprising in an earlier email in this thread. Not putting out clearly what exactly it wants would
> lead to misconceptions about its position, which IMHO can be seen from how Michael reads it.  I am
> sure this is not how Brazil meant it - to free ICANN from all kinds of jurisdictional oversight
> whatsoever - but then Brazil needs to say clearly what is it that it wants, and how can it can
> obtained. Brazil, please come out of your NetMundial hangover and take political responsibility for
> what you say and seek!
> 
> parminder
> 
> 
>
>       On Tue, 9 Jun 2015, Mawaki Chango wrote:
> 
>
>             It's good to see a law scholar involved in this discussion. I'll leave it to
>             the Brazilian party to
>             ultimate tell whether your reading is correct or not. In the meantime I'd
>             volunteer the following
>             comments.
>
>             On Jun 8, 2015 10:46 PM, "Michael Froomkin - U.Miami School of Law"
>             <froomkin at law.miami.edu> wrote:
>             >
>             > Perhaps I'm misreading something, but I read this document to make the
>             following assertions:
>             >
>             > 1. All restrictions on ICANN's location must be removed.
>             >
>
>             And the question reopened for deliberation by all stakeholders, including
>             governments among others.
>             Only the outcome of such deliberation will be fully legitimate within the
>             framework of the post-2015
>             ICANN.
>
>             > 2. ICANN does not have to leave the US but must be located in a place
>             where the governing law has
>             certain characteristics, including not having the possibiliity that courts
>             overrule ICANN (or at
>             least the IRP).
>             >
>             > (And, as it happens, the US is not such a place....)
>             >
>
>             Not only avoiding courts overruling relevant outcomes of the Internet global
>             community processes,
>             but also examining and resolving the possible interferences/conflicts that
>             might arise for
>             government representatives being subject to a foreign country law simply in
>             the process of attending
>             to their regular duties (if they were to be fully engaged with ICANN).
>
>             Quote:
>             "From the Brazilian perspective the existing structure clearly imposes limits to the participation
>
>       ???of governmental representatives, as it is unlikely that a representative of a foreign government w
>       i
> ll be authorized (by its own government) to formally accept a position in a body pertaining to a U.
>
>             S. corporation."
>
>             This may be what you're getting at with your point 3 below, but I'm not sure
>             whether the problem is
>             only the fact that governments have to deal with a corporate form/law or
>             whether it is altogether
>             the fact that it is a single country law without any form of deliberate
>             endorsement by the other
>             governments (who also have law making power in their respective country just
>             as the US government).
>
>             Assuming your reading is correct, and if necessary complemented by my
>             remarks above, I'd be
>             interested in hearing from you about any issues you may see with the BR gov
>             comments.
>             Thanks,
>
>             Mawaki
>
>             >
>             > 3. ICANN doesn't have to change its form, but it needs a form where
>             governments are comfortable.
>             >
>             > (And, as it happens, the corporate form is not such a form....)
>             >
>             >
>             > What am I missing?
>             >
>             >
>             >
>             > On Sat, 6 Jun 2015, Carlos A. Afonso wrote:
>             >
>             >> For the ones who are following the IANA transition process: attached
>             >> please find the comments posted by the government of Brazil on June 03,
>             >> 2015, in response to the call for public comments on the
>             >> CCWG-Accountability Initial Draft Proposal.
>             >>
>             >> I generally agree with the comments.
>             >>
>             >> fraternal regards
>             >>
>             >> --c.a.
>             >>
>             >
>             > --
>             > A. Michael Froomkin, http://law.tm
>             > Laurie Silvers & Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Law
>             > Editor, Jotwell: The Journal of Things We Like (Lots),  jotwell.com
>             > Program Chair, We Robot 2016 | +1 (305) 284-4285 |  froomkin at law.tm
>             > U. Miami School of Law, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA
>             >                         -->It's warm here.<--
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> 
> 
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-- 
A. Michael Froomkin, http://law.tm
Laurie Silvers & Mitchell Rubenstein Distinguished Professor of Law
Editor, Jotwell: The Journal of Things We Like (Lots),  jotwell.com
Program Chair, We Robot 2016 | +1 (305) 284-4285 |  froomkin at law.tm
U. Miami School of Law, P.O. Box 248087, Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA
                         -->It's warm here.<--
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