[atlarge-discuss] icannatlarge.com

[Joanna Lane <jo-uk@rcn.com>]

As Chair, I am unwilling to proceed into something that may bring legal
recourse against myself or my successor in title. This is a serious legal
issue with ramifications that require me to take immediate action to protect
myself personally from any liability issues as well as my family.

In addition and after very careful consideration, the Watchdogs concur
unanimously that the ICANNATLarge option must be invalidated from the
ballot, but the vote to choose the organization name can continue with the
other four options on the ballot.

The Watchdogs have prepared a draft letter to be sent to the full membership
later today, which I copy below for your further information.

Regards,
Joanna
______________________________________________________________________

Friday, September 21, 2002

The Watchdogs have an obligation to make sure the voting process is
legitimate, by any definition of the word.

It has been brought to our attention that ICANNAtLarge.com does not have a
license to use the word "ICANN" in our organization name, which is a
registered trademark of ICANN, (see U.S. Registered Trademarks 2,400,781 and
2,517,318). To use the word ICANN in our name would be a violation of law.
As we do not wish to violate the law, we are forced to invalidate the option
of ICANNAtLarge.org as a choice on the ballot and will only be counting
votes cast for the other four options. Consequently, you may wish to change
your vote.

We are extending the voting by a period of 48 hours in order to provide a
reasonable opportunity for ballots to be returned.

The vote will now end on Tuesday September 24, at 5:00Pm  UTC.
Results will be announced no later than Friday, September 27 at
http://www.icannatlarge.com.

The Watchdogs understand the disappointment some members may feel following
this decision, but notwithstanding the legacy of the name ICANNATLarge, the
organization must act in accordance with applicable laws in order to be
legitimate.

Sincerely,

The Watchdogs.

Bruce Young
Joanna Lane
Walter Schmidt




---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-unsubscribe@lists.fitug.de
For additional commands, e-mail: atlarge-discuss-help@lists.fitug.de