[ICANN-EU] Re: ICANN hubbub

[Karl Auerbach <karl@cavebear.com>]

> It is perfectly within the realm of possibility that ICANN users could
> create such a storm of indignation that the U.S. Department of
> Commerce (or the Congress) could feel impelled to step in

Let's look at it the other way:  Perhaps a set of people - let's call them
"intellectual property interests" - feel that ICANN has not gone far
enough in the extension of trademarks over personal rights and convinces
some government, say the US Congress, into enacting draconian legislation
that goes beyond even ICANN's actions.  This is not a hypothetical, this
is reality and the legislation is the ACPA.

My concern is not that governments will replace ICANN because there is so
much outrage but, rather, that governments will be used by specialized
interests to use ICANN's limited actions as an excuse to take more extreme
actions.

To my mind the only way to prevent this is to maintain a continuous,
intelligent, insightful, and intense dialog of inquiry and skepticism
about ICANN.

I'm personally afraid of that silence would be construed as acquiesence.

		--karl--