---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date--Tue, 12 Nov 1996 18:03:01 -0800


Contact:
Internet Society
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http://www.isoc.org

                   NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE NAMED
                  TO STUDY DOMAIN NAME SYSTEM ISSUES

WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 1996 -- An Internet International Ad Hoc
Committee (IAHC) has been named to resolve issues resulting from
current international debate over a proposal to establish additional
global registries and international Top Level Domain (iTLDs).

"We are pleased to have attracted such a high level of leading
international experts in their fields to examine these questions that
are critical to the current and future growth of the Internet," Donald
M. Heath, president and CEO of the Internet Society said in announcing
the eleven-member committee.  Heath will serve as chairman.

Deliberations of the committee may lead to the establishment of new
international Top Level Domains (iTLDs), adding to the current
three-letter tags, such as .com, .net, and .org, that end many Internet
email and World Wide Web addresses.

Dr. Donald N. Telage, president of the Herndon, Virginia - based
Network Solutions, Inc., which manages the InterNIC Registry
administering the .com, .net, .edu, and .org top level domains, said:
"Network Solutions has supported the registration process and the
growth of the Internet since 1991.  We have seen its evolution from a
research and education tool to a powerful medium for global
communication and collaboration.  The National Science Foundation has
played a critical role in the early governance activities, and we
support the Internet Society's efforts to review issues critical to the
future of Internet growth, evolution and governance.  Network Solutions
will participate and support this effort enthusiastically supplying our
extensive operational knowledge as needed."

Named to the new IAHC are:

o Sally M. Abel, specializes in international trademark and trade name
  counseling, chairs the Internet Subcommittee of the International
  Trademark Association (INTA), and will represent that organization on
  the IAHC.  Ms. Abel is the partner in charge of the Trademark Group
  of the law firm of Fenwick and West, a Palo Alto, Ca. firm
  specializing in high technology matters.

O Dave Crocker, is co-founder of the Internet Mail Consortium, an
  industry trade association.  He is also a principal with Brandenburg
  Consulting in Sunnyvale, Ca., a firm specializing in guiding the
  development and use of Internet applications.  With ten years in the
  ARPA research community, ten years developing commercial network
  products and services, and extensive contributions to the Internet
  Engineering Task Force, he is considered an expert about the
  Internet, e-mail, electronic commerce, Internet operation and the
  Internet standards process.

o Geoff Huston is the technical manager of Australia's Telstra
  Internet and is responsible for the architecture and operations of
  its service.  He formerly was technical manager of the Australian
  Academic and Research Network, and was largely responsible for the
  introduction and subsequent development of the Internet into
  Australia.

o David W. Maher, is a partner at the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath &
  Rosenthal, of Chicago, IL, is a registered patent attorney and has
  extensive experience in intellectual property and entertainment law.
  Principal outside trademark counsel for several nationwide companies,
  he has served as special counsel to the American Bar Association for
  telecommunications matters.

o Perry E. Metzger is the president of New York - based Piermont
  Information Systems Inc., a consulting firm specializing in
  communications and computer systems security. He has worked with the
  New York financial community for many years and is active in the
  Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) security area, chairing the
  group's Simple Public Key Infrastructure working group.

o Jun Murai is associate professor of Faculty of Environmental
  Information at Keio University in Tokyo.  He developed JUNET, Japan's
  first UUCP network and the WIDE Internet, Japan's first IP network.
  He is president of the Japan Network Information Center (JPNIC) and
  serves as adjunct professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies of
  the United Nations University in Tokyo.

o Hank Nussbacher, is an independent networking consultant, currently
  works with IBM Israel as Internet Technology Manager and has been
  responsible for all aspects in establishing IBM Israel as a major ISP
  in Israel.  He also consults to the Israeli inter-university
  consortium and is on the board of directors of the Internet Society
  of Israel.

o Robert Shaw is an advisor on Global Information Infrastructure (GII)
  issues at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).  The ITU,
  based in Geneva, Switzerland, is a United Nations treaty organization
  within which governments and the private sector coordinate global
  telecom networks and services.

o George Strawn is with the US National Science Foundation (NSF),
  which has funded Internet development for research and education.
  Mr.  Strawn has been involved with the NSF's Internet activities for
  the last five years and also co-chairs the Federal Networking
  Council, a US government committee coordinating inter-agency Internet
  activities, including funding for administrative activities, such as
  the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

o Albert Tramposch is senior legal counsellor at the World
  Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. WIPO is a United
  Nations organization which has responsibility for the promotion of
  the protection of intellectual property throughout the world.  It
  also administers various treaties dealing with legal and
  administrative aspects of intellectual property, including the
  international registration of trademarks.

In addition, Stuart Levi, a partner in the New York Office of Skadden,
Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and the head of the firm's Computer and
Information Technology Practice, will serve as outside counsel
supporting the IAHC.

"The IAHC will be charged with fairly and openly looking at the complex
issues surrounding the current domain name and registry situation,
including trademark and infringement, economics and administration of
registry operations, dispute policies, fees and iTLDs," Heath said. He
anticipates the Committee reaching reasonable consensus on issues
surfaced, sometime in January.  A subset of the IAHC will seek to
implement its recommendations very shortly after that.

To meet its aggressive schedule, the widely dispersed group will
primarily operate online, over the Internet.  Interested parties
throughout the Internet world will be able to participate in the IAHC's
process, through an electronic mail list service and a Web site that
are being established.  Discussions, evaluations and decisions will be
available for public inspection.  An archive, and relevant documents,
will be available public comment at the Web site which will be
established by November 15 at http://www.iahc.org.  To subscribe to the
IAHC's email list service, send email with the word "subscribe" to:
.
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