CoP Meeting - 13 February 2002
Maddock Lonie & Chisholm
Level 7, 140 William Street,
Melbourne
Attendance: Vic Cinc (Host 1), Peter Dean (Instra Group), Kirk Fletcher (Web City), Ian Johnston (SETEL), Rod Keys (Discount Domain Names), Adrian Kinderis (AusRegistry), Cheryl Langdon-Orr (ISOC-AU), Jo Lim (auDA), Ron Stark (Business Park), Jan Webster (Melbourne IT), Jan Whitaker (Aust Consumers Assoc)
Teleconference: Brett Fenton (NetRegistry), Nicola Seaton (WebCentral), Bruce Tonkin (Melbourne IT), Liz Williams (auDA)
1. Welcome and introductions
Committee membership is available on the auDA web site.
2. Background and objectives
The main objective of the Committee is to produce a workable, understandable Code by "go live" that has the consensus support of all stakeholders. auDA has not yet set a "go live" date, but the target is May 2002.
The Code should:
- define boundaries of acceptable market conduct and business ethics
- facilitate the smooth, efficient operation of the industry
- provide a clear regulatory framework for industry and consumers
- encompass all 2LDs, not just the commercial ones
- be dynamic, and anticipate future developments.
3. Operating issues
The Committee agreed the following operating guidelines:
- Members should attempt to attend all meetings in person or by teleconference. If sending a proxy, they should be sufficiently well briefed to ensure continuity of proceedings.
- Members should ensure they come to meetings prepared to contribute fully and with authority from the organisation they represent.
- Committee proceedings are confidential. The minutes are the official record of meetings. The Chair is the only person authorised to speak on behalf of the Committee. Members may discuss and canvas issues outside the Committee, but should take care not to be drawn into unproductive debates on public mailing lists.
- Consensus is defined as a 2/3 majority, however the Committee will strive to achieve as high a level of consensus as possible. It may not be necessary to achieve consensus on every issue at every stage of the process. Members are entitled to have a minority view placed on record.
- The Chair will be responsible for managing all documentation, including control of master documents.
- The principles of continuous disclosure apply, and members should declare any relevant interest, or change of interest, to the Committee as appropriate.
4. Process and timing
The Committee adopted the following timeline:
|
Date |
Action |
|
13 February |
1st Committee meeting |
|
28 February |
Initial discussion on list |
|
25 March |
2nd Committee meeting, discuss 1st draft Code |
|
1 April |
Publish 1st draft Code for comment |
|
12 April |
Comments period closes |
|
22 April |
3rd Committee meeting, consider comments, discuss 2nd draft Code |
|
3 May |
Publish 2nd draft Code, discuss with auDA Board |
|
20 May |
4th Committee meeting, finalise Code |
|
7 June |
Publish final Code |
|
10 June |
auDA Board endorses Code |
Whilst the Committee must allow sufficient opportunity for all stakeholders to have input, the timeline is very short and does not permit an extended consultation process. However, there is an expectation that the Code will be a dynamic document that will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.
5. Scope of Code
At the public meeting on 11 December 2001, it was suggested the following matters should be addressed in the Code:
- transfers between registrars and resellers
- policy compliance checks
- WHOIS issues
- privacy
- communications between registrars, resellers and registrants - including renewal notices
- consumer information
- separation of domain management functions
- continuity of business / ownership of customer information
- complaints handling - including role of auDA
- duplication of other regulatory and legislative arrangements
- customer churning
- bulk redelegations
- transfer of domain name licence between registrants.
Other issues may need to be added to the list. Transfers (at multiple levels) is probably the most pressing issue to be addressed.
Compliance and enforcement issues are also important. Under the Registrar Agreement, auDA may suspend or terminate a registrar's accreditation, or direct a registrar to terminate its agreement with a reseller, for breach of the Code. In many instances, such a severe penalty will not be commensurate with the breach, and may cause inconvenience or harm to registrants. Other penalties need to be considered.
A glossary of terms will be important, to help maintain consistency within the Code itself and with other industry documents. Some terms that need to be defined by the Committee include:
- authorisation
- apparent authority
- compliance
- date of application
- transfer of ownership (multiple layers of definition).
Action items:
|
Action |
Responsibility |
Timing |
|
1. Suggest changes/improvements to the Interim Code |
All members |
28 February |
|
2. Provide list of key issues to be addressed in the Code Registry/ registrars/ resellers |
Consumer reps |
28 February |
|
3. Group and prioritise issues for first discussion draft of Code |
LW |
25 March |
|
4. Start thinking about Consumer Guide to domain name industry |
All members |
Ongoing |
|
5. Start compiling Glossary of terms |
All members |
Ongoing |
|
6. Consider Code compliance logo for registrars/resellers |
RS, CL-O, JW |
Ongoing |
|
7. Monitor Code for consistency with technical processes |
NS, BT, AK |
Ongoing |
|
8. Monitor Code for consistency with other documents |
All members |
Ongoing |
Next meeting:
Date: Monday 25 March 2002
Time: 2-4pm
Venue: WebCentral, Level
12, 77 Castlereagh St, Sydney
Teleconference facilities will be available for people who cannot attend in Sydney.
