The Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) represents the views and interests of the intellectual property community worldwide at ICANN, with a particular emphasis on trademark, copyright, and related intellectual property rights and their effect and interaction with Domain Name Systems (DNS). The IPC ensures that these views, including minority views, are reflected in Working Groups, recommendations made by the GNSO Council to the ICANN Board, in public comments and throughout ICANN. The IPC is one of the stakeholder groups and constituencies of the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) charged with the responsibility of advising the ICANN Board on policy issues relating to the management of the domain name system. Information regarding membership in the IPC or other areas of interest may be obtained by clicking on the links at the top of this page.
Learn more about the IPC
The IPC has created a course on the ICANN Learn platform, where you can learn more about the IPC in detail. To register, please visit https://learn.icann.org/.
What Do IPC Members Do?
▪ Participate in the three ICANN meetings each year around the world
▪ Elect Councilors to the GNSO Council
▪ Participate in Working Groups, the lifeblood of ICANN, where policy recommendations are developed by members of various stakeholder groups and other individuals
▪ Provide public comments on proposed ICANN policies and activities affecting IP rights
▪ Develop and advocate policy positions, in comments and letters, in person at ICANN meetings, and by other means
▪ Work with the other ICANN stakeholders where there are common interests
▪ Select a representative to the ICANN Nominating Committee, which appoints members of the Board of Directors and other ICANN organizations.
Key Issues for the IPC
- WHOIS/registration directory services, including WHOIS accuracy, availability of WHOIS information, translation and transliteration of WHOIS information, privacy and proxy services and advancements in “next generation” registration directory services
- Reviews of ICANN’s New gTLD program, including a competition, consumer trust and consumer choice review
- Reviews of rights protection mechanisms (RPMs) for the New gTLD Program and for “legacy” gTLDs, including the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS) and the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), as well as a possible review of the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP)
- Internet governance, including the IANA stewardship transition and the associated process to enhance ICANN accountability
- Issues relating to Geographic Indicators and other geographic terms
- Abuses and concerns relating to the New gTLD Program, both overall and in relation to specific registries and new gTLDs
- Strong, consistent enforcement of ICANN’s contracts with registries and registrars, especially new provisions focused on protection of intellectual property rights.
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