RESOLUTION  102  (Minneapolis, 1998)

Management of Internet domain names and addresses

The Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (Minneapolis, 1998),

conscious

that the purposes of the Union are, inter alia, to promote, at the international level, the adoption of a broader approach to the issues of telecommunications in the global information economy and society, to promote the extension of the benefits of the new telecommunication technologies to all the world’s inhabitants and to harmonize the efforts of Member States and Sector Members in the attainment of those ends,

considering

a)      that advances in the global information infrastructure, including the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks and especially the Internet, are an issue of crucial importance to the future, as an important engine for growth in the world economy in the twenty‑first century;

b)      that the private sector is playing a key role in the expansion of the Internet, for example through investments in infrastructures and services;

c)       that the development of the Internet must essentially be market-led and driven by private initiative;

d)      that the future management of the registration and allocation of Internet domain names and addresses must fully reflect the geographical and functional nature of the Internet, taking into account an equitable balance of interests of all stakeholders, in particular of businesses and consumers;

e)       that Internet domain names and addresses, and more generally the Internet and global information networks, must be widely accessible to all citizens without regard to gender, race, religion or country of residence;

f)       that the methods of allocation of Internet domain names and addresses should not privilege any country or region of the world to the detriment of others;

g)      that the management of the Internet is a subject of valid international interest and must flow from full international cooperation,

recognizing

that ITU has already started to deal with issues related to IP-based networks in general and the Internet in particular,

emphasizing

a)      that the methods of allocation of global and essential resources such as Internet domain names and addresses are a subject of concern for both governments and the private sector;

b)      that the role of governments is to provide a clear, consistent and predictable legal framework, to promote a favourable environment in which global information networks are interoperable and widely accessible to all citizens, and to ensure adequate protection of consumer and user interests;

c)       that it is in the public interest that the system that manages Internet domain names and addresses has transparent and equitable dispute resolution procedures to facilitate the protection of intellectual property rights;

d)      that governments are expected to promote a fair competitive environment among companies or organizations responsible for Internet resource allocation,

instructs the Secretary-General

1        to take an active part in the international discussions and initiatives on the management of Internet domain names and addresses, which is being led by the private sector, with special attention to the activities conducted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), bearing in mind the purposes of the Union;

2        to report annually to the Council on the activities undertaken on this subject,

instructs the Council

to take appropriate measures in order to contribute actively to the above-mentioned international discussions and initiatives,

invites Member States

1        to participate in and follow the progress of this work;

2        to increase awareness at national level among all interested non-governmental parties, and to encourage their participation in the entities managing Internet domain names and addresses.