Opinion ID: 2824570
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: icann

Text: The DNS and the Root were initially managed by the National Science Foundation. See Daniela Michele Spencer, Note, Much Ado About Nothing: ICANN’s New gTLDs, 29 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 865, 867–69 (2014). In 1997, the National Science Foundation transferred control to the Department of Commerce (“DOC”). The DOC later issued a white paper proposing that management be transferred to a private, not-for-profit corporation. See Management of Internet Names and Addresses, 63 Fed. Reg. 31,741, 31,741 (Jun. 10, 1998). 1 The white paper suggested that the corporation’s board of directors “should be balanced to equitably represent the interests of IP 1 The white paper was cited repeatedly in the complaint and was therefore incorporated by reference. See United States v. Ritchie, 342 F.3d 903, 907–08 (9th Cir. 2003). 6 NAME.SPACE, INC. V. ICANN number registries, domain name registries, domain name registrars, the technical community, Internet service providers (ISPs), and Internet users (commercial, not-forprofit, and individuals) from around the world.” Id. at 31,750; see also A. Michael Froomkin & Mark A. Lemley, ICANN and Antitrust, 2003 U. Ill. L. Rev. 1, 12 (2003). In 1998, the DOC contracted with ICANN, a non-profit corporation, to manage the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (“IANA”). See Justin T. Lepp, Note, ICANN’s Escape from Antitrust Liability, 89 Wash. U. L. Rev. 931, 935, 959–60 (2012); Froomkin & Lemley, supra, at 15. ICANN thereby obtained the authority to operate the DNS and the Root, add new TLDs to the Root, and determine which registries would operate existing TLDs. The Memorandum of Understanding between the DOC and ICANN reserved the DOC’s right to withdraw recognition of ICANN. See Froomkin & Lemley, supra, at 13–14. In 2009, the Memorandum lapsed and the DOC formally relinquished control over DNS policy to ICANN. See Lepp, supra, at 935. 2 ICANN is controlled by a board of directors with qualifications along the lines proposed in the white paper; 2 The DOC, however, still retained the ability to move the IANA contract to another organization. See Lepp, supra, at 959–60. The federal government plans to end its coordination role when the current IANA contract expires in September 2015, and has asked ICANN to develop a transition plan. See Nat’l Telecomms. & Info. Admin., NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions (Mar. 14, 2014), http://www.ntia.doc.gov/press-release/2014/ntiaannounces-intent-transition-key-internet-domain-name-functions. NAME.SPACE, INC. V. ICANN 7 many are industry insiders. The government has no formal input into the selection of the directors. See Froomkin & Lemley, supra, at 10–11.