[kictanet] Official response to the "facts" circulated by Alice on behalf of DotConnectAfrica

[Brian Munyao Longwe]

Dear Mohamed,

Thank you for this call to reason. Your input is clear, succinct and to the
point. I wish you and your team all the best with the application for
.africa. It is about time!

Best regards,

Brian

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*Brian Munyao Longwe*
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On Tue, Jul 31, 2012 at 12:46 AM, Mohamed El Bashir <
mohamed at africanregistry.org> wrote:

> Dear Colleagues,
>
> It's unfortunate to read the email response from DCA to Alice's ".Africa
> facts" email.
>
> As a chair of the Steering Committee of UnfiForum/AUC bid for ".Africa"
> new gTLD, I would like to stress the fact that we are applying for a
> Geographical  gTLD so we are required by ICANN' applicant guidebook and new
> gTLD procedures to obtain AUC/African Governments support required for this
> type of application .
>
> AUC and African Governments are a major stakeholders in our application .
> Alice email stating facts related to AUC/Governments support to ".Africa"
> application.
>
> Instead of attacking the AUC, Governments and people who support ".Africa"
> application, I hope that DCA  focus on its application and accept the
> reality that there are 2 applications one for ".dotafrica" applied by DCA
> and other application for ".Africa" applied by Unifoum endorsed by AUC
> according to  ICANN published list of new gTLDs :
>
> http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/application-results/strings-1200utc-13jun12-en
>
> I hope we remain constrictive, objective and avoid negative assumptions in
> our communications for the benefit of Africa's Internet community.
>
> Kind Regards,
> Mohamed El Bashir
>
> On 30 Jul 2012, at 22:47, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Vika,
>
> I agree with your sentiments, i think we should be more objective and
> avoid attacking each other for no cause, i appreciate the fact that we have
> a right of opinion and emotions but again we should respect competition as
> you rightly point out and i have shared this thought with my good friend
> Gedion as well. Overall i think this debate is good for Africa and is
> generating more awareness, let us avoid propaganda and focus on providing
> correct information since this is what Africa needs to move forwad.
>
> Best Regards
>
> On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 6:18 PM, Vika Mpisane <vika at zadna.org.za> wrote:
>
>> In essence, McTim, the answer for everyone interested in new gTLDs is
>> simple: read & understand the Applicant Guidebook. It really does have all
>> the answers. In particular, it defines quite well how a community gTLD
>> differs from a geo gTLD. When you read it, then you understand why the
>> only .africa application (the one by UniForum SA backed by the AUC) -
>> based on ICANN new gTLD application -list is a geo gTLD & not a community
>> gTLD.
>>
>> Another good source for answers is the ICANN new gTLD website where it
>> lists all the current 1930 new gTLD applications. It really does say there
>> is only one .africa application, and that's the one from UniForum SA
>> (backed & endorsed by the AUC). That site also shows there are 2 other
>> applications with the name "africa": .africamagic & .dotafrica.
>>
>> Whether or not .dotafrica (applied for by DCA) is confusingly similar to
>> .africa (by UniForum SA backed & endorsed by the AUC) is a matter that the
>> ICANN new gTLD Applicant Guidebook also answers quite well. Effectively,
>> the Applicant Guidebook is like a bible of some sort for everything new
>> gTLD: it's got all the answers (save, of course, a possibility of
>> correcting mistaken gTLD applications).
>>
>> Assuming then the new gTLD "bible" is correct, the question is: did DCA
>> make a mistake when they applied for .dotafrica? Judging by some press
>> releases from DCA, it seems this is the case, but I'm open to correction.
>> If it's the case, then the question I have is: why then ICANN continues to
>> list the UniForum's application as the only .africa application on file?
>>
>> I guess then unless we see ICANN listing DCA's application as another
>> .africa application in addition to UniForum's, DCA & UniForum have applied
>> for 2 different strings. If ICANN were to change & list DCA as having
>> applied for .africa (and not .dotafrica), then we would then have an open
>> competition between DCA's application & UniForum's application, which, in
>> fact, we should welcome because competition in business is good.
>>
>> And so that it's clear, I'm involved in the UniForum's .africa geo gTLD
>> application. So i'm not pretending to be neutral at all here. I just don't
>> think it's helpful at all to bash other people because they are
>> competition to UniForum's bid.
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Vika Mpisane
>> ZADNA
>>
>>
>> On 2012/07/30 4:07 PM, "McTim" <dogwallah at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 1:52 AM, Gideon <gideonrop at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >> Dear Ms.Alice Munyua,
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> I am asked by our organization to post this clarification below to the
>> >> statements you posted last week Re:Facts Regarding the African Union
>> >> Commission (.Africa) application in the interest of the public.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> That you ahead for your cooperation.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> First, the deliberate distortion
>> >
>> >That's a bit strong.  how do you know it was deliberate?
>> >
>> >If you want to talk about facts, use the link that Neil provided,
>> >click on download the "public portion of the application", and see how
>> >many times the AU and AUC are referenced.   It is clear to me that the
>> >AU and UniForum are partnering in this application.
>> >
>> >
>> > that AUC/UniForum has submitted an
>> >> application for .AFRICA is unwarranted and quite misleading, and this
>> >>should
>> >> not be treated as 'fact'. The true fact is that the AUC is not an
>> >>applicant.
>> >
>> >While they may not be an applicant, they are certainly working 'in
>> >cooperation with" or "in partnership with".
>> >
>> >
>> >> Only UniForum is the applicant acknowledged by ICANN. Therefore, it is
>> >> untruthful and rather disingenuous on your part to present the AUC as
>> an
>> >> applicant - either as a co- or joint applicant to UniForum. Everyone
>> >>should
>> >> know that the AU has not applied to ICANN for anything, so there is no
>> >>AUC
>> >> application the way that you have been distorting 'facts' to suit your
>> >> purpose.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Second, though you have listed many things, the most important thing
>> >>that
>> >> you have left out is that the UniForum application was not submitted on
>> >> behalf of either the African Union Commission, African governments, the
>> >> African  Community or African Internet Community. You should have
>> listed
>> >> this as 'fact', but you have not.
>> >
>> >
>> >If it were listed as "fact" you surely would have complained about that!
>> >
>> >The "fact" is that it is a geographic TLD and NOT a community based TLD.
>> >
>> >Are you suggesting that your application for .DotAfrica (or .Africa if
>> >that is what you have applied for) is a community based application
>> >and NOT a geo-TLD?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >Therefore, there is actually no community
>> >> ownership of the Applied-for string so your use of the term 'official
>> >>AUC
>> >> endorsed application for the dotAfrica (.Africa) Top Level Domain' is
>> >>rather
>> >> specious and a misnomer.
>> >
>> >It is neither specious nor a misnomer.  They do have an official
>> >endorsement and they have a large community of support behind them.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >  Against this background, how is the UniForum
>> >> application, in your estimation, "a collaborative African initiative"?
>> >>One
>> >> would expect at least that if it is a collaborative African initiative,
>> >>then
>> >> the ownership of the TLD by the community should have been properly
>> >> demonstrated by a community application conveyed as an application on
>> >>behalf
>> >> of the African Community for a .AFRICA Community TLD.
>> >
>> >It only stands to reason that a geo-TLD (a continental wide one at that)
>> >have a
>> >collaborative community behind it.
>> >
>> >Are you applying for a Community-based string?
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> In the absence of this, we still see the UniForum application as a
>> >>deceptive
>> >> ploy that  used the purported support of the AU Commission to garner
>> >>support
>> >> from African governments to enable them provide support for an
>> >>application
>> >> that will benefit a special interest group.  The way we see it is quite
>> >> simple: DCA Trust will continue to expose this fraud for what it truly
>> >>is.
>> >> If the AUC provided support to UniForum to apply on behalf of the
>> >>African
>> >> Community, then we believe that ³a Community TLD application ³for
>> >>.AFRICA
>> >> should have been submitted by UniForum to ICANN.
>> >
>> >Again, would this same reasoning have applied to you?  If not, why not?
>> >
>> >Is .DotAfrica a community or geo-TLD?
>> >
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Third, you seem to make much of a process that was "mandated by African
>> >> Heads of State (OR Tambo Declaration) and African Minister¹s in charge
>> >>of
>> >> ICT (Abuja Declaration)" to justify your 'facts'. Would these African
>> >>Heads
>> >> of States and Ministers not demand some form of accountability
>> >>regarding why
>> >> a community TLD application for .Africa was not submitted by Uniforum?
>> >
>> >
>> >again with the red-herrings!  This is a geo-TLD, NOT a "Community-TLD".
>> >
>> >
>> >> Since you seem to know many facts regarding the so-called 'African
>> Union
>> >> Commission (.Africa) application, perhaps you should help clarify for
>> >> everyone's benefit why a Community TLD application for .Africa was not
>> >> submitted by Uniforum.
>> >>
>> >
>> >This is a geo-TLD, NOT a "Community-TLD".
>> >
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Fourth,  you have tried to make much over the fact that the UniForum
>> >> application is AU-supported, and that the "application meets and
>> >>exceeds,
>> >> the minimum evaluation criteria set by ICANN for application of
>> >>Geographic
>> >> strings." Alas, the evaluation is not only on the basis of the
>> >>evaluation
>> >> criteria for 'geographic strings'. The evaluation criteria is actually
>> >>more
>> >> comprehensive, and covers a wide range of issues such as technical,
>> >> operational, financial criteria; coupled with terms & conditions, legal
>> >> issues, etc.  We remain confident that the Uniforum application will
>> >>fail
>> >> based on the scope of its separate agreement with the African Union
>> >> Commission.  We prefer to leave such issues to the Evaluation and the
>> >> outcome of any Dispute Resolution.
>> >
>> >
>> >but if you had gotten the endorsement of the AU, you wouldn't be
>> >claiming the same thing, would you??!
>> >
>> >
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> Fifth, the application submitted by DCA Trust is for the geographic
>> name
>> >> 'AFRICA', pronounced as 'DotAfrica'. This is for a 6-character ASCII
>> >>string.
>> >> The application submitted by DCA Trust was correctly designated by
>> >>ICANN as
>> >> referring to a geographic name. Your understanding that it is for
>> >> 'dotdotAfrica' is incorrect.  Our published part of application is
>> >>posted
>> >> and available hereŠŠŠŠŠŠŠ
>> >
>> >
>> http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati
>> >ondetails/1276
>> >
>> >or
>> >
>> >
>> http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati
>> >ondetails:downloadapplication/1276?t:ac=1276
>> >
>> >to dload public parts of application.
>> >
>> >
>> >>
>> >> Finally, it is important for us to note that you have become openly
>> >> supportive of the UniForum application, and we therefore hope that you
>> >>will
>> >> not use any of your official affiliations either within the Kenyan
>> >> government or the ICANN GAC to influence things in their favour.
>> >
>> >Why not?  if the AUC has endorsed UniForum as their partner in
>> >bidding, should not all AU governments act accordingly?
>> >
>> >
>> > We caution
>> >> you not to be official or unofficial spokesperson of UniForum, and
>> >>allow the
>> >> applications that have been submitted to ICANN to be evaluated fairly
>> >> without any undue interference on your part or on the part of the group
>> >>that
>> >> you now seem to represent in the most unabashed manner .
>> >
>> >
>> >how is statement of facts "interference"?
>> >
>> >
>> >--
>> >Cheers,
>> >
>> >McTim
>> >"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A
>> >route indicates how we get there."  Jon Postel
>> >
>> >_______________________________________________
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>> >
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>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Barrack O. Otieno
> +254721325277
> +254-20-2498789
> Skype: barrack.otieno
> http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/
>
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