Interesting that the "facts" email seems to have elicited some very angry responses from various quarters, including an attempt by someone to unsubscribe me from this mailing list.....<div><br></div><div>*laughing quietly to myself*</div>
<div><br></div><div>Brian<br><br><div id="WISESTAMP_SIG_2131"><div style="font-size:13.3px;font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">
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<img src="https://wisestamp.appspot.com/pixel.png?p=safari&v=3.11.17.0&t=1343677432287&u=c1d0b34712c91d91" width="1" height="1"></div></div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 6:18 PM, Vika Mpisane <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:vika@zadna.org.za" target="_blank">vika@zadna.org.za</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">In essence, McTim, the answer for everyone interested in new gTLDs is<br>
simple: read & understand the Applicant Guidebook. It really does have all<br>
the answers. In particular, it defines quite well how a community gTLD<br>
differs from a geo gTLD. When you read it, then you understand why the<br>
only .africa application (the one by UniForum SA backed by the AUC) -<br>
based on ICANN new gTLD application -list is a geo gTLD & not a community<br>
gTLD.<br>
<br>
Another good source for answers is the ICANN new gTLD website where it<br>
lists all the current 1930 new gTLD applications. It really does say there<br>
is only one .africa application, and that's the one from UniForum SA<br>
(backed & endorsed by the AUC). That site also shows there are 2 other<br>
applications with the name "africa": .africamagic & .dotafrica.<br>
<br>
Whether or not .dotafrica (applied for by DCA) is confusingly similar to<br>
.africa (by UniForum SA backed & endorsed by the AUC) is a matter that the<br>
ICANN new gTLD Applicant Guidebook also answers quite well. Effectively,<br>
the Applicant Guidebook is like a bible of some sort for everything new<br>
gTLD: it's got all the answers (save, of course, a possibility of<br>
correcting mistaken gTLD applications).<br>
<br>
Assuming then the new gTLD "bible" is correct, the question is: did DCA<br>
make a mistake when they applied for .dotafrica? Judging by some press<br>
releases from DCA, it seems this is the case, but I'm open to correction.<br>
If it's the case, then the question I have is: why then ICANN continues to<br>
list the UniForum's application as the only .africa application on file?<br>
<br>
I guess then unless we see ICANN listing DCA's application as another<br>
.africa application in addition to UniForum's, DCA & UniForum have applied<br>
for 2 different strings. If ICANN were to change & list DCA as having<br>
applied for .africa (and not .dotafrica), then we would then have an open<br>
competition between DCA's application & UniForum's application, which, in<br>
fact, we should welcome because competition in business is good.<br>
<br>
And so that it's clear, I'm involved in the UniForum's .africa geo gTLD<br>
application. So i'm not pretending to be neutral at all here. I just don't<br>
think it's helpful at all to bash other people because they are<br>
competition to UniForum's bid.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Vika Mpisane<br>
ZADNA<br>
<div><div class="h5"><br>
<br>
On 2012/07/30 4:07 PM, "McTim" <<a href="mailto:dogwallah@gmail.com">dogwallah@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
>On Mon, Jul 30, 2012 at 1:52 AM, Gideon <<a href="mailto:gideonrop@gmail.com">gideonrop@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
>> Dear Ms.Alice Munyua,<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> I am asked by our organization to post this clarification below to the<br>
>> statements you posted last week Re:Facts Regarding the African Union<br>
>> Commission (.Africa) application in the interest of the public.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> That you ahead for your cooperation.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> First, the deliberate distortion<br>
><br>
>That's a bit strong. how do you know it was deliberate?<br>
><br>
>If you want to talk about facts, use the link that Neil provided,<br>
>click on download the "public portion of the application", and see how<br>
>many times the AU and AUC are referenced. It is clear to me that the<br>
>AU and UniForum are partnering in this application.<br>
><br>
><br>
> that AUC/UniForum has submitted an<br>
>> application for .AFRICA is unwarranted and quite misleading, and this<br>
>>should<br>
>> not be treated as 'fact'. The true fact is that the AUC is not an<br>
>>applicant.<br>
><br>
>While they may not be an applicant, they are certainly working 'in<br>
>cooperation with" or "in partnership with".<br>
><br>
><br>
>> Only UniForum is the applicant acknowledged by ICANN. Therefore, it is<br>
>> untruthful and rather disingenuous on your part to present the AUC as an<br>
>> applicant - either as a co- or joint applicant to UniForum. Everyone<br>
>>should<br>
>> know that the AU has not applied to ICANN for anything, so there is no<br>
>>AUC<br>
>> application the way that you have been distorting 'facts' to suit your<br>
>> purpose.<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Second, though you have listed many things, the most important thing<br>
>>that<br>
>> you have left out is that the UniForum application was not submitted on<br>
>> behalf of either the African Union Commission, African governments, the<br>
>> African Community or African Internet Community. You should have listed<br>
>> this as 'fact', but you have not.<br>
><br>
><br>
>If it were listed as "fact" you surely would have complained about that!<br>
><br>
>The "fact" is that it is a geographic TLD and NOT a community based TLD.<br>
><br>
>Are you suggesting that your application for .DotAfrica (or .Africa if<br>
>that is what you have applied for) is a community based application<br>
>and NOT a geo-TLD?<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
>Therefore, there is actually no community<br>
>> ownership of the Applied-for string so your use of the term 'official<br>
>>AUC<br>
>> endorsed application for the dotAfrica (.Africa) Top Level Domain' is<br>
>>rather<br>
>> specious and a misnomer.<br>
><br>
>It is neither specious nor a misnomer. They do have an official<br>
>endorsement and they have a large community of support behind them.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Against this background, how is the UniForum<br>
>> application, in your estimation, "a collaborative African initiative"?<br>
>>One<br>
>> would expect at least that if it is a collaborative African initiative,<br>
>>then<br>
>> the ownership of the TLD by the community should have been properly<br>
>> demonstrated by a community application conveyed as an application on<br>
>>behalf<br>
>> of the African Community for a .AFRICA Community TLD.<br>
><br>
>It only stands to reason that a geo-TLD (a continental wide one at that)<br>
>have a<br>
>collaborative community behind it.<br>
><br>
>Are you applying for a Community-based string?<br>
><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> In the absence of this, we still see the UniForum application as a<br>
>>deceptive<br>
>> ploy that used the purported support of the AU Commission to garner<br>
>>support<br>
>> from African governments to enable them provide support for an<br>
>>application<br>
>> that will benefit a special interest group. The way we see it is quite<br>
>> simple: DCA Trust will continue to expose this fraud for what it truly<br>
>>is.<br>
>> If the AUC provided support to UniForum to apply on behalf of the<br>
>>African<br>
>> Community, then we believe that ³a Community TLD application ³for<br>
>>.AFRICA<br>
>> should have been submitted by UniForum to ICANN.<br>
><br>
>Again, would this same reasoning have applied to you? If not, why not?<br>
><br>
>Is .DotAfrica a community or geo-TLD?<br>
><br>
><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Third, you seem to make much of a process that was "mandated by African<br>
>> Heads of State (OR Tambo Declaration) and African Minister¹s in charge<br>
>>of<br>
>> ICT (Abuja Declaration)" to justify your 'facts'. Would these African<br>
>>Heads<br>
>> of States and Ministers not demand some form of accountability<br>
>>regarding why<br>
>> a community TLD application for .Africa was not submitted by Uniforum?<br>
><br>
><br>
>again with the red-herrings! This is a geo-TLD, NOT a "Community-TLD".<br>
><br>
><br>
>> Since you seem to know many facts regarding the so-called 'African Union<br>
>> Commission (.Africa) application, perhaps you should help clarify for<br>
>> everyone's benefit why a Community TLD application for .Africa was not<br>
>> submitted by Uniforum.<br>
>><br>
><br>
>This is a geo-TLD, NOT a "Community-TLD".<br>
><br>
><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Fourth, you have tried to make much over the fact that the UniForum<br>
>> application is AU-supported, and that the "application meets and<br>
>>exceeds,<br>
>> the minimum evaluation criteria set by ICANN for application of<br>
>>Geographic<br>
>> strings." Alas, the evaluation is not only on the basis of the<br>
>>evaluation<br>
>> criteria for 'geographic strings'. The evaluation criteria is actually<br>
>>more<br>
>> comprehensive, and covers a wide range of issues such as technical,<br>
>> operational, financial criteria; coupled with terms & conditions, legal<br>
>> issues, etc. We remain confident that the Uniforum application will<br>
>>fail<br>
>> based on the scope of its separate agreement with the African Union<br>
>> Commission. We prefer to leave such issues to the Evaluation and the<br>
>> outcome of any Dispute Resolution.<br>
><br>
><br>
>but if you had gotten the endorsement of the AU, you wouldn't be<br>
>claiming the same thing, would you??!<br>
><br>
><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> Fifth, the application submitted by DCA Trust is for the geographic name<br>
>> 'AFRICA', pronounced as 'DotAfrica'. This is for a 6-character ASCII<br>
>>string.<br>
>> The application submitted by DCA Trust was correctly designated by<br>
>>ICANN as<br>
>> referring to a geographic name. Your understanding that it is for<br>
>> 'dotdotAfrica' is incorrect. Our published part of application is<br>
>>posted<br>
</div></div>>> and available hereŠŠŠŠŠŠŠ<br>
><br>
><a href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati" target="_blank">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati</a><br>
>ondetails/1276<br>
><br>
>or<br>
><br>
><a href="http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati" target="_blank">http://gtldresult.icann.org/application-result/applicationstatus/applicati</a><br>
<div><div class="h5">>ondetails:downloadapplication/1276?t:ac=1276<br>
><br>
>to dload public parts of application.<br>
><br>
><br>
>><br>
>> Finally, it is important for us to note that you have become openly<br>
>> supportive of the UniForum application, and we therefore hope that you<br>
>>will<br>
>> not use any of your official affiliations either within the Kenyan<br>
>> government or the ICANN GAC to influence things in their favour.<br>
><br>
>Why not? if the AUC has endorsed UniForum as their partner in<br>
>bidding, should not all AU governments act accordingly?<br>
><br>
><br>
> We caution<br>
>> you not to be official or unofficial spokesperson of UniForum, and<br>
>>allow the<br>
>> applications that have been submitted to ICANN to be evaluated fairly<br>
>> without any undue interference on your part or on the part of the group<br>
>>that<br>
>> you now seem to represent in the most unabashed manner .<br>
><br>
><br>
>how is statement of facts "interference"?<br>
><br>
><br>
>--<br>
>Cheers,<br>
><br>
>McTim<br>
>"A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A<br>
>route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel<br>
><br>
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