The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has operated under agreements with the U.S. Department of Commerce since 1998. The current agreement expires later this year. ICANN would like to be fully “privatized,” but that decision raises significant questions about ICANN’s structure, mission, and performance. Does ICANN’s governance structure provide sufficient accountability? How should reforms address ICANN’s status as a de facto regulator? How should reforms address the intellectual property issues associated with domain names? This conference will discuss these issues and a recent TPI study on the subject coauthored by TPI president Thomas Lenard and NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Lawrence J. White.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
Michael Abramowicz, George Washington University Law School
Stanley Besen, CRA International
Steve DelBianco, NetChoice
Arlene Holen, Technology Policy Institute
Thomas Lenard, Technology Policy Institute
Paul Levins, ICANN
John Mayo, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business
Gregory Rosston, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Scott Wallsten, Technology Policy Institute
Lawrence J. White, NYU Stern School of Business