BBC Covers the .Africa Saga between DCA Trust and ICANN
The .Africa gTLD domain IRP saga between DCA Trust the applicant and ICANN has been discussed on several platforms as the precedential case, on 29 July 2015, the BBC Program called the ‘BBC Click’ discussed the findings of the Independent Review Panel (IRP).
According to the discussion:
“It is alleged that staff at domain-name overseer ICANN repeatedly rejected independent expert advice to ensure the dotAfrica top-level domain was won by their preferred applicant – and then tried to hide their influence by censoring the results of an independent inquiry into the affair. Click discusses the fallout from these allegations.”
The journalist that uncovered the underacted version of the independent report from ICANN which is now accused of the coverup, was an Internet Consultant and Journalist Kieren McCarthy, whose previous findings have been covered in the UK’s online Newspaper, The Register. You can read his articles here.
The IRP which is a proceeding provided for in Article IV, Section 3 of the ICANN Bylaws, by which any person materially affected by a decision or action of the ICANN Board may request that the action be reviewed by an independent third party for consistency with the ICANN Bylaws and/or Articles of Incorporation.
The IRP Panel in charge of the DCA Trust Vs ICANN review on .Africa stated in their ruling that
“148. Based on the foregoing, after having carefully reviewed the Parties’ written submissions, listened to the testimony of the three witness, listened to the oral submissions of the Parties in various telephone conference calls and at the in-person hearing of this IRP in Washington, D.C. on 22 and 23 May 2015, and finally after much deliberation, pursuant to Article IV, Section 3, paragraph 11 (c) of ICANN’s Bylaws, the Panel declares that both the actions and inactions of the Board with respect to the application of DCA Trust relating to the .AFRICA gTLD were inconsistent with the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of ICANN.
149. Furthermore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 3, paragraph 11 (d) of ICANN’s Bylaws, the Panel recommends that ICANN continue to refrain from delegating the .AFRICA gTLD and permit DCA Trust’s application to proceed through the remainder of the new gTLD application process.
150. The Panel declares DCA Trust to be the prevailing party in this IRP and further declares that ICANN is to bear, pursuant to Article IV, Section 3, paragraph 18 of the Bylaws, Article 11 of Supplementary Procedures and Article 31 of the ICDR Rules, the totality of the costs of this IRP and the totality of the costs of the IRP Provider…”
The IRP proceedings can be followed in the page here
