CAIRO - Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property (AGIP) Executive Director Regional Office Mr. Charles Shaban and AGIP Renewals Executive Director Mr. Mahmoud A. Lattouf took part at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) 33rd International Public Meeting in Cairo November 1-7, 2008.
“The meeting tackled key issues that will influence the future development of the Internet, including the introduction of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) and Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs),” Mr. Shaban said.
The Cairo meeting, inaugurated by Dr. Tarek Mohamed Kamel, Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, also discussed further progress towards the introduction of IDNs which, when combined with new gTLDs, will create a range of new possibilities for the Internet users all over the world.
“I'm very pleased with the progress made this week in preparing for the introduction of new Generic Top-Level Domains. We have had very positive useful feedback from the Internet community,” ICANN's Chairman Peter DengateThrush said.
He stated that the feedback will be factored into the application guidebook, which will make it possible for applicants to build their businesses based on new names with confidence.
More than 1,000 delegates from 144 countries at the Cairo meeting also heard addresses from the Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Dr. Hamadoun Touré and Acting Assistant Secretary of the US Department of Commerce, Meredith Attwell Baker. Both dignitaries spoke frankly to a full house about the future of the ICANN and the Internet, from the viewpoint of their organizations.
Dr. Touré stressed the importance of collaboration between the ITU and ICANN and Baker acknowledged ICANN's institutional progress in the 10 years since its creation, adding that proactive contribution from the community is vital to the organization as the Internet continues to evolve.
ICANN's next International meeting will be held in Mexico City, Mexico March 1-6, 2009. The board also resolved that ICANN's 35th International Meeting will be held in Sydney, Australia, in June 2009 and following that in Seoul, Korea, in October 2009.
ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet.