Subject: RE: Perhaps clarify: #825 - IASA responsibilities regarding IPR

From: "Contreras, Jorge" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 18:24:46 -0500

- Please spell out "intellectual property rights".

> I think that IPR was defined elsewhere

- Domain names are not IPR.

> For this purpose, I would treat them like IPR

- What about patents?

> IETF should not be getting patents on anything.

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From: Jeffrey Hutzelman <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 2005 18:48:29 -0500

On Monday, January 31, 2005 06:24:46 PM -0500 "Contreras, Jorge" 
<[email-masked]> wrote:

>> Domain names are not IPR.
>

I agree that the IASA should be responsible for managing them.
But it is dangerous for an IETF process document to use phrasing like 
"IPR... including domain names", because that implies that we consider 
domain names to be intellectual property.  I do not believe that to be the 
consensus of the IETF.

Actually, now that I think about it, the IASA is _not_ necessarily 
responsible for managing "all domain names that belong to the IETF".
For example, it could be argued that .ARPA "belongs to the IETF", but its 
management is clearly the domain of the IAB.

There must be a distinction between domain names established to support the 
operation of the IETF (managed by IASA) and domain names established via 
the standards process.

So I guess I have two concerns here:
- Don't lump "domain names" in with "IPR".
- Do distinguish between domain names IASA manages and those it does not.

>> What about patents?

The IASA may acquire patent rights as a result of work done for it under 
contract, or as the result of donations.  It may acquire patent licenses. 
However, on rereading, the proposed text says "including but not limited 
to", which is good enough for me.

-- Jeff