[council] Letter to L.Touton

[KathrynKL@aol.com]

I have sent the following letter to Louis Touton and wanted to share it with 
you.

Kathy Kleiman
-------------------------
  Mr. Louis Touton
  General Counsel and Vice President of ICANN           
  November 18, 1999
 
  Dear Mr. Touton: 
  As you know, parties involved with ICANN are in the process of
  debating the role and powers of the General Assembly.  This is an
  important debate for all DNSO participants, but particularly
  for the individuals and small businesses who feel largely
  disenfranchised by the constituency process.  The debate we have
  and the decisions we make will strongly shape the long-term
  participation of smaller parties in the GA, the DNSO and ICANN.
  
  Much to my surprise, Joe Sims has been an active participant and
  advocate in the Names Council debate on the General Assembly
  issue.  In the past, Mr. Sims has played the more neutral role of
  counsel to the Names Council, answering legal questions that we
  raise regarding bylaws, procedures and deadlines.  On this issue, he
  has turned into an active advocate regularly publishing messages to
  the Names Council that outline his concerns about the directions of
  the General Assembly and providing a roadmap for the Names
  Council to take more control from the General Assembly.  I find
  this advocacy role troubling. 
  
  As you know, Mr. Sims is a senior partner of the law firm of Jones
  Day, one of the largest law firms in the world. This law firm
  represents many of the most prominent corporations in the country,
  and boasts on its website that it "acts as principle outside counsel
  to, or provides significant legal representation for, more than half
  of the Fortune 500 companies...."  This background naturally gives
  rise to question of whether there are inherent conflicts between the
  companies he/his firm represents and the large company vs. small
  player disputes that are being played out in this names Council
  debate.   
  
  While I recognize and value the contribution of Joe Sims to
  ICANN, to the extent there are real or perceived conflicts, I believe
  it is inappropriate that he play a continuing role in the
  debates over the General Assembly.  Moreover, I question whether
  it is appropriate for ICANN's outside counsel to be a participant 
  in substantive debates.   I bring this matter to your attention and 
  ask you to take the actions necessary to create a more
  balanced and fair debate.  Thank you for your review. 
  
  Sincerely,
  /s/ Kathryn Kleiman
  Representative to the Names Council from the
  Noncommercial Domain Name Holders Constituency