Board Minutes - 18 February 2008
Public Version
Meeting of the .au Domain Administration Board
18 February 2008 - 1.00pm
Maddocks. Level 7, 140 William Street. Melbourne VIC 3000
Present:
Chris Disspain, Marty Drill, Julie Hammer, Kim Heitman, Amin Kroll, Cheryl Langdon-Orr, Jo Lim, Graham McDonald, Bennett Oprysa, Josh Rowe, Tony Steven and Alex Woerndle
Teleconference:
Jen Watson (DBCDE)
Observers:
John Higgins (Hayes Knight) and Paul Szyndler
Apologies:
Tony Staley
1. Welcome to New Director
The board welcomed Graham McDonald, appointed as an independent director.
2. Continuous Disclosure
There were no matters to be disclosed.
3. Confirmation of Minutes
The minutes of the 10 December 2007 meeting were confirmed.
4. Finance Report
The board noted the January accounts.
5. CEO Report
The board noted the report.
6. Policy Development
• New transfers policy (secondary market) implementation plan
The board considered the draft implementation plan. Key features of the new policy are:
o registrants may offer their domain name for sale (licence transfer) by any means
o registrant transfers will be processed by the registrar of record using a standard transfer form
o parties to a transfer will be asked to disclose the sale method and price, on a voluntary basis
o the “correction to registrant details” process will be tightened up
o auDA will issue a policy clarification on the prohibition on registering domain names for the purpose of resale
o registrants will not be able to transfer their domain name for the first 6 months after registration.
The board thanked Derek Whitehead, chair of the 2007 Names Policy Panel, for his stewardship of this significant change to .au policy.
The board noted that the public education campaign will be very important in ensuring that the market is well-informed. It was suggested that there is already a degree of uncertainty about when the changes will be introduced.
Motion (proposed Alex Woerndle, seconded Marty Drill): That the board endorse the implementation plan for the new transfers policy. Carried.
Action: auDA staff to consult with AusRegistry and registrars on the technical aspects of implementation, and provide a progress report and timeline at the April board meeting.
• Industry Competition Advisory Panel terms of reference
Greg Crew has accepted an invitation to chair the Panel. auDA is aiming to issue a call for Panel nominations by the end of the month. Board members who want to join the Panel do not need to submit a nomination.
The board noted comments that some members of previous Advisory Panels, especially those from outside the industry, did not appear to have a good understanding of basic domain name policies and practices. It was agreed that auDA should hold an induction session for non-industry Panel members.
Action: auDA staff to circulate the draft terms of reference for consideration and approval via the board mail list.
7. auDA Strategic Plan
The board noted the outcomes of public consultation on the draft strategic plan. Responses were mostly positive and no major changes have been made to the plan.
Action: auDA staff to finalise the draft plan, including timetable, for approval at the April board meeting.
It was suggested that auDA might enhance its position in the industry by using available registry data to produce reports on domain registrations and related issues.
Action: auDA staff to investigate the types of registry data that may be captured and analysed, for possible publication purposes.
8. Security Review
The board agreed to a proposal from the chair of the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC), that auDA commission an information systems security and assurance study of the .au domain. It is intended that the SSAC would review the study and make its own recommendations to the board for any changes to physical, managerial and technical security.
The board noted that the SSAC has held preliminary briefings and discussions with relevant organisations, and has not identified any immediate problems or risks in current operations.
Action: auDA staff to issue an RFP for the security study.
9. auCD Report
The board noted the second progress report from auCD.
The board also noted auCD’s revised business plan for the period 2008-2009, which aims to use its remaining funds in a way that maximises the uptake of community geographic domain names.
Motion (proposed Marty Drill, seconded Amin Kroll): That the board accept the second progress report from auCD and authorise payment of the final grant instalment. Carried.
10. Membership Applications
The members below were approved in the classes indicated:
The Web Company (Supply)
Betty Renz (Demand)
Aaron Frauenfelder (Demand)
Ari Klinger (Demand)
11. Board Correspondence
There was no board correspondence.
12. Other Business
• ICANN
Chris Disspain, Cheryl Langdon-Orr and Tony Steven reported on their attendance at the ICANN meeting in Delhi.
• Advisory Panel review
The board noted that there will be a review of the Advisory Panel process at the conclusion of the Industry Competition Advisory Panel.
14. Next Meeting
The next board meeting will be held on Monday 14 April 2008 at the Maddocks office in Melbourne.