Re: [ga] At-Large membership: definition

[Vittorio Bertola <vb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Danny Younger ha scritto:
> Vittorio,
>
> I refer you to the Membership Advisory Committee
> Commentary on the Principles of the At-large
> Membership:
>
> 1. At-large membership should primarily represent
> those individuals and organizations that are not
> represented by the Supporting Organizations (SOs).  
> http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rcs/macberlin.html
>
> In view of this definition (arrived at by consensus
> through the ICANN process), can you explain to me on
> what basis the ALAC certified the Intellectual
> Property & Technology (IPT) Section of the Hawaii
> State Bar Association as an at-large structure?
>
> Intellectual property lawyers are already represented
> within the GNSO.  They have a constituency called the
> Intellectual Property Constituency.  Why didn't you
> refer these applicants to their proper home within
> ICANN instead of bastardizing the concept of At-Large
> membership even further?

I can only tell you what were my own reasons for voting in favour.
From the diligence we made, it seems that the applicant is looking 
towards a broader perspective than the simple promotion of IP interests 
- they are apparently not interested in acting just as IP lawyers, but 
rather as individual users of the net. My idea is that - in the same 
spirit as in the original At Large elections, by the way - no one should 
be prevented from joining the At Large; that's exactly the sense of the 
term "primarily" in the document you quote, which, by the way, is not 
the binding definition of our constituency and mission, which is rather 
to be found in the ICANN Bylaws, and where the focus - appropriately, I 
think - is shifted from "everyone else" to "individual users of any kind".
You should look at the At Large in the overall, not in its individual 
constituents; the only way to prevent capture by any group is for all 
groups to participate. I am looking forward to see other groups and 
organizations participating in the future - the solution is to be more 
inclusive, rather than less inclusive.
Regards,
--
vb.             [Vittorio Bertola - v.bertola [a] bertola.eu.org]<-----
http://bertola.eu.org/  <- Prima o poi...