back to article Dot-Africa saga going to jury trial... thousands of miles away in America

The long-running saga over ownership of the .Africa top-level domain name will go to a jury trial… in California. Following two years of failed settlement talks, in August this year a dozen Americans based in Los Angeles will get to decide the future of the continent's online namesake. At stake is not just ownership of the . …

  1. doublelayer Silver badge

    How about no .africa

    Regardless of exactly how corrupt ICANN was in this case, it is my opinion that the application for .africa should never have been approved. There are only two groups that should have the rights to .africa:

    1. A body selected by a vote of all African countries (that's going to happen).

    2. AFRINIC.

    What logic did ICANN use to say that some company or even country should have the rights to a TLD oriented at a continent? That should belong to the continent involved.

    1. veti Silver badge

      Re: How about no .africa

      Every country already has its own TLD. Fine.

      If other organisations want to, and are prepared to go to the trouble of administering them, then - OK, let them do it. Mind, there should be some solid commitment to meet a defined standard of maintenance, and failing to do that would result in the entire TLD being basically blackholed from the internet.

      But what ICANN decided to do was create all these stupid, stupid TLDs that have no clear owner, in the (well founded) hope that various thugs and hucksters would bid for them. The outcome of that was always going to be recrimination and corruption, and it hasn't disappointed.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Trollface

        Re: How about no .africa

        Perhaps .africa is more important to the politics of the West - above all the US - than to the continent of Africa?

        It's African-Americans that's a politically-correct euphemism. But how many actual Africans would claim "African" affiliation over their country, or some more local identity? Comparison for locals on this .uk site: would you claim "European" as your primary affiliation over any of "Brit", "English", "Scottish", "Cornish", "God's own County", "Manc", "Weegie", etc? I suspect it's a minority in both cases.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: How about no .africa

      Exactly. There's no .europe, there's an .eu because there's an organization. If Africa creates such a union they can have a TLD for the organization, not the continent.

      1. Cuddles

        Re: How about no .africa

        "If Africa creates such a union"

        You mean like the African Union? Think they may be a bit ahead of you on that one.

  2. Mark 85

    if the organization tasked with running the internet's naming and addressing systems is found guilty of fraud in its own legal jurisdiction, even for an organization that is notorious for avoiding any form of accountability, there would have to be repercussions.

    It's a pity that this important part "internet" lies in the hands of one group with no accountability. Too late now, but when the US kicked them from under control that they went in the direction that this. They have power and power corrupts without oversight.

    If it is fraud and a guilty verdict is returned was does that change? Anyone go to jail or just pay a fine and carry on?

    FTR, I don't for a minute belief (like I've read in some places) that the UN should have control and oversight as they've pretty much proven to be on another planet given their history.

    1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      A quick scan suggests that in California, fraud is a tort. So monetary damages, but not prison. Shame. However, if a substantial part of their business is found to be fraudulent, then RICO (the Federal anti-mafia statute) might kick in...

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm confused...

    As someone from the US, I'm confused. Does this mean that ICANN is owned by FIFA or vice versa? And is Benoit Battistelli really the secret ruler of the European Patent office, FIFA and ICANN? Does he report to Trump or Putin directly? Where's amanfrommars when you really need him???

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Corruption in .africa

    Didn't see that coming!

  5. Mike Moyle

    On the plus side...

    ...apparently iblesstheraindownin.africa is available!

  6. onefang

    I thunk da El Reg spall chucker needs too drunk mor covfefe *becausem* reesons.

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