[At-Large] U.S. seizure of .ORG domain name

[Adam Peake]

I propose the At Large/ALAC  protest the U.S. government's seizure of 
domain name Rojadirecta.org.

Rojadirecta is a popular sports streaming and P2P download site. 
Rojadirecta is a legitimate Spanish business. Two Spanish courts have 
ruled the site operates legally.

It seems the U.S. Government Homeland Security's Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement (ICE) division  used the TLD as the means of 
seizure in an attempt to take down the site.  If the action was 
against the registrar then a registrant would at least have a choice 
of jurisdiction.  But this action on ORG, and the actions on .COM 
names last November essentially means the U.S. government considers 
COM, NET and ORG to be nothing more than ccTLDs subject to U.S. whim 
(this isn't a legal action, there has been no court case, no due 
process.)

Rojadirecta is now available under other TLDs 
<http://www.rojadirecta.me> <http://www.rojadirecta.es> 
<http://www.rojadirecta.in> as well its original IP address 
<http://109.235.53.189/>.

Expect there will be a lot written about this, this article's ok as a 
starting point:
<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110201/10252412910/homeland-security-seizes-spanish-domain-name-that-had-already-been-declared-legal.shtml>

I hope At Large will issue a statement protesting the use of the TLD 
registry as a means of takedown. That it recommends when the NET, ORG 
and COM contracts are renegotiated they should move to a jurisdiction 
where such unilateral action by a government is not possible.  That 
the new applicant guidebook require applicants to only locate in 
jurisdictions where such unilateral action by a government is not 
possible.

Legitimate businesses should not be subject to the whim of a U.S. agency.

Adam