The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) countries have strongly condemned ICANN’s decision to contract with Amazon and give it the power to manage the new .amazon domain. As was repeatedly reported, this domain has for many years remained the subject of fierce debate and endless proceedings between the online trading giant and the countries of the Amazon River basin (Bolivia, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Colombia, Peru, Suriname and Ecuador). Last December, ICANN decided to sign a contract with Amazon, as there simply were not any formal reasons to refuse the company, largely due to the unconstructive position of ACTO in the negotiation process.
However, the story is far from over. ACTO Secretary General Alexandra Moreira sent a message to ICANN CEO Goran Marbi, in which she condemned the decision.
Moreira used quite sharp wording, saying: “We consider this decision an illegal and unjust expropriation of our culture, tradition, history and image before the world.”
Moreira also claims that the domain delegation is jeopardizing the well-being of the societies that traditionally inhabit the region (without specifying what the threat is). The ACTO Secretary General emphasized that the Amazon nations would do their best to convey information about what is happening to the world community. This response is unlikely to force ICANN to reconsider its decision, nevertheless, the ACTO countries, apparently, are not going to give up. Domain Incite recalls that the next personal meeting of senior representatives of ICANN and ACTO will be held in March in Cancun, during the next ICANN meeting and is unlikely to be simple or easy.
