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The 117th IETF meeting took place in San Francisco between 22 and 28 July 2023 with more than 160 working group sessions, a 2-day hackathon, a wide range of side events. Marco Davids  from SIDN Labs attended the meeting and has written a summary of the main points of relevance for CENTR members.

In a nutshell: The GI proposal for agricultural products is expected to be finalised during the Spanish Presidency. JURI approved new competences for EUIPO to manage the registration of crafts/industrial GIs. The Council of the EU adopted the e-Evidence Regulation, as well as establishing a High-Level Expert Group on access to data for effective law enforcement. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a provisional political agreement on the European Digital Identity Framework. The European Commission launched four projects to test the European Digital Identity Wallet, published a proposal to review the GDPR, and plans to publish a Recommendation on integrated child protection systems in the EU. ENISA issued recommendations on Digital Identity Standards. IMCO adopted its opinion on the Cyber Resilience Act and approved its draft opinion on the Proposal to combat child sexual abuse online. LIBE published a draft report on the proposal to extend the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime.

In a world driven by digital presence, it is surprising to discover that many cherished regional products, protected as Geographic Indications (GIs), are noticeably absent from the online realm. Our recent research uncovers an intriguing reality: GIs, designed to safeguard the origin and quality of unique goods, have yet to establish a strong foothold as registered domain names in Europe. In this blogpost, we delve into the findings that shed light on this disconnect and explore the implications for both GIs and the digital landscape.

At CENTR, when we talk about the future of the internet ecosystem, our mantras are education and dialogue. As a forum, EuroDIG facilitates this, while also serving as a reunion for familiar faces in European internet governance. Preaching to the choir helps sharpen talking points.

During the ICANN77 meeting in Washington DC, the discussions on DNS abuse moved past some important hurdles. Building on the momentum created at ICANN76, both the gNSO and the ccNSO made substantial progress on the subject.

Discover the latest developments on access to domain name registration data in our first blogpost covering the ICANN77 meeting. Dive into the ongoing discussions surrounding WHOIS and the challenges of balancing privacy and security. Learn about the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), a pilot project set to launch in November, aiming to address concerns and assess the need for a standardised access and disclosure system.

In a nutshell: The incoming Spanish Council Presidency has published its work programme for the second half of 2023. The EU institutions are close to finalising the legislation on the GI protection for crafts/industrial products, while trilogues have begun for the proposal for the GI protection for agricultural products. The Commission has opened a call for tender for a study on IP rights enforcement and counterfeiting. The European Parliament’s ITRE Committee has published over 500 amendments to the Cyber Resilience Act. ENISA has published its report on DNS identity and the verification of domain name holders. The Council has shared its conclusions on the EU Policy on Cyber Defence. The European Parliament has approved the e-Evidence Regulation in Plenary. The EDPS has issued Opinions on the Commission Recommendation to open negotiations on International Agreements on the exchange of personal data with five South American states. The CJEU has clarified when a GDPR infringement may give rise to a right to compensation. The Swedish Council Presidency has shared a compromise text on proposed legislation to combat child sexual abuse online. The European Parliament voted on its compromise text and negotiating mandate to enter into interinstitutional trilogues on the AI Act.

CENTR will perform a platform upgrade on its server on Tuesday 20 June 2023 at 14:00 CEST.

This year’s CENTR Jamboree in Belgrade was a resounding success, bringing together the vibrant community of domain name registries from Europe and beyond. With an influx of fresh faces and the participation of over 170 attendees onsite and 70 virtually, the event was a great opportunity for the community to get together and look towards the future.

On 24 May 2023, finance professionals from several CENTR member registries gathered in Brussels for their first face-to-face meeting since the CENTR Finance Group was established in 2022. The goal of the group is to allow its participants to benchmark financial data by way of standardised definitions of financial cost areas typical to a domain name registry.