IPC Outreach Strategic Plan

OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIC PLAN

I. Vision

The Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC), as the voice for intellectual property in ICANN, should have a substantial and diverse membership, representative of the stakeholders IPC represents, actively helping to shape Internet/DNS policy within ICANN.

II. Mission

The Mission and Purpose of the IPC, as stated in our Bylaws, is to:

Represent the views and interests of owners of intellectual property worldwide with particular emphasis on trademark, copyright, and related intellectual property rights and their effect and interaction with Domain Name Systems (DNS), and to ensure that these views, including minority views, are reflected in the recommendations made by the GNSO Council to the ICANN Board.

More particularly, to review and raise all intellectual property matters including any proposals, issues, policies, or otherwise, which may affect intellectual property, particularly as it interfaces with the DNS, and to provide to the GNSO and the ICANN Board timely and expert advice before it must make any decision or take any position thereon.

Our membership consists of intellectual property and IP-related organizations, companies, law firms and individuals.  We represent the interests and concerns of IP creators, owners, licensees and distributors, as well as those of consumers, who depend on strong IP protections as an essential element of consumer confidence, consumer trust and consumer protection.

In order to fulfill our mission, IPC needs robust and sustained participation from the Intellectual Property community from all over the world.  The IPC should strive for its membership to be representative of the diversity in the IP community -- geographically, professionally, and culturally -- while satisfying the membership criteria for IPC.  In order to attract a broad base of membership, the IPC needs to engage with the IP community (broadly defined) so that the community is aware of us, our role in developing Internet policy, and the importance of membership in the IPC. 

The mission of the IPC in this Strategic Plan is to improve the IPC’s outreach and engagement, especially in areas where the IPC has historically been underrepresented, in order to attract additional active members, to ensure that the IPC remains highly connected to the IP world, and to ensure that the IPC remains a vibrant organization.

III. Goals and Objectives

Increasing IPC membership, increasing awareness of the IPC and improving member participation are the primary goals of this IPC Outreach & Engagement Strategic Plan.  A successful IPC outreach and engagement program will result in additional organizational, institutional and individual members, broader and more diverse global participation in the IPC, and more extensive and richer participation by the IPC within ICANN.  In so doing, the IPC will adds additional voices to the Constituency and the greater ICANN community, and strengthen the overall voice of the IPC.

• Where do we stand right now in terms of numbers? Is that information available to us?
• Increase number of participants by 10% in the coming year?
• Increase the geographic regions represented?
• Increase the types of entities involved?
  • Individuals - Students (legal or otherwise), attorneys, teachers and/or professors, corporate

1. A.    Specific Goals:

• Improving Geographic Diversity
  • Currently, IPC has a relatively high concentration in North America and Europe, some active members from Latin America and Asia, and only a single incoming member from Africa
  • Prioritize areas where we are underdeveloped
  • Improve representation from under-represented and unrepresented countries and regions
  • Increasing Size Overall
    • We represent the IP community well indirectly through our organizational members
    • However, given the size of the IP world, our direct membership could easily be larger.
    • Targeting Specific Demographics
      • IPC should identify under-represented and unrepresented types of members.
        • Target the “younger generation”
          • Younger professionals are underrepresented
          • No representation whatsoever at student level
          • These are the future leaders in IP and in the IPC
        • Identify organizations that aren’t members that should be
        • Identify corporations that aren’t members that should be
        • Target academics
        • Remove or Lower Barriers to Participation
          • Make participation easier worldwide, regardless of time zone or language
          • Improve Engagement
            • Provide easier access to knowledge
            • Demystify ICANN, IPC, DNS and Internet Governance
            • Provide more guidance and support to newcomers
            • Re-engage existing but inactive members

IV. Strategies & Actions

1. A.    IPC Outreach & Engagement Task Force

The IPC has formed an Outreach & Engagement Task Force (“OETF”).  The OETF is primarily responsible for developing the strategies and carrying out the actions set forth in this Strategic Plan.  The OETF will form subteams as necessary to carry out specific actions.

1. B.     ICANN Supported Opportunities

The IPC welcomes the opportunities that CROPP, the Fellowship Program and the Business Engagement initiative offer the IPC to expand understanding of and participation in ICANN activities by members of the intellectual property community. These and other ICANN-supported initiatives will contribute significantly to the IPC’s ability to achieve the goals and objectives outlined above.

• Community Regional Outreach Pilot Program (CROPP)
  • CROPP is a “pilot program ... to resource individual trips or engagement events (GNSO Constituencies) for the purposes of conducting regional outreach.”
    • Offers GNSO Constituencies the choice to host one outreach event, with a $10,000 budget OR 5 trips for one person each
    • IPC should strive to use CROPP for “outbound” outreach, i.e., travel by IPC representatives to existing or special-purpose events.
      • IPC members would travel to places and meet members of the IP Community, fly the IPC flag and inform people and organizations at events about the IPC and use it as a recruiting tool.
      • “Inbound” outreach can be a secondary use, to the extent outbound opportunities can’t be found -- this “exception” requires specific approval by ICANN
• Need to identify or create opportunities for outreach trips.  We will ask IPC members to look for these opportunities, with “self-nomination” allowed.  OETF members will conduct research as well.
  • Existing meetings
  • Speaking opportunities
  • Local organizations
  • Need to make sure IPC representative has a visible profile (e.g., speaking opportunity, networking event) at the event.
• Concern: CROPP only funds travel within one ICANN region
  • We are under-represented in some regions, so may have difficulty identifying IPC participants in those regions.
    • Exceptions can be granted, should aim for relatively short travel
    • More important to get the right person for the right event
• IPC needs to appoint a second CROPP primary point of contact (“PPC”).  IPC has had only a single PPC; most other participants have two PPCs.
• OETF will form a “CROPP Subteam.”
  • The CROPP Subteam will include the IPC PPCs and other members of the OETF.
  • The CROPP Subteam will be primarily responsible for the above actions.
  • The CROPP Subteam should identify potential CROPP opportunities to the OETF and then to IPC Leadership, with recommendations as needed.
  • If approved by Leadership, the PPCs will be authorized to move forward with the CROPP opportunity.
  • Fellowship Program:
    • Provides travel expenses and an extensive orientation program for ICANN
    • IPC has traditionally had trouble taking advantage of this program.
    • IPC continues to work with Fellowship contacts to understand why IPC has not been successful, identify good candidates, prepare successful applications
    • IPC also needs to work with Fellowship contacts to modify Fellowship criteria so that a “typical” IPC member profile could be chosen as a Fellow
      • This program does not exclude IP professionals, but it seems designed for academics, government reps and technical community
• Need to work on finding some good candidates before nomination window closes for Marrakech meeting (October 16)
• Fellowship Subteam will be formed.
• Business Engagement
  • ICANN has a business engagement team, headed by Chris Mondini
  • IPC should have 1-2 members chosen to liaise with Business Engagement
    • Discuss what more we could be doing with Business Engagement
    • NextGen at ICANN
      • IPC has not even considered this, since it is aimed primarily at students
      • IPC should consider creating student member category to bring in students
      • IPC should conduct outreach activities or materials directed toward law schools
      • Consider NextGen requirements when establishing student member category

B. Independent (Non-ICANN Supported) Efforts

• Improving Geographic Diversity
  • Reach out to organizational IPC members (INTA, MARQUES, ASIPI, etc.) with international membership to encourage their members to join IPC
  • Reach out to general bar organizations in targeted countries
  • Find ways to collaborate on outreach event (ideally, CROPP-eligible travel for IPC person to attend)
  • Raise IPC Profile at Existing IP and Internet related Events
    • International Trademark Association (INTA) Leadership Meeting (Panama City, Panama – ICANN Latin American/Caribbean Region)
    • ICANN 55 (Marrakesh, Morocco – ICANN African Region)
    • INTA Annual Meeting (Orlando, Florida, US – ICANN North American Region)
    • Marketing/Social Media/Internet Presence
      • Further upgrade website
      • Continue use of Twitter
      • Review and revise brochure
      • Consider other opportunities
      • Need individuals to reach out to their networks to increase participation and membership in the IPC
      • Need to establish/expand IPC presence at:
        • Schools/universities
        • Corporate organizations
        • Legal associations
        • Business associations
        • Technology businesses and organizations
        • Mentorship/Sherpa Program for Newcomers
          • Newcomers are intimidated by overwhelming amount of information and web of relationships that need to be understood before being able to sufficiently participate
          • Experienced members could offer to help new members by:
            • Answering questions
            • Bringing them to meetings and maybe even sitting with them
            • Introducing them to other members
• Consider assigning a mentor/sherpa to each newcomer
• Student Membership
  • Currently, we have no membership specifically designed for law school or college students who want to go into IP or IP related businesses or academia
  • Create student membership
  • Lower annual dues (e.g., $50)
  • We would need to adjust bylaws for this
  • Academic Membership
    • Outreach to academics in the field
    • Need to make academics more comfortable in IPC
    • Globalize IPC Process
      • Time: Our membership calls are at a time which is not good for Asia/Australia/NZ; we should rotate call times to “share the pain.”
      • Language: Our materials are solely in English. ICANN translation services should be available to translate key website and brochure content
      • “IPC University”
        • Create ICANN 101 and IPC 101 “crash course” webinars
          • It can be difficult for newcomers to penetrate the IPC, much less ICANN.
          • We need to help newcomers feel less “lost.”

V.  Prioritized Implementation Schedule/Timeline

Q4 2015

• Set up small subgroups with responsibility for specific efforts and aspects of Strategic Plan
• Reach out to IPC Membership to suggest CROPP-eligible events
• Revise IPC Bylaws to incorporate student membership category and begin planning law school and other outreach activities
• Identify ICANN Fellowship candidates for ICANN 55 in Marrakech; possible CROPP candidate as well
• ICANN 54 Outreach & Engagement (including CROPP and ICANN Fellow participants)
• November 2015 – INTA Leadership Meeting Outreach & Engagement

Q1 2016

• Continue to identify CROPP-eligible events
• Continue student outreach
• Identify ICANN Fellowship candidates for ICANN 56
• ICANN 55 Outreach & Engagement (including CROPP and ICANN Fellow participants)

Q2 2016

• INTA Annual Meeting Outreach & Engagement
• Continue to identify CROPP-eligible events
• Continue student outreach
• Identify ICANN Fellowship candidates for ICANN 57

Q3 2016

• Continue to identify CROPP-eligible events
• Continue student outreach
• Identify ICANN Fellowship candidates for ICANN 58
• ICANN 56 Outreach & Engagement (including CROPP and ICANN Fellow participants)