Re: Conflict resolution?

[David Collier-Brown <davecb@Canada.Sun.COM>]

Tony Rutkowski wrote:
>You raise what some argue is the only significant real problem - namely
>liability.  The short answer is that organizations like the ITU
>perform international administrative activities in the telecommunication
>field under international treaties and national agreements that provide
>them immunity.


Bob Allisat wrote:>
>  In order for there to be an
>  International Internet Commission
>  desginated to settle IP address
>  and Domain name issues national
>  governments will have to get
>  together and write treaties and
>  make agreements.

  I think you'll find the agreements date back to the middle ages 
in some cases...  Governments already allow voluntary standards
bodies to manage standards, includin ginternational standards.

  Consider, for example, the Canada Standards Association, a private 
company which basically teaches, publishes and holds industry-specific
meetings. (and yes, I do oversimplify).

  It has always been necessary to have international agreements
in matters of fact, but im many cases they have little to do with 
governments.  In fact, they started out as internatiuonal (well,
inter-principality) non-governmental bodies, making rules by
consensus and the consent of their membership, and enforcing them
by little more than moral suasion and refraining from dealing
with people who wouldn't play by theiur rules.
  The increasing interference and meddling of national bodies,
mist notably the King og France, led to a phraise that we use
to this day:  ``laissez-faire'' capatalism, the non-interference
of the state into the commercial affairs of ots citizens.

  It would be very hard to convince a state to take over the
responsibilities of the CSA, for example, especially in these
``conservative''* times.  In fact, governments are tending to 
hand off more responsibilities to self-governing public groups.
And, like the ITU and the Association of professional Engineers
of Ontario, they are inclined to charter them as their agents
in some cases.
  Even in ordinary cases, it would be hard to use the courts
to redress a greivance against a voluntary association inless the
association was one with a criminal purpose or whos policies
were actually illegal.

--dave 
* Canada is suffering from governments shedding tasks, which they
	self-describe as conservatism. I shan't comment further.
-- 
David Collier-Brown,  | Always do right. This will gratify some people
185 Ellerslie Ave.,   | astonish the rest.        -- Mark Twain
Willowdale, Ontario   | davecb@hobbes.ss.org, canada.sun.com
N2M 1Y3. 416-223-8968 | http://java.science.yorku.ca/~davecb