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| Name | Robin D. Gross |
| Institution | |
| Nationality | USA |
| Country of Residence | United States (San Francisco) |
| Nominated by | self nomination |
| Endorsed by APC | Why the (self)nominee is a good choice for the MAG
The proper balance of IPRs in the digital world is an important issue that any serious discussion of Internet Governance will have deal with. Uncertainty about the impact of technology causes an over-reaction by IP holders that threatens everyone's traditional rights. In addition, the use of digital technologies, such as Digital Rights Management DRM schemes threaten the public's rights to use and access information.
At the same time, the proliferation of digital technology such as the Internet has made more information more widely available than ever before. There is a new hope for an Access to Knowledge Treaty and for a Development Agenda at WIPO in recognition of the exciting new possibilities from the Internet. So there are legal, social, and business forces pushing and pulling in all directions for a re-balancing of traditional rights more suitable to an electronic environment. Any body dealing with Internet Governance issues will have to be aware of these currents and understand their implications.
APC feels that Robin's particular expertise could help the IGF in this respect. She sees the Internet as an unprecedented opportunity for bridging the gap in the 'digital divide', if the harm of excessive IPRs are recognised, and that freedom is built into the design and architecture of the system. This is a perspective shared by APC.
Robin also brings concern, interest and expertise in the area of online freedom to the IGF that would need to be addressed in the matrix of issues under the umbrella of 'internet governance' such as governments intolerance of criticism, companies wanting to suppress online whistle-blowers, lack of diversity in gender and ethnicity among the technical "elite", data protection and privacy violations, etc. |
| Endorsed by WSIS CS Human Rights Caucus (nomination) | Robin D. Gross has been working to protect digital rights since 1999 and has developed a fundamental understanding of the key policy and technical issues in the online world.
She has been an active participant of both phases of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS). She is a participant of the WSIS Civil Society Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks (PCT) Working Group and the WSIS Human Rights Caucus. Her additional experience at ICANN as representative of NCUC and at WIPO as a civil society observer, makes her a particularly good candidate to help deal with Internet governance issues towards the global public interest, inclusion, and respect of civil rights, in line with the WSIS Civil Society Human
Rights caucus recommendations. |
| Endorsed by WSIS CS Privacy & Security WG | |
| Nationality | USA |
| Country of Residence | United States (San Francisco) |
| Gender | Female |
| Short Bio relevant to Internet Governance | ROBIN D. GROSS is an attorney in San Francisco, California. She is the Founder and Executive Directive of IP JUSTICE an international civil liberties organization that promotes balanced intellectual property law and protects freedom of expression (www.ipjustice.org). Ms. Gross advises policy makers throughout the world on the impact of intellectual property rules in national legislatures, international treaties, and trade agreements.
Ms. Gross teaches international copyright law at Santa Clara University, where she also serves as a member of the Santa Clara University School of Law High Technology Legal Advisory Board. Ms. Gross regularly lectures at international seminars, law schools, and universities on cyberspace legal issues including digital copyright, fair use, and other Internet legal issues.
Ms. Gross is a Council Member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Policy Council, representing the Non-Commercial Users Constituency (NCUC).
Ms. Gross was selected by WSIS Civil Society to speak before the WSIS General Assembly in Tunis in 2005 and she chaired two parallel events at the Tunis Summit. She also spoke at the 2003 WSIS Summit in Geneva at a parallel event organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation on communication rights and human rights. Ms. Gross is a participant of the WSIS Patent, Copyright, and Trademarks (PCT) Working Group and the WSIS Human Rights Caucus.
She sits on the Board of Directors for the Union for the Public Domain, a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to protecting the public domain (www.public-domain.org). And she is on the Advisory Boards of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility-Peru (CPSR-Peru) and of FreeMuse, an international organization based in Copenhagen that advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide (www.freemuse.org).
In July 2004 Managing Intellectual Property Magazine named Ms. Gross as one of “2004’s Top 50 Most Influential People in Intellectual Property in the World.” She testified before the US Copyright Office during the 2003 and 2000 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) Rulemaking Hearings. California’s legal newspaper The Daily Journal selected Ms. Gross as one of “California’s Top Ten Most Influential Attorneys in 2001”. She has appeared as a guest legal expert on TV and radio news stations including CNN, BBC, NPR, PRI, Tech TV, NHK, DRS, VOA, and CBC. Ms. Gross has been quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Business Week, Wired News, Associated Press, Reuters, Financial Times, Billboard and other media outlets.
Before founding IP JUSTICE in 2002, Ms. Gross was the first Staff Attorney for Intellectual Property with cyber-liberties organization the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), where she began the group’s campaign in intellectual property issues in 1999 (www.eff.org).
A graduate of Santa Clara University’s High Technology Law Program, Ms. Gross is licensed to practice law in California. In 1997 she co-founded VIRTUAL RECORDINGS one of the first digital music websites with her musician husband. A Michigan native, she graduated from Michigan State University’s James Madison College in 1995 with degrees in political philosophy and international relations. |
| Why the (self)nominee is a good choice for the IGF | I have been working to protect digital rights since 1999 and have developed a fundamental understanding of the key policy and technical issues in the online world.
If selected, I would work towards ensuring that the Internet Governance Forum provides greater protection for traditional civil liberties particularly freedom of expression, privacy, and user rights regarding digital media.
I have been an active participant of both phases of the World Summit of the Information Society (WSIS). At the 2005 WSIS General Assembly in Tunis, I was the only speaker to advocate for reform of over-zealous intellectual property rules that threaten traditional civil liberties on the Internet. Also during the Tunis Summit, I chaired two parallel events on the topic of reform of international IP regimes and on the topic of the social and legal issues surrounding P2P file-sharing and e-Democracy. At the Geneva 2003 Summit, I spoke at a WSIS parallel event to argue that communication rights are human rights in an information society. I also provided substantive comment in 2005 to members of the Working Group for Internet Governance (WGIG) who were responsible for drafting papers on intellectual property issues. In March 2006 I submitted a substantive agenda recommendation to the IGF that advocated for IGF attention to freedom of expression, privacy, and other civil liberties. I am a participant of the WSIS Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks (PCT) Working Group and the WSIS Human Rights Caucus.
My experience at ICANN has led me to believe that we need serious reform with respect to Internet governance. The lack of a meaningful diversity of views at ICANN, particularly the lack of opportunity for participation from developing countries and from those who do not represent a particular commercial interest is very troubling. It is my hope that IGF can be a forum to push for real reform of Internet governance issues that is more in line with the global public interest, inclusive, and respectful of civil liberties.
My non-profit organization IP Justice is accredited as a “Permanent Observer” at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and I participate at WIPO meetings in Geneva approximately 7-8 times per year. In July 2005, I organized a “Group NGO Statement” that was signed on to by 138 public-interest NGOs from all corners of the world to support developing countries’ proposal for a “Development Agenda” and call for substantive reform at WIPO.
For seven years, I have advised international policy makers about the civil liberties implications of proposed or existing IP laws or other rules and technologies that impact digital freedom. I would be able to attend IGF meetings in Geneva and Athens and participate on IGF mailing lists.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can provide any further information. Thank you.
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| Capacity to serve on MAG | confirmed |
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