Two months ago, the dispute over Employ Media’s rights to register and manage .jobs Internet addresses went to arbitration. Since then, nothing about the process has been made public.
This is in sharp contrast to the detailed correspondence that was posted as it became available in the weeks following the notice of breach sent Employ Media by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
Between the breach notice dated Feb. 27 and May 3, when Employ Media informed ICANN of the arbitration, there were six postings. A seventh relating to the dispute was dated May 6.
Since then, only a single document — Employ Media’s arbitration request — has been posted to ICANN’s special page specifically set aside for “documents in the arbitration.”
The lack of information was blasted by the leading critic of Employ Media’s .jobs management. The .JOBS Charter Compliance Coalition sent a letter to ICANN complaining:
As of today, there have been no documents posted on ICANN’s website that indicate whether ICANN has (1) filed its Answer; (2) requested an extension of time to file its Answer; or (3) nominated its selection of an arbitrator.
The coalition is made up of several trade associations, job board operators, and others opposed to the venture between Employ Media and DirectEmployers Association to create a “Dot Jobs Universe” composed of tens of thousands of job boards all with the .jobs extension.
“The Coalition does not understand why ICANN has to date failed to apprise the ICANN Community regarding its response” to the arbitration request, writes coalition chair John Bell to ICANN’s top leaders. “The Coalition, as well as numerous other ‘interested parties’ and members of the ICANN Community, is concerned with the lack of any update regarding the Employ Media arbitration.”
(ICANN did not respond to my contacts seeking information on the status of the arbitration.)
Bell’s letter also points out that since ICANN sent Employ Media the breach notice, “its alliance partner DirectEmployers Association (“DirectEmployers”) actively marketed the Charter-breaching Dot Jobs Universe to governmental entities, including the U.S. Department of Labor.”
In the spring, DirectEmployers launched several thousand additional job sites specifically aimed at military job classifications and codes. The association also connects its universe with another of its job sites, Job Central, which is part of its National Labor Exchange alliance.
DirectEmployers is an association of a number of leading global and U.S. employers, founded and managed by its executive director, Bill Warren. A driving force behind the Dot Jobs Universe concept, Warren has been aggressive in promoting and defending it.
In New York City this morning, DirectEmployers is hosting a recruiting event that will include a presentation on the Dot Jobs Universe.