ICANN obtains favorable judgment in lawsuit brought by DotConnectAfrica

Client(s) INTERNET CORP. FOR ASSIGNED NAMES & NUMBERS (ICANN)

Jones Day successfully defended ICANN (INTERNET CORP. FOR ASSIGNED NAMES & NUMBERS) against a lawsuit filed by DotConnectAfrica Trust (DCA) after ICANN denied its application for the top-level domain name ".AFRICA" for failure to demonstrate the necessary level of government endorsements. Following a trial, the court granted judgment in ICANN's favor in October 2019, finding that DCA was judicially estopped to pursue its claims. In September 2021, the California Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court's ruling in ICANN's favor.

DotConnectAfrica Trust v. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Case No. BC607494 (Super Ct. Los Angeles Cty., Cal.); DotConnectAfrica Trust v. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Case No. B302739 (Cal. App.)