Domain Name Rights Coalition
The Domain Name Rights Coalition is an American nonprofit started in 1996 by Kathryn Kleiman and Mikki Barry to defend the rights of people who register domain names. It is a 501(c)(3) organization that aims to shape domain name policy in a way that protects registrants.
Its mission is to educate Internet users about protecting online communications, promote democratic and inclusive Internet governance, and ensure fair balance between free speech and trademark protection in domain-name disputes.
The original directors were Mike Doughney, Kathryn Kleiman, and Harold Feld. Later directors included Dan Steinberg, Jay Fenello, Bret Fausett, and Karl Auerbach. In a 1999 House hearing, Barry said the group formed to push back against Network Solutions’ domain-name dispute policy, which she argued limited rights for individuals and small businesses to choose domain names. The coalition continues to exist (as of 2024) and was relaunched in 2018 as a think tank led by Kleiman to support research and writing on ICANN and other DNS issues. It now collaborates with scholars and advocates worldwide to publish research and white papers to inform fair, balanced Internet and DNS policies.
Website: dnrc.tech
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:24 (CET).