iiNet takes only ISP spot on internet board

Association hopes to move beyond litigation on copyright issues.

iiNet chief technology officer Greg Bader was the sole ISP representative appointed to the Internet Industry Association board yesterday.

The new board was unveiled at the IIA's annual gala dinner in Sydney last night.

"We've never seen so much frenzy to get on the board," outgoing IIA chairman Chris Hancock said.

The security industry nabbed two of the roles on offer.

Stratsec's chief technology officer Nick Ellsmore and Webroot's Asia Pacific managing director Charles Heunemann will sit alongside Sophos Asia managing director Rob Forsyth, who retained his position.

Hancock said e-security was a "sleeper" issue for the industry and a key focus in 2010. The risks were "real and growing," he said.

The NBN, ISP-level filtering and copyright remained issues this year, Hancock said.

"We sat down at the beginning of the year and looked at the big four issues. For some of them the outcome didn't lie in our hands," he said.

"Filtering has been a rocky path which, after many years, has come to a legislative conclusion.

"In addition, the copyright outcome of the iiNet case should not be under-estimated."

IIA chief Peter Coroneos added his voice on the iiNet case outcome.

"We hope it's time now to move beyond the litigation," Coroneos told the packed room, to responses of "hear, hear" and applause from several sections.

"We must foster partnerships to bring affordable legal content to internet users."

Coroneos has previously commented that the Association did not support renewed discussions to create an ISP code of conduct in the wake of the iiNet trial result.

A number of other new board appointments were made last night including partners from law firms Gilbert + Tobin and Baker & McKenzie, and to representatives from Curtin University of Technology and Yahoo!.

Microsoft and VHA retained board roles while industry veteran Bruce Linn was named the association's new chairman.