ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) was created on 18 September 1998 to oversee a number of Internet-related tasks previously performed on behalf of the United States government by other organizations; in particular, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
ICANN is a public benefit, non-profit entity. It is the international organization responsible for the management and oversight of the coordination of the Internet's domain name system and its unique identifiers such as IP addresses.
ICANN was created through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the U.S. Department of Commerce and ICANN to transition management of the Domain Name System (DNS) from the U.S. government to the global community. The most recently issued version of the MoU is intended to be the last and sets out a series of goals for ICANN that, when achieved, will result in a fully independent ICANN organization.
ICANN encourages the full participation of the international community and the collaborative nature of the bottom-up policy development process.
ICANN is assisted in its endevours by several organizations, such as APNIC. The Internet community, as a whole, also benefits from the efforts of a variety of different groups, organizations and forums.