[lac-discuss-en] Draft Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs Available Soon. Six-module guide out for public comment in next two weeks.

[At-Large Staff]

Draft Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs Available Soon

Six-module guide out for public comment in next fortnight

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-16oct08-en.htm

16 October 2008

In the next two weeks, in the lead up to ICANN's Cairo public meeting, the
new generic top-level domain (gTLD) Applicant Guidebook, also called the
"draft Request for Proposal (RFP)", will be released. This document will
provide information to applicants wanting to apply for a new gTLD.

The Draft Applicant Guidebook will be in a draft format and posted for
public comment and review. It will comprise six modules:

Introduction to the gTLD Application Process, which includes the main
application fee
Evaluation Process
Objection and Dispute Resolution
String Contention
Transition to Delegation
Top-Level Domain Allocation Terms and Conditions
An accompanying announcement to the Draft Applicant Guidebook will highlight
areas of the process that remain under development. These areas will be made
available for public consultation in the near future.

A public comment webpage will allow for detailed review and input submitted
by the Internet community. ICANN expects to engage in a productive and
robust dialogue with the Internet community through a consultative process
that will last for forty-five days. Comments will be used to revise and
prepare the final Applicant Guidebook, to be released early 2009.

In addition to the Draft Applicant Guidebook, ICANN will post a series of
papers that will serve as explanatory memoranda to assist the Internet
community to better understand the implementation work. Some of the topics
covered by these papers include the proposed methodologies for string
contention resolution and protection of rights of others.

For current information, timelines and activities related to the New gTLD
Program, please go to http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm.


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New gTLDs and ICANN - a brief overview

Since ICANN was founded ten years ago as a non-for-profit, multi stakeholder
organization dedicated to coordinating the Internet's addressing system, one
of its foundational principles, recognized by the United States and other
governments, has been to promote competition in the domain-name marketplace
while ensuring Internet security and stability. The expansion will allow for
more innovation, choice and change to the Internet's addressing system, now
constrained by only 21 generic top-level domain names. In a world with 1.5
billion Internet users - and growing - diversity, choice and competition is
key to the continued success and reach of the global network.

The decision to launch these coming new gTLD application rounds followed a
detailed and lengthy consultation process with all constituencies of the
global Internet community. Representatives from a wide variety of
stakeholders - governments, individuals, civil society, business and
intellectual property constituencies, and the technology community - were
engaged in discussions for more than 18 months. In October 2007, the Generic
Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) - one of the groups that coordinate
global internet policy at ICANN - completed its policy development work on
new gTLDs and approved a set of recommendations. The culmination of this
policy development process was a decision by the ICANN Board of Directors to
adopt the community-developed policy in June 2008 at the ICANN meeting in
Paris. A thorough brief to the Policy process and outcomes can be found at
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/new-gtlds/.

 Related links:

New gTLD program:
http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm

Cairo international public meeting:
http://cai.icann.org/


-- 
Regards,

Nick Ashton-Hart, Matthias Langenegger, Frederic Teboul
ICANN At-Large Staff
email: staff at atlarge.icann.org