[NA-Discuss] New draft of the Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs is now available for public comment

[ICANN At-Large Staff]

Dear All, 

The new draft of the Applicant Guidebook for New gTLDs is now available for
public comment. 


Guidebook and Public Comment Forum
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm>  (see:
http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm)


On 15 Apri; 2011, ICANN posted for public comment the Discussion Draft of
the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook.

In keeping with the draft timeline
<http://icann.org/en/minutes/draft-timeline-new-gtlds-18mar11-en.pdf>  [PDF,
117 KB] approved by the ICANN Board at its meeting in San Francisco, this
draft of the Applicant Guidebook will be open for comment for 30 days,
through 15 May 2011.

This posting includes a "track changes" version of the six modules of the
Applicant Guidebook, along with a series of new Explanatory Memos related to
changes made as a result of the recent consultations between ICANN's Board
and Governmental Advisory Committee:

1.	Trademark Protections (Trademark Claims
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/trademark-protection-claims-use-15apr1
1-en.pdf> & Sunrise Services; and The Requirement for Demonstrating Use)
[PDF, 284 KB]
2.	GAC and Government Objections; Handling of Sensitive Strings; Early
Warning
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/gac-objections-sensitive-strings-15apr
11-en.pdf>  [PDF, 91 KB]
3.	Exemptions to Objection Fees for Governments
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/exemptions-govt-objection-fees-15apr11
-en.pdf>  [PDF, 331 KB]
4.	Root Zone Scaling
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/root-zone-scaling-15apr11-en.pdf>
[PDF, 286 KB]
5.	Market and Economic Impacts
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/market-economic-impacts-15apr11-en.pdf
>  [PDF, 480 KB]
6.	Registry-Registrar Separation
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/registy-regsitrar-separation-15apr11-e
n.pdf>  [PDF, 400 KB]

These memos were developed to document the latest position on these topics
by taking into account the current thinking, discussions and public comments
received. Each memo not only reflects GAC advice but also contains the
reasoning and rationale on each of the relevant issues regarding the launch
of the New gTLD Program and Applicant Guidebook.

Also being posted today is the ICANN Reply
<http://icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/board-notes-gac-scorecard-clean-15apr1
1-en.pdf>  [PDF, 275 KB] to the GAC Comments (on the ICANN Board's Notes on
the GAC Scorecard).

Keeping with the draft timeline, ICANN plans to post a final version of the
guidebook by 30 May 2011, in time for consideration of the New gTLD
implementation program at an extraordinary meeting of the ICANN Board to be
held on Monday, 20 June 2011, at the ICANN meetings in Singapore
<http://singapore41.icann.org/> .

Regards,

Heidi Ullrich, Seth Greene, Gisella Gruber-White, Marilyn Vernon, 

ICANN At-Large Staff