Work Efforts

The GAC regularly considers a broad range of public policy issues impacting the DNS and other matters regarding the functions of ICANN. This work can result in consensus advice for the ICANN Board or public comment guidance to the ICANN community. This part of the website shares information related to those ongoing topics and activities.

Early Engagement Policy Document - ccNSO Study Group on Country Names as TLDs

Use of names of countries and territories as TLD’s

May 2014

ISSUES

The ccNSO and GNSO have adopted the charter of the cross-community WG on Use of Names of Countries and Territories and the WG is now looking for volunteers, including volunteers from the GAC community

The WG is now fully established, and in accordance with recommendations of the ccNSO Study Group on Use of names of Countries and territories as TLDs, the ccNSO will seek support from the GAC to extent the rule in the Applicant Guidebook to extent the exclusion the use of all country and territory names (listed on ISO 3166-1 list) in all languages from the second and consecutive rounds of new gTLD applications, until such a time the ccWG has produced its Final Report.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the adopted recommendations from the ccNSO Study on use of country and territory names as TLD’s, the ccNSO Council has invited ALAC, GAC and GNSO to establish a cross community working group, which is tasked to:

Further review the current status of representations of country and territory names, as they exist under current ICANN policies, guidelines and procedures;
Provide advice regarding the feasibility of developing a consistent and uniform definitional framework that could be applicable across the respective SO’s and AC’s; and
Should such a framework be deemed feasible, provide detailed advice as to the content of the framework.

In light of the need for further work on the treatment of country and territory names, the complexity of the issue at hand and the inconsistencies between various ICANN policies as identified by the Study Group, and taking into account the creation a cross-community working group that addresses issues identified by the Study Group, the ccNSO recommends the ICANN Board to extent the current rule in the new gTLD Applicant Guidebook regarding the exclusion of all country and territory names in all languages, for consecutive rounds of new gTLD applications, until such a time when the work of the envisioned cross community working has been concluded.

The chair of the ccNSO will submit the recommendation to the extent to the ICANN Board of Directors, after seeking support from the GAC, which is envisioned to happen before the ICANN London meeting ( 22-26 June 2014) by after the relevant SO’s and AC’s have been informed and invited to participate in the envisioned cross-community working group.

GAC ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY STATUS

Individual members of the GAC were observers in the Study Group, and are now participating in the ccWG and will be able to provide feedback and input. GAC-members with an interest in the topic are invited to participate in the cross-community working group is a manner they deem appropriate, if at all. The GAC is also offered the opportunity to provide feed-back etc. on the Interim and Final report of the WG, as part of the process to seek consensus across all communities.

The GAC will be requested to support extension of exclusion of country and territory names for the second and consecutive rounds, until the cross-community WG has provided its advice to the participating SO’s and AC’s.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Final Report Study Group on use of country and territory names as TLD’s can be found here:

http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/unct-final-08sep12-en.pdf

The charter of the new cross-community working group can be found at:

http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/unct-framework-charter-27mar14-en.pdf

The current rule in the Applicant Guidebook is the result of a long and extensive correspondence between the GAC and ICANN Board of Directors on the interpretation of the GAC new gTLD Principles section 2.2.

See for background on this decision:

Letter from the Board to the GAC: http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/dengate-thrush-to-dryden-23nov10-en.pdf

Letter from the GAC to the Board: http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/dryden-to-dengate-thrush-23sep10-en.pdf

GAC Communiqué Nairobi: https://gacweb.icann.org/display/gacweb/GAC37+Meeting+Nairobi%2C+Kenya

GAC principles new gTLD’s: Section 2.1 and 2.2

https://gacweb.icann.org/download/attachments/28278837/gTLD_principles_0.pdf?version=1&modificationDate=1312358178000&api=v2

Early GAC engagement in GNSO and ccNSO PDPs

Early Engagement Policy Document - ccNSO Study Group on Country Names as TLDs

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