Page History

• Category: gTLD gTLDs
• Topic: Domain Tasting
• Board meeting date: 23 January 2008
• Resolution number: 2008.01.04
• URL for Board minutes/resolution: http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/minutes-23jan08.htm
• Status: Completed

Summary

Encouraged budgetary Board encourages budgetary process to include transaction fees for all domains added to discourage domain tasting.

...

Whereas, the current version of all gTLD registry contracts provides for a
five-calendar-day Add Grace period (AGP) following the initial registration
of a domain during which a domain may be deleted and the sponsoring
Registrar will be credited for the amount of the registration fee (see,
e.g.,
http://www.icann.org/tlds/agreements/verisign/appendix-07-01mar06.htm);

Whereas, the AGP was originally created to allow domain names that had been
accidentally registered to be cancelled;

Whereas, the practice of "domain tasting," by which names are registered and
then deleted during the AGP, has grown at a very great rate since 2005, with
tens of millions of domains registered and deleted each month;

Whereas, it is apparent that the AGP is being used for purposes for which it
was not intended;

Whereas, abuse of the AGP is, in the opinion of the majority of respondents
whose statements were collected by the GNSO Ad Hoc Group on Domain Name
Tasting (4 October 2007 report), producing disadvantages in the form of
consumer confusion and potential fraud that outweigh the benefits of the
AGP;

Whereas, the GNSO Council on 31 October 2007 resolved to launch a PDP on
Domain Tasting and to encourage staff to apply ICANN's fee collections to
names registered and subsequently de-registered during the AGP;

Whereas, it is the Board's view that abuses of the AGP should speedily be
halted, while the positive benefits of the AGP to consumers should be
retained;

Whereas, the positive benefits of the AGP may include, among other things,
avoiding fraud and monitoring, testing and development of registrars'
provisioning, production and/or merchant gateway systems;

Whereas, the Board believes that the withdrawal of ICANN's waiver of ICANN's
non-refundable transaction fee to the deletion of names within the AGP will
substantially end the practice of abusing the AGP;

THEREFORETherefore, the Board resolves RESOLVES (2008.01.04) to encourage ICANN's budgetary process to
include fees for all domains added, including domains added during the AGP,
and encourages community discussion involved in developing the ICANN budget,
subject to both Board approval and registrar approval of this fee.

.

Implementation Actions

• Community discussion and approval of fee. Adopt FY09 Operating Plan and Budget with fees for excess deletes during AGP
  • Responsible entity: ICANN Staff
  • Due date: None provided
  • Completion date: 26 June 2008

...

• The advisory on domain tasting and implementing GNSO's recommendations and proposed budget changes is available at: http://gnso.icann.org/issues/domain-tasting/gnso-domain-tasting-implementation-advisory-16jun08.pdf.
• Add Grace Period Limits Policy implementation announced 17 November 2008, and noted significant decrease in AGP deletions as a result of the budget impact authorized.  See http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-17dec08-en.htm
• The resolution does not address funding for the items addressed identified therein.

 Explanatory text does not modify or override Resolutions.  See Board Resolutions Page for more information.

...