At-Large Draft Document from GAC Sub-Group on Geographic Names Workspace

For information about this Community Input Request, please click here 

• Comment Forum

Dear SO-AC-SG leaders, 

The GAC Sub-group on Geographic Names (which is a Sub-group of the GAC Working Group on Future New gTLDs) has developed a draft document for future New gTLD rounds outlining several public policy aspects related to geographic names and is currently seeking community input on the attached draft text (also announced on the GAC website at http://tinyurl.com/kzt8kbg).  A previous version of this draft was presented in a public session during the London ICANN/GAC meetings and a similar session is planned for the October ICANN/GAC meetings in Los Angeles.  The Working Group believes the receipt of community input on the current draft document would be beneficial to the October discussions, and further welcomes comments from all interested parties by October 31, 2014. 

Comments may be submitted to future-geo-doc-comments@gac.icann.org . Comments received will be posted on http://tinyurl.com/nc4knhn.

Your assistance in notifying your community members about this opportunity would be much appreciated.

Very best regards

Olof

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Olof Nordling
Senior Director, GAC Relations

Branch Manager, ICANN Brussels office
ICANN

Please click here to download a copy of the Draft document from GAC Sub-group on Geographic Names

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FINAL VERSION TO BE SUBMITTED IF RATIFIED

Please click here to download a copy of the pdf document below. 

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FINAL DRAFT VERSION TO BE VOTED UPON BY THE ALAC

The ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) welcomes the call for comments by the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Sub-working group for protection of geographic names on the paper "The protection of names in the new gTLDs process V3 - August 29 2014"  and hereby submits the following comments:

1. The ALAC supports the scope of the draft document and recommends that protection of geographic names must be addressed in next rounds of new gTLDs to avoid preventable conflict situations that have been observed during the current round.

Additionally, we advocate a strengthening of the nexus between an application for a geographic TLD and the public interest of the geographic area for which a TLD is sought. The following are offered as steps to facilitate advancement of the public interest:

• A compilation of experiences of the 2012 applicants for geographic TLDs should be made available to applicants for geographic TLDs.
  
• This compilation should detail the impact the 2012 geographic TLDs had on their respective areas including, but not limited to, traditional and new businesses, civic organizations, government operations, religious and cultural groups. 
• Geographic areas for which TLD applications are submitted should be required to demonstrate and certify their "Informed Consent" about the scope and impact a geographic TLD might have of their residents and organizations. This Informed Consent shall be demonstrated by certification of awareness of the 2012 geographic TLD experiences, and the possible utility of a TLD on the social and economic life of a geographic area.
  
• This Informed Consent shall have been established through inclusive engagement of residents and organizations, including Internet stakeholders, from the applicant area.
  
• The TLD application of an applicant for a geographic TLD shall indicate an ongoing process for residents, community-based organizations, academic institutions, faith-based groups, professional organizations, government, and the Internet community to engage in the TLD's governance processes at the local, national, and global levels.
  

2. The ALAC also suggests that the Applicant Guidebook (AGB) be modified to consider international treaties that address those rights of countries in relation with geographic names. A suggested change is marked in bold below:

"2.2.1.4 Geographic Names Review

 Applications for gTLD strings must ensure that appropriate consideration is given to the interests of governments or public authorities in geographic names, taking into consideration that, according with the 2007 GAC Principles regarding New gTLDs, ICANN should avoid country, territory or place names, and country, territory or regional language or people descriptions, unless in agreement with the relevant governments or public authorities and in compliance with applicable international law treaties. The requirements and procedure ICANN will follow in the evaluation process are described in the following paragraphs. Applicants should review these requirements even if they do not believe their intended gTLD string is a geographic name. All applied-for gTLD strings will be reviewed according to the requirements in this section, regardless of whether the application indicates it is for a geographic name."

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FIRST DRAFT SUBMITTED

The ICANN At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC) welcomes the call for comments on the document produced by the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) Sub-working group for protection of geographic names in next rounds of new gTLDs, and hereby submits the following comments:

1. The ALAC supports the scope of the draft document and recommends that protection of geographic names must be addressed in next rounds of new gTLDs, in order to avoid preventable conflict situations that have been observed during the current round.

2. The ALAC Advises the Board that the Applicant Guidebook (AGB) be modified to consider international treaties that address those rights of countries in relation with geographic names. A suggested change could read as follows (marked in bold):

"2.2.1.4 Geographic Names Review

 Applications for gTLD strings must ensure that appropriate consideration is given to the interests of governments or public authorities in geographic names, taking into consideration that, according with the 2007 GAC Principles regarding New gTLDs, ICANN should avoid country, territory or place names, and country, territory or regional language or people descriptions, unless in agreement with the relevant governments or public authorities and in compliance with applicable international law treaties. The requirements and procedure ICANN will follow in the evaluation process are described in the following paragraphs. Applicants should review these requirements even if they do not believe their intended gTLD string is a geographic name. All applied-for gTLD strings will be reviewed according to the requirements in this section, regardless of whether the application indicates it is for a geographic name.

 “Nevertheless, in the event of any doubt, it is in the applicant’s interest to consult with relevant governments and public authorities and enlist their support or non-objection prior to submission of the application, in order to preclude possible objections and pre-address any ambiguities concerning the string and applicable requirements.”

 3. The ALAC further Advises the Board that a mechanism to protect underserved and underdeveloped interested parties be put in place as to address those cases in which the geographic name is shared by multiple parties in which one of the involved parties is least developed than the rest of the parties.