Issue
According to the Applicant Guidebook all country and territory names (listed on ISO 3166-1 list) in all languages are excluded from the first round of new gTLD applications. The ccNSO will seek support for extension of the this rule for second and consecutive rounds, until a policy framework has been developed on how to deal with Country and Territory names as TLD’s.
Summary
The ccNSO Council has adopted the two recommendations from the ccNSO Study on use of country and territory names as TLD’s:
Invite the 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 initiative to create a cross-community working group that addresses issues identified by the Study Group, the ccNSO recommends the ICANN Board to extend 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 is requested to submit the recommendation to the ICANN Board of Directors after the relevant SO’s and AC’s have been informed and invited to participate in the envisioned cross-community working group.
ALAC Engagement Opportunity Status
Individual members of the GAC were observers in the Study Group as observers and could provide feedback and input. The GAC will be invited to participate in the cross-community working group is a manner that it deems appropriate, if at all. 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
ALAC Related Documents
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