nettime: SEVEN NEW TOP LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES ARE ADDED FOR INTERNET ADDRESSES AND UP TO 28 NEW REGISTRARS PLANNED

[Michael van Eeden <mieg@dds.nl>]

http://www.iahc.org/press-final.html

>  SEVEN NEW TOP LEVEL DOMAIN NAMES ARE ADDED FOR INTERNET ADDRESSES AND
>                     UP TO 28 NEW REGISTRARS PLANNED
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> WASHINGTON, DC, February 4, 1997 -- The number of names available to
> specify Internet locations, such as web sites and email addresses,
> will increase and more firms will be allowed to act as registrars for
> the names, under a plan announced today by the International Ad Hoc
> Committee (IAHC).
> 
> Internet users will have 7 new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), in
> addition to the existing ones (.com, .net, and .org), under which they
> may register Internet names, when the plan is implemented. The new
> gTLDs and the intended fields of use are:
> 
>                  for businesses, or firms
>                  for businesses offering goods to purchase
>       .firm      for entities emphasizing activities related to the
>       .store     WWW
>        .web      for entities emphasizing cultural and entertainment
>       .arts      activities
>        .rec      for entities emphasizing recreation/entertainment
>       .info      activities
>        .nom      for entities providing information services
>                  for those wishing individual or personal
>                  nomenclature
> 
> In addition, up to 28 new registrars will be established to grant
> registrations for second-level domain names under the new gTLDs. The
> new registrars will be selected by lottery from applicants who fulfill
> specific requirements established by the IAHC. All the new gTLDs will
> be shared among the new registrars, meaning that each registrar may
> effect registration of second-level domain names under all the new
> gTLDs. It is intended that the three existing gTLDs (.com, .net, and
> .org) would also be shared upon conclusion of the cooperative
> agreement between Network Solutions, Inc. (NSI) and the United States
> National Science Foundation (NSF), which allows NSI to act as the
> registrar for those gTLDs.
> 
> The plan announced today is a result of efforts by an international
> group named to resolve questions critical to the current and future
> growth of the Internet. The eleven-member International Ad Hoc
> Committee, chaired by Donald M. Heath, president and CEO of the
> Internet Society, received input from individuals, organizations and
> government agencies from around the world.
> 
> To guide future registrar developments, an association comprising all
> the registrars, the Council of Registrars (CORE), to be established
> under Swiss law will create and enforce requirements for registrar
> operations. These requirements are spelled out in a separate legal
> instrument to which each registrar must agree.
> 
> The IAHC plan includes the establishment of a non- regulatory policy
> framework in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which
> both the public and private sector will be invited to sign. The MoU
> will provide a mechanism for signatories to advise on future policy
> evolution of the global Internet domain name system.
> 
> "I am pleased that the Secretary General of the International
> Telecommunication Union (ITU) has agreed in principle to act as the
> depository of the MoU and to periodically publish an updated list of
> its signatories," Heath said in releasing the IAHC report. "The
> structure we have established for the operation and oversight of
> domain name administration insures that we will have stability and
> continuing input from a broad spectrum of organizations and
> individuals."
> 
> Heath pointed out that the IAHC will continue to function for the
> period until the new registrars are named and the MoU has entered into
> force. At that time, the IAHC will change to act as the committee to
> conduct oversight of CORE until a permanent gTLD DNS Policy Oversight
> Committee (POC) is established to perform that function. The POC will
> determine, in consultation with CORE and a gTLD DNS Policy Advisory
> Body (PAB), the evolution of gTLDs, registrars, and any fees that CORE
> may collect from its members, the registrars, for services it may
> perform.
> 
> The POC and CORE will be advised by the gTLD DNS Policy Advisory Body
> (PAB) that will consist of all of the signatories to the MoU and will
> provide input and recommendations for general policy matters relating
> to gTLDs and the Domain Name System (DNS). Signatories will include
> representatives from governments, independent governmental
> organizations, non-government organizations, and industry.
> 
> An earlier draft proposal by the IAHC had recommended a mandatory 60
> day waiting period before activation of new domain names, in order to
> alleviate what is considered to be a major source of instability in
> the DNS, namely widespread piracy of famous trademarks by certain
> domain name holders. In the final report, that recommendation has been
> replaced by a more comprehensive solution that addresses the needs of
> all classes of stakeholders. In addition to making the 60 day waiting
> period optional for registrants, the final report institutes a system
> for dispute settlement involving on-line mediation, mandatory
> arbitration (if a domain name challenger chooses to initiate
> arbitration), and a fast-track on-line administrative domain name
> challenge procedure.
> 
> The administrative domain name challenge procedure would be conducted
> on-line, and would allow an intellectual property right holder to
> petition a panel of international experts to determine if a
> second-level domain name violates the policy that a domain name which
> contains an internationally known trademark may only be held by the
> trademark owner. The dispute settlement procedures would be
> administered under the aegis of the World Intellectual Property
> Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center, located in Geneva.
> 
> "During the public comment period, we received over 4000 submissions
> from the interested public, including 100 submissions from
> organizations around the world and we are very pleased with the
> acceptance and broad consensus that we have achieved in this process,"
> Heath stated. "To attain its fullest potential, the Internet requires
> true self-governance. The Internet Society's role is to facilitate
> that requirement," he added.
> 
> The IAHC is a coalition of participants from the broad Internet
> community, working to satisfy the requirement for enhancements to the
> Internet's global Domain Name System (DNS). Organizations naming
> members to the committee include: Internet Society (ISOC), Internet
> Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), Internet Architecture Board (IAB),
> Federal Networking Council (FNC), International Telecommunication
> Union (ITU), International Trademark Association (INTA), and World
> Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The full text of the IAHC
> report is being published at the Internet site: http://www.iahc.org.
> 
>                           # # # # # # # # #
> 
> Internet Society
> 12020 Sunrise Valley Drive
> Reston, VA 20191-3429
> TEL 703-648-9888
> FAX 703-648-9887
> E-mail info@isoc.org
> http://www.isoc.org
> http://www.iahc.org

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