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The main changes in the applicant guidebook include:

• Tighter compliance requirements for Registry Operators, including rights for ICANN to audit some operations.
• Some lifting on restrictions on registry-registrar cross-ownership.
• The annual registry fee of $75,000 has been adjusted down to a minimum of US$25,000, and a US$0.25 transaction fee for registrations within more than 50,000 names.
• Refunds to the application fee if an applicant drops out at different stages in the process.
• Tighter definitions around geographic names.
• Auctions as a mechanisms of last resort to resolve contention between two parties wanting the same name – with any resulting funds being returned to the community via a separate foundation.
• Noted that it is unlikely that the application round will open before December 2009.

In addition ICANN has also identified issues that need more discussion before the Applicant Guidebook can be finalized.  These include:

• More work needed on protection of existing domain name registrants and end-user confusion.
• A technical analysis of the combined impact of the introduction of IPv6 records, DNSSEC, IDN-ccTLDs and new gTLDs (including IDNs) on the root zone.
• An analysis of specific types of malicious behaviour that may occur with new gTLDs.
• Enhanced protection for trademark holders.
• Economic study on the impacts of new gTLDs.

ICANN is now seeking feedback – both on the recent changes, as well as the major issues identified for further work.

ICANN has received over 300 comments on the draft RFP from individuals and organizations representing intellectual property interests, brand owners, business owners, ICANN supporting organizations, domain name industry players, and government representatives.

The key concerns raised were:

• Brand protection issues and the impact on brands and trademark owners.
• Financial considerations, including evaluation fees, ongoing registry fees, and refund procedures.
• Various issues surrounding the proposed registry agreement, particularly price controls, registry/registrar separation, the management of future agreement amendments, equitable treatment, and others.
• General comments and concerns related to expanding the top level and its impact on the global marketplace, specific industries and Domain Name System stability.

ICANN will release a comprehensive analysis of the comments in early February 2009. ICANN also announced that it will be holding conferences in different global locations, and will be amending the draft RFP based on the feedback it has received. No date has been given for when the next release of the RFP will be available.

Melbourne IT’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr Bruce Tonkin, discusses the implications and process around the new gTLDs.

The Facts about the New gTLDs Webinar

Melbourne IT has submitted recommendations for improving the ICANN process in the following areas.

•    “closed” gTLD – ICANN should identify a separate class of new gTLD where the applicant does not offer second level domains to third parties.

•    Application fees – provide a discount for applicants that apply for multiple names that are trademarks for the same legal entity (e.g product names)

•    Annual registry fees – for “closed” gTLD, allow brand owners to pay a lower annual fee for reserving the name as a brand protection mechanism (e.g $5,000).   For “closed” gTLDs reduce the annual fee for names that are trademarks for the same legal entity, and also reduce the fees as the volume of approved “closed” gTLDs increases.

•    Trademark protection at the second level – improve the protection for trademark holders at the second level, and match the level proposed to be offered at the top level.

•    Timeframe for the second round – announce a date for the start of the second round to be 6 months later than the date of publication of the applications for the first round.

Read Melbourne IT’s full submission to ICANN.

ICANN will be convening two open meetings with the first scheduled in Washington, DC on Thursday, 11 December from 2-5pm, and the second in Marina del Rey, CA on Friday, 19 December from 10am-1pm.  The purpose of the consultations are to explore draft recommendations regarding the relationship between registries and registrars as well as other potential models that would be acceptable to a consensus of the Internet community.    The draft recommendations state that a single organisation operating a gTLD for its own purposes will be able to perform the role of registry and registrar, and that a organisation that is operating a registry for one gTLD would be allowed to act in the role as registrar for another gTLD.

For the full ICANN announcement visit: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-09dec08-en.htm