[ga-sys] [icann-announce] ICANN Accredits New Top-Level Domains--.biz and .info Registration Process To Begin This Summer

["Alternate Chair, GA" <patrick@corliss.net>]

To: ICANN Announcement List <icann-announce@icann.org>
Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 21:17:27 -0700
Subject: [icann-announce] ICANN Accredits New Top-Level Domains--.biz and
.info Registration Process To Begin This Summer


(15 May 2001) Marina del Rey, California, USA. The Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced today that it has
finalized accreditation agreements with the new .biz and .info top-level
domain (TLD) registries. This will mark the first introduction of new
global top-level domains since the mid 1980s when the current domain
name system became operational. These new registries will add to the
already familiar registries such as .com, .org, and .edu.

"This is a momentous step forward in the continuing evolution of the
Internet's domain name system," said Vint Cerf, Chairman of the ICANN
Board of Directors. "However, it is just one step among many in a long
process of providing consumers with the benefits of competition through
a variety of domain name options and services."

Dot-info will be an unrestricted TLD, open to any business or person to
register for any purpose. Dot-biz will be a restricted TLD open only for
commercial or business purposes and .biz names are not intended for
exclusively personal or non-commercial purposes.

Registry operators NeuLevel (.biz) and Afilias (.info) were among seven
registry operators for new TLDs selected by the ICANN Board of Directors
in November 2000 following an open process for submission of proposals.
Agreements with the operators of .aero, .coop, .museum, .name, and .pro
are expected shortly.

This first round of new TLDs is considered a "proof of concept" to test
and examine different types of top-level domains, registry business
models, and procedures for ensuring the technical stability of the
Internet as new TLDs are added. While ICANN has been working with the
new registries to ensure that the start-up phase for registration is
fair and easy to understand, it is inevitable that there will be challenges.

The proof of concept will also allow for a technical assessment of the
effect of the introduction of new TLDs on performance of the Internet's
domain name system. The ICANN Protocol Supporting Organization, made up
of the Internet's leading technical standards organizations, had advised
ICANN to proceed cautiously since there has been no experience of adding
new TLDs in many years, and the effect on performance and stability of
adding a large number of new TLDs is uncertain.

All ICANN accredited registrars in good standing for .com, .net and .org
will be eligible to enter into revised accreditation agreements for the
new TLDs. Currently, there are more than 170 companies accredited with
approximately 80 operational. A list of accredited registrars can be
found at <http://www.icann.org/registrars//accredited-list.html>.

To provide for a stable, fair, and orderly introduction of the new TLDs,
NeuLevel and Afilias will employ different three-step approaches to
launch their registry services:

NeuLevel (.biz):

1. Intellectual Property Claim Service. Beginning in late May through
the beginning of July, .biz will offer a fee-based service for
businesses to submit trademark claims before the application process is
opened. Under this service, domain-name applicants will be notified of a
trademark owner's claim when they submit an application for a claimed
name and, if they decide to go ahead with the registration, the business
submitting the claim will be notified of the registration and will be
given a window of opportunity to challenge the registration using an
administrative dispute resolution procedure.

2. Domain Name Application and Selection. Beginning in July through late
September, .biz will open the application process for businesses.
Businesses will submit their applications through registrars; these
applications will be randomly selected in batches and awarded.
Businesses can submit an unlimited number of applications but there will
be a $2.00 fee for each application for a .biz name.

3. .biz Begins Operations. In October, .biz names that have been awarded
will become operational. .biz will use a Restriction Dispute Resolution
Process (RDRP) similar to the ICANN UDRP process to resolve challenges
related to the business-only restricted nature of the registry.

Afilias (.info):

1. Sunrise Period. Beginning in late June and ending in late July,
Afilias will offer a 30 day "sunrise" period during which anyone with a
registered national trademark can apply through a registrar for a .info
domain name corresponding to the trademark. Trademark data will be
provided at the time of application and the term of the domain name
registration will be for at least 5 years. To assure fair and equal
access during the sunrise period, registrars will first collect
applications and deliver them to Afilias. Afilias will then implement a
multi-round batch processing system in which it will randomly select
applications from each registrar's batch. The World Intellectual
Property Association (WIPO) will administer a challenge procedure
through which any third party may challenge these sunrise period
registrations to ensure that they comply with the applicable
requirements. This challenge process will be available for approximately
120 days after Afilias begins accepting applications for .info domain
names from the general public, ending in November.

2. Domain Name Application and Registration. Within 15 days after the
conclusion of the sunrise period, Afilias will begin accepting
applications for .info domain names from the general public. To ensure
that ordinary Internet users have an equal chance to register names
during the initial launch phase, .info names will be registered using a
multi-round batch process similar to the one used for sunrise period
applications. Using this process, Afilias will randomly select
applications from batches submitted by each registrar. This process is
an alternative to a pure first-come-first-served system which could
operate to the unfair advantage of those with mechanized registration
scripts. This batch process will last approximately three weeks, after
which Afilias will process applications on a real-time basis.

3. .info Begins Operations. Names awarded during the sunrise period will
become operational one week after the beginning of the general
application and registration process. The remainder of the awarded .info
names will become operational promptly after Afilias processes them.

As a reminder, there are no officially sanctioned pre-registration
services. The processes to be followed by the new registry operators are
designed to be fair to all applicants regardless of when they submit
their application. Costs will vary based on registrar used and on the
services provided by that registrar. It is expected that retail pricing
for both .biz and .info names should be comparable to existing
TLDs .com, .org and .net.

For more information:

ICANN           <http://www.icann.org>
NeuLevel (.biz) <http://www.neulevel.com>
Afilias (.info) <http://www.afilias.com>



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