[nc-org] Final (v. 3.2) ORG Policy Statement

["Milton Mueller" <mueller@syr.edu>]

[I think we're done! This incorporates all of Cary's
comments and changes the words "be consistent with"
to "adhere to" to make Guillermo sleep better at 
night. Give it a look-through, on Tuesday I will ask
DNSO Secretariat and ICANN to post it for public 
comment. --MM]

NAMES COUNCIL .ORG DIVESTITURE TASK FORCE

Statement of Policy (v 3.2, October 1, 2001)

The DNSO finds that responsibility for the policy and 
operation of the .org TLD should be delegated to an 
organization that conforms to the following criteria:

1. The .org TLD Should be a Sponsored, Unrestricted 
Domain

The revised .org TLD should be sponsored but no 
eligibility restrictions should be imposed on the 
prospective registrants.

1a. Sponsored.
Each candidate Sponsoring Organization should include 
in its application a definition of the relevant 
community for which names in the .org TLD are 
intended, detailing the specific types of registrants 
who constitute the target market for .org, and 
proposing marketing and branding practices oriented 
toward that community. The marketing practices should 
not encourage defensive or duplicative registrations.

The Task Force specifically requests public comment on 
the feasibility and desirability of using the contract 
between the Sponsoring Organization and the registrars 
to ensure that the marketing and branding practices 
specified in the .org Charter are upheld.

Regarding the definition of the relevant community, 
the DNSO offers this guidance: the definition should 
include not only traditional noncommercial and non-
profit organizations, but individuals and groups 
seeking an outlet for noncommercial expression and 
information exchange, unincorporated cultural, 
educational and political organizations, and business 
partnerships with non-profts and community groups for 
social initiatives.

1b. Unrestricted Eligibility
With a defined community and appropriate marketing
practices in place, the sponsoring organization and 
operating registry would rely entirely on end-user 
choice to determine who registers in .org.

Specifically: the new entity:
* Must not evict existing registrants who don't 
  conform to its target community. The transition must 
  make it clear at the outset that current registrants 
  will not have their registrations cancelled nor will 
  they be denied the opportunity to renew their names 
  or transfer them to others.
* Must not attempt to impose prior restrictions 
  on people or organizations attempting to make new 
  registrations;
* Should not adopt, or be required by ICANN to adopt, 
  a new dispute initiation procedure (such as a
  CEDRP) to take away registrations ex post. The UDRP
  would apply as per #4 below, however.

2. Characteristics of the Sponsoring Organization
Administration of the .org TLD should be delegated to a
non-profit Sponsoring Organization (SO) with 
international support and participation from .org 
registrants and non-commercial organizations inside 
and outside of the ICANN process. It should be 
authorized to contract with commercial service 
providers to perform technical and service functions. 
Either new or existing organizations should be eligible to apply to become the SO. 

Applicants for the SO should propose policies and 
practices supportive of noncommercial participants in 
the ICANN process. 

The DNSO requires SO applicants to propose governance 
structures that provide .org TLD registrants with the 
opportunity to directly participate in the selection 
of officers and/or policy-making council members.

3. The Registry Operator
The entity chosen by the Sponsoring Organization
to operate the .org registry must function efficiently 
and reliably and show its commitment to a high quality 
of service for all .org users worldwide, includig a 
commitment to making registration, assistance and 
other services available in different time zones and 
different languages.
 
4. ICANN Policies
The .org TLD's administration must adhere to 
policies defined through ICANN processes, such as 
policies regarding registrar accreditation, shared 
registry access, dispute resolution, and access to 
registration contact data. The new entity must not 
alter the technical protocols it uses in ways that 
would impair the ability of accredited registrars to 
sell names to end users.

5. Follow Up
The DNSO Task Force developing policy for the .org
TLD should review the request for proposals prepared 
by the ICANN staff prior to its public dissemination 
to ensure that it accurately reflects the DNSO policy. 
Task Force approval should be obtained before 
publishing the request for proposals. The Task Force 
specifically asks that the RFP not require an non-
refundable application fee larger than US$ 1,000.