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Secretariat change of email address
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 13, 2011

Oct. 13, 2011

Dear BC Members, Please note a change of email address to contact me, BC Secretariat, provided by ICANN as part of the toolkit services. From now on please use this email address to contact me: *bc-secretariat(a)icann.org*. I will still have access to the hotmail address: secretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com but will use the ICANN email address moving forward since the hotmail service is not as reliable, and I often experience delays in reception of emails, so please try to avoid contacting me via hotmail. Thank you ever so much, -- Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariat www.bizconst.org bc-secretariat(a)icann.org

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Complimentary airport shuttle service, ICANN Dakar
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 13, 2011

Oct. 13, 2011

Dear BC Members, Kindly note that the local host of the ICANN meeting in Dakar will be providing a complimentary airport shuttle service to all meeting attendees. To request a shuttle, please email _secretariat(a)icann42dakar.sn_ with your flight details. -- Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariat www.bizconst.org bc-secretariat(a)icann.org

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ALERTS From the Secretariat: Framework of Interpretation Working Group – Interim Report
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 13, 2011

Oct. 13, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-12oct11-en.htm Framework of Interpretation Working Group – Interim Report Comment Period Deadlines^(*) Important Information Links Public Comment Box <http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/foiwg-interim-report-12oct11-en.htm> *Open Date:* 12 October 2011 To Submit Your Comments (Forum) <mailto:foiwg-interim-report@icann.org> *Close Date:* 1 December 2011 *Time (UTC):* 23:59 View Comments Submitted <http://forum.icann.org/lists/foiwg-interim-report/> *Section I: Description, Explanation, and Purpose* The Framework of Interpretation Working Group (FOIWG) is seeking public comment on Interim Report on the first topic it has addressed: obtaining and documenting consent for delegation and re-delegation requests. The Final Report of the Delegation Redelegation and Retirement Working Group (DRDWG) identified the following issues with the topic of "consent": /"The Interpretation of consent (communication that the transfer is agreed), by IANA's own admission, is highly variable depending on a number of factors including culture and the immediate physical security of the ccTLD manager. This includes interpreting a failure to reply to an IANA email as consent in certain cases of re-delegations where the current manager has stated he does not support the request."/ The FOIWG identified the applicable polices and procedure statements and analysed all past cases of ccTLD re-delegations researching the stated consent in each instance. Based on this analysis the FOIWG identified the issues in the context of the applicable policies. These issues were further analysed to identify any issues arising from this analysis. Based on this analysis the FOIWG developed draft recommendations. To be most helpful input and feed-back from the community is sought with respect to the following questions: 1. Is the approach used by the FOIWG satisfactory? 2. Is the documentation that was analyzed to identify issues comprehensive? 3. Do the issues identified by the FOIWG for this topic capture the major problems associated with the topic? If not, what is missing? 4. Are the proposed guidelines effective solutions to the issues that were identified? 5. Are the recommendations effective in addressing the concerns raised in the final report of the DRDWG regarding this topic? *Section II: Background* The FOIWG was created by the ccNSO Council following the recommendations of the Delegation and Re-delegation Working Group (DRDWG): */Recommendation 2: Delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs/* /The DRDWG recommends that, as a first step, the ccNSO Council undertakes the development of a “Framework of Interpretation” for the delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs. This framework should provide a clear guide to IANA and the ICANN Board on interpretations of the current policies, guidelines and procedures relating to the delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs./ /The results of the use of such a Framework of Interpretation should be formally monitored and evaluated by the ccNSO Council after a pre-determined period. If the results of this evaluation indicate that the Framework of Interpretation failed to provide logical and predictable outcomes in ICANN decision making, the ccNSO Council should then launch PDPs on the delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs./ The charter of the FOIWG was adopted by the ccNSO Council at its meeting on 16 March 2011 and appointed as its chair Keith Davidson of .NZ (former Chair of the DRDWG). In June 2011 the charter was updated to reflect the participation of the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). The charter and the list of participants of the working group can be found athttp://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/foiwg.htm) The objective of the FOIWG is to develop and propose a "Framework of Interpretation" for the delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs. This framework should provide a clear guide to IANA and the ICANN Board on interpretation of the current policies and guidelines pertaining to the delegation and redelegation of ccTLD’s. The scope of the FOIWG also clearly specifies that: * Any proposal to amend, update or change the Policy Statements is outside the scope of the FOIWG. * The IANA functions contract between the US Government and ICANN, including any contract implementation issues or procedures relating to it, are outside the scope of the FOIWG. *Section III: Document and Resource Links* _Documents posted for comment_: The Interim Report is posted here:http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/interim-report-consent-final-12oc…, 1.63 MB] _Additional Resources_: Further information on the work of the Framework of Interpretation Working Group is available at:http://ccnso.icann.org/workinggroups/foiwg.htm. *Section IV: Additional Information* The Interim Report addresses the first of the following topics the FOIWG identified which will be considered individually and in the order presented: * Obtaining and documenting consent for delegation and re-delegation requests * Obtaining and documenting support for delegation and re-delegation requests from Significantly Interested Parties (sometimes referred to as Local Internet Community or LIC). * Developing recommendations for un-consented re-delegations * Developing a comprehensive glossary of the terms used for the delegation and re-delegation of ccTLDs. * Developing recommendations for IANA reports on delegation and re-delegation. *Staff Contact:* Bart Boswinkel *Email:* bart.boswinkel(a)icann.org <mailto:bart.boswinkel@icann.org?subject=More%20information%20on%20the%20Framework%20of%20Interpretation%20Working%20Group%20%E2%80%93%20Interim%20Report%20public%20comment%20period> -- Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariat www.bizconst.org bc-secretariat(a)icann.org

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Upcoming BC Conference calls next week: Monday 17th and Wednesday 19th at 10am EST
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 11, 2011

Oct. 11, 2011

Dear BC Members, Please note the date of the upcoming BC calls for next week. We will indeed have two different 1 hour sessions next week: The first one will be a BC pre-Dakar conference call scheduled for Monday, 17th of October 2011 at 10am EST (2pm UTC). This call will focus on the logistics for the Dakar meeting. The second call will take place on Wednesday, 19th of October 2011 at 10am EST (2pm UTC) and will focus on the preparation for the Council meeting in Dakar. The reason for the separation of the two calls is because motions for the Council meeting in Dakar will be released on Tuesday, 18th of October, so we could not include them in the previously scheduled BC Pre call for Dakar on Monday. Dial in details will follow asap. Please let me know if you require a dial out. Please find the agenda for Monday's call below. Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com Agenda, BC Members Call: Monday 17th of October at 10am EST Preparatory process for Dakar ICANN Meeting (Monday) Note: Wednesday's call will be focused on gNSO Council topics and further preparation for any BC statements members support. 1. Review of Agenda and Key events for BC during Dakar meeting 2. Discussion of BC Schedule [due to time problems for remote participation] 3. Update on CSG scheduled meetings and proposed topics for Board Discussion with CSG: · Ethics and Integrity at ICANN - proposed by BC · Implementation issues re Trademark ClearingHouse and URS -- proposed by IPC · Implications for Constituencies/driven by new gTLD Program [TBD] · Continuation of discussion about cooperating with stakeholders on global eco system challenges 4. BC Preparation for discussion with Board on Ethics and Integrity at ICANN 5. BC - Discussion of Selection process for new CEO [TBD] 6. Membership Dues update/Status Report 7. Newsletter Status 8. AOB

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ALERTS From the Secretariat: REMINDER: Pre-Dakar ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 10, 2011

Oct. 10, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-20sep11-en.htm Pre-Dakar ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation In order to participate, please RSVP via email to the GNSO Secretariat (gnso.secretariat(a)gnso.icann.org) to receive the call details.Whether you plan to participate in the upcoming ICANN meeting in Dakar remotely or in person, you're invited to a quick reminder of the background and current status of each major policy issue currently under discussion in ICANN. The ICANN Policy Staff will provide a briefing on Thursday 13 October at 12.00 UTC and Thursday 13 October at 19.00 UTC, summarizing policy issues across the different ICANN Supporting Organizations, namely the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO), Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) and Address Supporting Organization (ASO). Amongst other topics, updates will be provided on: Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy Issue Report (GNSO) Post-Expiration Domain Name Recovery (GNSO) Recent WHOIS work Study Group on Use of Names for Countries and Territories (ccNSO) Framework of Interpretation Working Group for the delegation and re delegation of ccTLDs (ccNSO) Joint DNS Security and Stability Analysis Working Group The two sessions are duplicates, scheduled to accommodate different time zones. Each session, scheduled to run for 90 minutes, will be conducted in English only. The meeting will be run in Adobe Connect with a slide presentation along with a dial-in conference bridge for audio.Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each session. During the course of the webinar, questions may be submitted using the chat function of Adobe Connect. If you are not able to participate in either of the live sessions, the recording of the session will be made available shortly after the meeting. The policy staff is always available to answer any questions that you email to policy-staff(a)icann.org.In order to participate, please RSVP via email to the GNSO Secretariat (gnso.secretariat(a)gnso.icann.org) to receive the call details. Please indicate which call you would like to join, Thursday at 12.00 UTC or Thursday at 19.00 UTC (to convert those times into your local time, see: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedform.html) We will send you an e-mail reminder before the event with log-in and dial-in details. Please DO NOT RSVP to any other ICANN staff members e-mail address. Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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ALERTS from the Secretariat: Variant Issues Project -- Cyrillic Case Study Team Issues Report
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 7, 2011

Oct. 7, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06oct11-en.htm Variant Issues Project -- Cyrillic Case Study Team Issues ReportComment Period Deadlines (*)Important Information LinksPublic Comment BoxOpen Date:6 October 2011To Submit Your Comments (Forum)Close Date:14 November 2011Time (UTC):23:59View Comments SubmittedSection I: Description, Explanation, and PurposeAs described in earlier announcements on this topic, the benefits and risks associated with the potential delegation of Variant TLDs have been widely discussed and solutions are being pursued.ICANN is publishing today the issues report completed by the Cyrillic case study team, for public comment. In accordance with the Variant Issues Project [PDF, 195 KB], ICANN has conducted six case studies of individual scripts to investigate any issues that need to be resolved to facilitate a good user experience for IDN variant TLDs.Individual case studies for the Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Devanagari, Greek, and Latin scripts have been undertaken. Each study, carried out by a volunteer community study team with help from ICANN staff, concentrates on specific issues that are relevant to the individual scripts.It is expected that the results of the case studies will play a crucial role in the identification of solutions towards the delegation of IDN variant TLDs. With these individual case studies being completed, a team comprised of representatives from the case study teams and ICANN will develop a single, integrated issues report to be published in December 2011. After that, work on developing solutions can proceed as a second phase.Public comment on these reports will inform the formulation of the combined issues report. The public comment forum is open through 14 November 2011.Section II: BackgroundOn 25 September 2010 the Board of Directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) directed the CEO "to develop an issues report identifying what needs to be done with the evaluation, possible delegation, allocation and operation of gTLDs containing variant characters IDNs as part of the new gTLD process in order to facilitate the development of workable approaches to the deployment of gTLDs containing variant characters IDNs." (http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-25sep10-en.htm#2.5)In response ICANN has conducted six case studies of individual scripts to investigate any issues associated with delegating and using IDN variant TLDs that need to be resolved to facilitate a good user experience.The original Variant Issues Project proposal [PDF, 195 KB] was published on 20 April 2011.Section III: Document and Resource LinksDocument posted for public comment: Cyrillic Case Study Team Report [PDF, 1.02 MB]Section IV: Additional InformationNext steps: ICANN will complete a consolidated issues report that will summarize and synthesize the issues identified by the case study teams. The group's work in preparation of this consolidated report is scheduled to start in October at the ICANN public meeting in Dakar, Senegal.Staff Contact:Patrick JonesEmail:patrick.jones@icann.org Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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ALERTS from the Secretariat: Enhanced Terms & Conditions for Registrar Accreditation Applications
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 7, 2011

Oct. 7, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-04oct11-en.htm Enhanced Terms & Conditions for Registrar Accreditation Applications4 October 2011In order to provide further clarity on the respective obligations of the applicant and ICANN in relation to registrar accreditation applications, ICANN is introducing an enhanced set of terms and conditions for registrar accreditation applications.This step is one of the results of community input that called for the strengthening of the requirements for registrar accreditation, and to address changes that have arisen in the registrar marketplace. The associated public comment period can be found at: http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-201101-en.htm#registr… enhanced terms and conditions have been incorporated into the Registrar Accreditation Application, which is availablehere.A partial list of enhancements include:Stronger terms governing the accuracy of the information provided by the applicant and an ongoing obligation to maintain accurate information during the course of the application process.Granting ICANN permission and indemnification for conducting additional due diligence checks.Sets forth in greater detail the application process and obligations.The terms and conditions will apply to all applications received on or after 5 October 2011. Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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ALERTS from the Secretariat: Community Input on Draft 2012-2015 Strategic Plan
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 7, 2011

Oct. 7, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-6-03oct11-en.htm Community Input on Draft 2012-2015 Strategic PlanComment Period Deadlines (*)Important Information LinksPublic Comment BoxOpen Date:3 October 2011To Submit Your Comments (Forum)Close Date:17 November 2011Time (UTC):23:59View Comments SubmittedSection I: Description, Explanation, and PurposeICANN continues to pursue the Strategic Planning process in accordance with our published timeline. We are posting a draft version of the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan that is the result of community consultation and staff work. We are soliciting your feedback and comments.There are two versions:Draft 2012-2015 Strategic plan (Clean) [PDF, 865 KB]Draft 2012-2015 Strategic plan (Redline) [PDF, 934 KB]The overall structure of the Strategic Plan has remained consistent with last year's plan. Based upon the input sessions with SO/AC and Staff, some major themes emerged that are in the plan:Last year, there was focus on the IANA follow-on contract risk – this year it was not widely discussed which is evidence that strong support action was/is being takenThe DNS Stability & Security message moves beyond DNS to include IP addresses and parameters (the Unique Identifiers – per ICANN's Mission)The Whois database policy and procedures will receive increased attentionAcknowledgement that Law Enforcement is engaging moreThe New gTLD Program is raising the awareness and profile of ICANN all around the globe – "the New gTLD Program intensifies everything at ICANN"Provided for effective and constructive early participation of the GAC in the policy development processThere will be new stakeholders and categories of stakeholders brought into the ICANN multi-stakeholder model in the next few yearsICANN needs to better define principles for internationalization to steer decisions and expansionICANN needs better enterprise-wide processes and systems (not just Finance) to operate in the futureICANN is an exemplary multi-stakeholder model of Internet governanceICANN meetings present a unique opportunity for ICANN to deliver on the Mission – how meetings can evolve to be more effectiveThis draft is based upon.GNSO IPC input on August 29, 2011 (concerns over Whois, rights protection mechanisms, ICANN lack of neutrality and ethics)ALAC input on August 29, 2011 (outreach to the "edges" of the community, developing country participation, development of metrics)GNSO RySG input on August 29, 2011 (ease of participation, early GAC involvement in policy development process and work to execute the adoption of IDNA 2008, cost benefit analysis of SSR, engaging new stakeholders)ccNSO Singapore input on June 20, 2011 (a session to receive ccNSO input is scheduled)ICANN Team Brainstorm session dated June 2, 2011ICANN Staff Focus Area Working SessionsStrategic Metrics Updates – Staff InputATRT Recommendations report – June 22, 2011ICANN Staff review of Draft: multiple inputs The public comment period will close on 17 November 2011. The draft plan will be revised based on the comments received. A final version of the 2012-2015 Strategic Plan will be submitted to the Board for approval at their upcoming meeting in December 2011.2012-2015 Strategic Plan Draft Development Next Steps:We appreciate your important contribution to ICANN's 2012-2015 strategic planning process. Section II: BackgroundICANN produces a three-year Strategic Plan (reviewed and updated annually) and an annual Operating Plan. As part of the strategic planning process each year, ICANN considers major internal and external events that have occurred since the last writing of the plan. The last plan was posted in December 2010 and approved in February 2011. Section III: Document and Resource LinksThis year's approved Strategic Plan 2011-2014 [PDF, 3.37 MB] – posted after being adopted by the ICANN Board at the Silicon Valley Meeting – has incorporated strategic metrics based on extensive community input, review and public forums held in both Cartagena and Silicon Valley.Section IV: Additional InformationThe Strategic Plan informs the Operating Plan and Budget and helps to define ICANN's yearly goals and priorities, and will be considered for adoption by the Board.Staff Contact:Carole Cornell, Senior Director Project ManagementEmail:carole.cornell@icann.org Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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ALERTS from the Secretariat: Protecting Trademark Rights for New gTLDs: ICANN Seeks Service Providers for Trademark Clearinghouse Operation
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 7, 2011

Oct. 7, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-5-03oct11-en.htm Protecting Trademark Rights for New gTLDs: ICANN Seeks Service Providers for Trademark Clearinghouse Operation(Trademark Clearinghouse or "TMCH" Service Providers)3 October 2011ICANN is issuing today a Request for Information (RFI) [PDF, 243 KB] to identify potential Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH) Service Providers. The Trademark Clearinghouse will provide a set of rights protection mechanisms that are part of ICANN's program to make new top-level domains widely available.The primary purpose of the TMCH is to function as an information repository, offering authentication and validation services for trademark data. Trademark holders and gTLD registry operators will rely on the TMCH to support rights protection mechanisms for the new gTLD space. The TMCH is designed to be available globally, with capabilities for validating trademark data in multiple scripts and responding to inquiries in multiple languages.Part of ICANN's core mission is to preserve the operational security and stability of the Internet while also supporting open competition. With the upcoming launch of the New generic Top-Level Domain (New gTLD) Program, the Internet community will see the introduction of a number of new gTLD namespaces. To ensure that the new gTLD program gave appropriate consideration to trademark protection, ICANN's Board passed a resolution on 6 March 2009 to form an Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) to seek enhanced solutions supporting trademark protection. One recommendation was the establishment of a Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH).Candidates for operating the TMCH are expected to meet the requirements outlined in the RFI, which include, for example, a demonstrated understanding of the issues concerning global intellectual property rights and the Internet, global capability to authenticate and validate trademark information, and experience designing, building, and operating secure transaction processing systems with 24/7/365 availability. ICANN seeks candidates with a proven ability to manage and support processes in multiple languages, in addition to fulfillment of the technical requirements.RFI activities schedule at a glance:Request for information issued by ICANN3 October 2011Respondents' Q&A – TeleconferenceOn or about 4 November 2011Written responses due25 November 2011 – 23:59 UTCPublic announcement of provider engagement14 Februrary 2012The deadline for responses is 25 November 2011 at 23:59 UTC. Responses should be submitted to: tm-clearinghouse-rfi(a)icann.org. Responses received after the deadline will not be considered.Q&AWhat is the TMCH?The TMCH serves as an information repository that will accept and maintain data relating to trademark rights, including both registered and unregistered rights, and will support registration processes in ASCII and IDN gTLDs.What is a TMCH Service Provider?The functions of data authentication/validation and database administration may be performed by a single service provider or by two separate service providers. Respondent proposals will be accepted for:performance of the data authentication/validation function of the TMCH; orperformance of the database administration function of the TMCH; orperformance of both the data authentication/validation functions and the database administration functions of the TMCH.The foremost considerations for selection of the TMCH service provider(s) will be the ability to authenticate, validate, store and disseminate the data at the highest level of technical stability and security without interference with the integrity or timeliness of the gTLD registration process or registry operations.What are the key functions?Functions that are critical to the operation of the TMCH include:Trademark Claims and Sunrise Services – Provide transactional services that allow parties such as registries and/or registrars to rapidly obtain information necessary to conduct Sunrise and Trademark Claims services for new gTLDs.Database Operation – Maintain the repository of relevant trademark data while providing services for conducting searches and integrating with TMCH operations.Data Authentication and Validation – Establish and execute standard processes for authentication of trademark rights information, validation of proof-of-use information, and verification of contact information.Customer Service – Answer questions, resolve issues, and provide support for use of TMCH services.Language Support – Conduct TMCH operations in multiple languages.Who will use the TMCH and when?With the launch of the new gTLD program, new gTLD operators will be required to offer services that are supported solely by the TMCH for a sunrise period of at least 30 days, and for an initial operating period during the first 60 days of general registration. Beyond that period, registries may optionally continue to use the TMCH trademark claims services but these are not mandated beyond the initial time periods specified for any given new gTLD.What kind of information is ICANN requesting and who should respond?Respondents should be parties interested in committing themselves as potential TMCH operators. The RFI covers numerous areas, but respondents should be prepared to discuss the following:How they can scale quickly to meet the demands of a large number of transactions;How they will provide and manage the availability of services to users 24x7, 365 days a year;The capabilities they have to support processes in multiple languages;The capabilities they have to provide global trademark authentication and validation services;Their experience and expertise in trademark protection issues; andTheir ability to work with ICANN and the community to refine core business processes and evolve the TMCH operation.BackgroundThe IRT, consisting of 18 geographically diverse subject matter experts from the intellectual property arena, made several recommendations to enhance trademark protection (see http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/irt-final-report-trademark-protect… [PDF, 299 KB]). The original proposal has undergone multiple revision cycles based on ICANN's public comment process, resulting in the current model. The requirements for the TMCH have been defined at a high level and will be refined through the RFI and subsequent processes. The overall goals of the TMCH are to:Support rights protection mechanisms in the gTLD program;Operate cost-effective services that do not place undue financial or administrative burdens on trademark holders, registrars, and registries; andEstablish an ongoing partnership with stakeholders to evolve the TMCH so that it remains an efficient, value-added service provider for the IP and gTLD communities.On 22 June 2011, the TMCH was discussed at the ICANN meetings in Singapore, where participants took part in a working session on a straw-man implementation model (http://singapore41.icann.org/node/24629) Development of the models for mandatory Sunrise and Trademark claims processes will continue while ICANN evaluates responses to this RFI.Links to Relevant InformationNew gTLD ProgramTrademark Clearinghouse [PDF, 320 KB] Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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ALERTS From the Secretariat: Coordination Team Formed for IDN Variant Issues Project
by Benedetta Rossi Oct. 7, 2011

Oct. 7, 2011

http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-03oct11-en.htm Coordination Team Formed for IDN Variant Issues Project3 October 2011The benefits and risks associated with the potential delegation of variant TLDs have been widely discussed. On 20 April 2011, ICANN announced the initiation of the IDN Variant Issues Project. This project is dedicated to identifying the issues involved in the delegation and use of IDN Variant TLDs.To achieve that goal, on 9 June 2011, ICANN announced the formation of six case study teams – Arabic, Devanagari, Chinese, Cyrillic, Greek and Latin scripts. Since then, these teams have been working hard on identifying issues involved in IDN Variant TLDs in their particular scripts with the expectation that each of these teams will publish their reports prior to the ICANN meeting in Dakar (24-28 October). After that, a final integrated issues report will be published, describing the challenges associated.Figure 1 – The project incorporates individual script case studies, a synthesis of the issues, and an additional phase toward developing solutions.Today, the first of the reports are being published for public comment:Chinese Case Study ReportDevanagari Case Study ReportThe remaining case study reports (Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek and Latin) are expected shortly and will be posted for public comment.Additionally, we are pleased to announce the formation of a team, comprised of experts from the case study teams, who will advise ICANN in completing a consolidated issues report that will summarize and synthesize the issues identified by the case study teams. The group's work in preparation of this consolidated report is scheduled to start in October at the ICANN public meeting in Dakar, Senegal.The individual members of the issues report coordination team (listed below) have expertise in the areas of: DNS, IDNA, linguistics, security and scalability, policy, registry/registrar operations, and community representation.An all-day working session of the coordination team members only is being planned for the Dakar meeting, followed by an open public session at which representatives from the case study teams and the ICANN project team will present the case studies and provide an update on the consolidated issues report.Interested members of the community can receive updates and participate in the discussions of this work by subscribing tovip(a)icann.org mailing list (https://mm.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/vip) or by visitinghttps://community.icann.org/display/VIP/.Issues Report Coordination TeamHarald AlvestrandRaiomond DoctorNeha GuptaSarmad HussainManal IsmailAkshat JoshiCary KarpMahesh KulkarniXiaodong LeeEvangelos MelagrakisPanagiotis PapaspiliopoulosVaggelis SegredakisJames SengVladimir ShadrunovAlexei SozonovJoseph Yee Kind Regards, Benedetta Rossi BC Secretariatwww.bizconst.orgsecretariat-bc(a)hotmail.com

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