For your information.

From: ICANN Global Support <noreply-globalsupport@icann.org>
Date: Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 11:50 AM
To: Janella Conroy <janella.conroy@icann.org>
Subject: Contracted Parties Briefing ICANN63

27 September 2018

Greetings,

As ICANN’s Global Domains Division (GDD) prepares for the ICANN63 meeting in Barcelona, Spain, we would like to highlight some recent, more notable, community-impacting activities and projects below. We look forward to your feedback and continued participation.

New & Noteworthy

Meet with us at ICANN63 Barcelona

If you plan to attend ICANN63 and want to schedule an in-person meeting with your GDD engagement manager or other members of the ICANN organization, please submit your request to globalsupport@icann.org no later than Friday, 12 October 2018 with the following information:

• Your name and title*

• Company affiliation(s)*

• Names, email addresses and phone numbers of other attendees*

• A brief description of the topic(s) you wish to address

• Requested ICANN org attendees (if applicable)

• Your date and time preference(s) (20–25 October between 9:00–17:30 local time)

We will do our best to accommodate requests and ensure that relevant ICANN org staff join the meeting. The full meeting schedule will be available 1 October 2018.

* Note: By submitting your personal data, you agree that your personal data will be processed in accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy, and agree to abide by the Terms of Service.

Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data

On 21 August 2018, the Board reaffirmed the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data for an additional ninety (90) days. This Temporary Specification was initially adopted by Board Resolution on 17 May 2018, pursuant to procedures outlined for establishing temporary policies in ICANN's agreements with registry operators and registrars. This Temporary Specification became effective on 25 May 2018 and may be reaffirmed for successive 90-day periods by the ICANN Board for a total period not to exceed one year from the effective date.

Update on the Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP)

The RDAP pilot discussion group and the ICANN organization posted a proposed generic top-level domain (gTLD) RDAP profile for Public Comment, which follows the Board-approved requirements of the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. ICANN org continues to work with the contracted parties to reach agreement on proposals for gTLD RDAP service level agreement (SLA) and registry reporting requirements. The proposals will be posted for public comment once an agreement is reached. While RDAP delivers registration data similar to WHOIS, its implementation is expected to help standardize registration data access and query response formats. Learn more about this process, the plans surrounding the review, the proposed gTLD RDAP profile, SLA and reporting requirements here. As a reminder, the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data requires gTLD registry operators and registrars to implement an RDAP service within a 135-day period after notification from ICANN. All registry operators and registrars should begin preparing now.

ICANN Publishes Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover Guide

As the ICANN organization prepares to change the cryptographic keys that help protect the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), the organization has published a guide to let people know what to expect. The changing of the keys, known as the "Root Key Signing Key (KSK) Rollover," is currently scheduled for 11 October 2018. Registrars and registry operators must ensure their DNS resolvers are properly configured with the new key. The new ICANN guide provides information for audiences with varying levels of technical expertise, to help prepare for the rollover. The guide can be accessed here.

2019 GDD Industry Summit, Registration Operations Workshop, DNS Symposium, and DNS Operations, Analysis and Research Center (DNS-OARC)

The 2019 Global Domains Division Industry Summit will be held in Bangkok, Thailand at the Shangri-La hotel from 6–9 May. This event will be followed by Registration Operations Workshop (9 May), DNS Symposium (10–11 May), and DNS OARC (12–13 May) meetings.

Enhancements to TMDB Security Settings Coming Soon

A reminder for all contracted parties, the security configuration for the Trademark Database (TMDB) interfaces will be updated on 10 December 2018. Beginning 10 October 2018, the TMDB Operational Testing & Evaluation (OT&E) systems will be available for validation and testing. All contracted parties who utilize the TMDB systems are encouraged to use this testing period to ensure a seamless transition to the new security settings. More information is available here.

Keep Contacts Current in ICANN Systems

A reminder for all contracted parties: To avoid missing an important communication, please take a moment now to confirm your contacts are up to date in ICANN’s systems. Please review the details and instructions for registrars here. Registry operators should log into the Naming Services portal to request an update to contacts.

Reminder to Participate in the Sunrise and Trademark Claims Survey

The Sunrise and Trademark Claims Survey is available for individuals interested in sharing their feedback about Rights Protection Mechanisms (RPMs). The Sunrise and Trademark Claims RPMs were adopted as part of the New Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program. The survey period was extended and will run until Friday, 5 October 2018. If you started but did not complete the survey, please click the survey link below and resume the survey beginning with your last question. We appreciate your feedback. It is essential for evaluating RPMs and ICANN’s data collection efforts related to them.

Registry Operator Survey: If your company operates non-brand new gTLDs.

Registrar Survey: If respondents started the survey but have not yet finished.

Policy Implementation Updates

Privacy and Proxy Service Provider Implementation Review Team

The Implementation Review Team (IRT) is reviewing the proposed accreditation program requirements before proceeding to Public Comment. The IRT will have a working meeting at ICANN63. More information about the IRT’s work is available on the IRT wiki page.

Registrars

New Registrar Resources

The Registrar Services team recently published several new resources. These include the GDD General Operations Handbook, Registrar Communications page, the Registrar Library, New Registrar Accreditation Application questions and Registrar Billing Frequently Asked Questions. Many of these materials have been translated and are available on the Registrar Resources page.

Registrar Billing Changes

ICANN org will invoice the registrars’ accreditation fees annually unless registrars request quarterly invoicing. This is detailed in the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Application and will reduce the transfer fees for registrars. If you prefer to be billed quarterly for these fees, please contact globalsupport@icann.org. See Billing FAQs or Registrar Fees for more information.

Registrar Fee Vote

Every year, ICANN requests registrar approval for the registrars’ fee schedule. The proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Registrar Fee Schedule retains all elements of the schedule approved for the previous six (6) years. See the FY19 budget for further details. On 5 September, registrars received an invitation to vote. We encourage your participation by Friday, 5 October 2018.

Registries

Registry-Registrar Agreement Amendments to comply with the Temporary Specification - Translated versions now available

All Registry Operators need to ensure their Registry-Registrar Agreement (RRA) complies with Section 6.3 of the Temporary Specification for gTLD Registration Data. ICANN, in conjunction with the gTLD Registries and Registrars Stakeholder Groups, has developed an amendment terms template to facilitate RRA updates to comply with the Temporary Specification. Instructions to make these changes are available here. Please note you’ll need to provide the cover note, a clean and redline version of the amended RRA and a list of the impacted TLDs in your submission to ICANN org. The template is now available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish. For other RRA Amendments unrelated to the Temporary Specification, please refer to the Registry-Registrar Agreement Amendment procedure and the new How to Guide.

We hope this information provides you with additional insight and transparency into our ongoing activities and look forward to your feedback.

Best regards,

Cyrus Namazi

Vice President, Domain Name Services and Industry Engagement

ICANN Global Domains Division

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To reference past registry operator communications please click here.

To reference past registrar communications please click here.