Dear IDNs EPDP Working Group,

Please find below the notes and action items from today’s meeting on Wednesday, 11 August 2021 at 14:00 UTC.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, 18 August at 13:30 UTC.

Best regards,

Steve, Marika, and Emily

IDNs EPDP – Notes and Action Items

Meeting #1 on 11 August 2021

ACTION ITEMS

ACTION ITEM 1: Members to send an introduction to the mailing list if they have not yet done so.

ACTION ITEM 2: Working Group to continue discussion on selection of the Vice Chair on the mailing list, noting that there are two volunteers for the role.

ACTION ITEM 3: Members to complete background reading assignment if they have not yet done so.

ACTION ITEM 4: Staff to schedule next meeting for 18 August at 13:30 UTC.

ACTION ITEM 5: Staff to open doodle on possible permanent meeting slot.

NOTES

Welcome from the Chair

Focus of the call will be introductory tasks for the EPDP, as outlined in the agenda.
Edmon emphasizes the importance of this EPDP in the implementation of IDNs and notes that it is 20 years in the making.
Those members who have not yet sent an introduction to the mailing list are encouraged to do so.

ACTION ITEM 1: Members to send an introduction to the mailing list if they have not yet done so.

Vice Chair

The WG has the option to appoint a Vice Chair although this is not a requirement.
Chair encourages appointment of a Vice Chair so that the work can continue without disruption if the Chair is away.
In order to serve as Vice Chair, you must be a participant (not a member). If a member is interested in the role, s/he will need to switch to a participant.
Some support expressed for having a Vice Chair.
Donna Austin (Participant) and Anil Jain (Participant) both expressed willingness to volunteer for this role.
The charter anticipates that there will be a single Vice Chair.
Conversation on the selection of a Vice Chair will continue on the mailing list.

ACTION ITEM 2: Working Group to continue discussion on selection of the Vice Chair on the mailing list, noting that there are two volunteers for the role.

Charter

There is a Variant TLD staff paper that was taken into consideration by the SubPro PDP when developing its policy recommendations.
Two core principles: 1. RZ-LGR must be the only source for valid TLDs and their variant labels. 2. Same entity principle for top-level, second-level, and the ensuing combinations.
SubPro made several recommendations under Topic 25 in its Final Report, focused exclusively on TLDs in subsequent application rounds.
EPDP Chartering Group did an analysis drawing on previous work on this topic to identify “gaps” that this EPDP may need to address. Goal: make the charter questions as concise as possible.
Depending on timing of the SubPro IRT, there may need to be coordination with that group on specific items in this WG’s charter.
Charter questions are divided into sections A-G.

A. Consistent definition and technical utilization of RZ-LGR

B. “Same entity” at the top-level

C. “Same entity” at the second-level

D. Adjustments in registry agreement, registry service, registry transition process, and other processes/procedures related to the domain name lifecycle

E. Adjustments to objection process, string similarity review, string contention resolution, reserved strings, and other policies and procedures

Version Date: 20 May 2021~ 17~F. Adjustments in registration dispute resolution procedures and trademark protection mechanisms

G. Process to update the IDN Implementation Guidelines

Question: What position will this group take on UA and I18N concerns?
Response: The core of our work focuses on IDN variants, although there may be elements that touch on these topics.
Question: Can this group go further than the SubPro recommendations if it chooses to do so?
Response: The WG can extend beyond what SubPro recommendations include, but it should only do so if it finds that SubPro missed something or there is new information. It should not repeat deliberations that have already taken place.
This charter is structured to look at some of the implications in detail that SubPro didn’t look at. This WG will also be looking to extend SubPro recommendations on future gTLDs to existing gTLDs.
Question: Would it be possible to get an update on the ccPDP on IDNs?
Response: The ccPDP WG has done a significant amount of work on variant management, second level variant distribution, and RZ-LGR. The WG expects that the sub-group on variant management will complete discussion on this topic in the next month for consideration by the full WG. This GNSO WG will have an opportunity to review and consider the ccPDP outputs on this topic as well.

Operating Mode/Working Methods

Structure of this EPDP is member + open, which includes members, participants, and observers.
Members and participants largely take part on equal footing. Participants can take part in deliberation in meetings on the mailing lists, but they do not take part in the consensus processes. Only members take part in the consensus designation process. When the WG is looking for official positions from different groups in the community, it will be members that will present these positions.
This WG will follow the GNSO’s Standard Methodology for Making Decisions (section 3.6 of the GNSO Working Group Guidelines). Please see the charter for detailed information about levels of support: Full Consensus, Consensus, Strong Support by Significant Opposition, Divergence, Minority View.
The consensus designation process is a qualitative analysis done by the Chair. It is not a vote. It is an iterative process in which WG members have opportunity to provide feedback on the Chair’s designation.
Procedurally, it is a valid outcome if the WG does not reach Full Consensus or Consensus on its outcomes.
This WG will draw on the Consensus Playbook, an output from the GNSO’s “PDP 3.0” effort to increase effectiveness and efficiency of the PDP. The Playbook emphasizes negotiating for “mutual gains” and draws on techniques for coming to agreement on topics where there are different interests at play. It is a useful resource for this and other groups in the ICANN context.

ACTION ITEM 3: Members to complete background reading assignment if they have not yet done so.

Work Plan: Initial areas of focus

High-level review of the topics within the charter to make sure the sequence of topics in the charter make sense and confirm that the WG should deliberate on topics in that order. This will assist with preparing the work plan to deliver to the GNSO Council. The work plan will be one of the WG’s first deliverables.
The WG will prepare to request input from SO/AC/SG/Cs on topics in the charter. This is a required element of PDPs and EPDPs.
Meeting frequency and schedule: Suggestion to meet weekly at around the same time as today’s meeting or a little earlier (perhaps 30 mins earlier). Different perspectives expressed about the preferred time. Staff to open a doodle with possible times.

ACTION ITEM 4: Staff to schedule next meeting for 18 August at 13:30 UTC.

ACTION ITEM 5: Staff to open doodle on possible permanent meeting slot.

Emily Barabas

Policy Development Support Senior Manager

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Phone: +31 (0)6 84507976