Sorry for the delay on sending this to the list. Following up from the previous meeting, I wanted to bring up the topic of joint ventures, and their formation as part of the gTLD process. Specifically, I'm referring to section 1.4 from the Additional Topics document: For example, if there is string contention and each of the applicants in a contention set agree, then applicants should be allowed to 1) create joint ventures [..] Implementation Guidance: ICANN org may determine that in the event of a joint venture, re-evaluation is needed to ensure that the new entity still meets the requirements of the program. The applicant may be responsible for additional, material costs incurred by ICANN due to re-evaluation and the application could be subject to delays. After sleeping on this, I have concerns here. First, what specifically triggers re-evaluation vs. simply continuing in the process. As written, this suggests that two applicants can simply form a JV and the process could proceed to delegation. Secondly, if a JV (or other entity) requires re-evaluation, what specifically happens? And finally, what happens if part of the JV disappears or dissolves? Given the time lengths in approving gTLDs, it's not unreasonable to assume this case could occur. Michael