Dear all

On behalf of the small group working on IDN recommendations, here are the amended recommendations, and findings (which are taken direct from the draft report findings).

I believe that this wording now has consensus among the small group.  The meaning is close to the original recommendations published for public comment, but the text is shorter.

I hope we can sign these off as soon as possible, so please let me have any comments before our call tomorrow.  Those unable to join - please indicate your views.  If I don't hear back I'll assume that everyone is happy.

Kind regards

Emily



Findings:


Perhaps it should be no surprise that within this environment, policy and implementation have not kept pace with the real world.  A significant example of this is Internationalised Domain Names (IDN), which have been available for registration at the second level for over a decade, and at the Top Level for more than a year. During this time, WHOIS policies were not amended to accommodate the obvious need to support non-ASCII character sets even though there was a recognition that Internationalisation is essential for the Internet’s development as a global resource.


The NORC Study on Data Accuracy highlighted IDN contact data as a major cause of apparent inaccuracy.

 


Recommendations

18. ICANN Community should task a working group within 6 months of publication to determine the relevant internationalized domain name registration data requirements and evaluate the available solutions, especially those being successfully implemented by ccTLDs, at least for the adoption of IDN gTLDs, as already stipulated by the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook.The working group should aim for consistency of approach across the gTLD and – on a voluntary basis – the ccTLD space, and report within a year of being tasked.

 

19. The final data model, including (any) requirements for the translation or transliteration of the registration data, should be incorporated in the relevant Registrar and Registry agreements within 6 months of adoption of the working group’s recommendations by the ICANN Board. If these recommendations are not finalized in time for the next revision of such agreements, explicit placeholders for this purpose should be put in place in the agreements for the new gTLD program at this time, and in the existing agreements when they come up for renewal.

 

20. In addition, metrics should be developed to maintain and measure the accuracy of the internationalized registration data and corresponding data in ASCII, with clearly defined compliance methods and targets, as per the details in Recommendations 5-9 in this document.




  

                                                                                                                                            

76 Temple Road, Oxford OX4 2EZ UK
t: +44 (0)1865 582 811 • m: +44 (0)7540 049 322
emily@emilytaylor.eu

www.etlaw.co.uk

Emily Taylor Consultancy Limited is a company registered in England and Wales No. 7630471. VAT No. 114487713.