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Background Documents for Meeting #168: TMCH Requirements
by Ilana Licassi Nov. 25, 2025

Nov. 25, 2025

Dear IRT Members, Attached you will find both the redline and clean versions of the updated Trademark Clearinghouse Rights Protection Mechanism Requirements (“TMCH Requirements”). We plan to go over this in tomorrow’s call on 11/25/25 at 18:00 UTC. For those with access to the google drive, you should have commenter access on this redline version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rDcaY1nPkfwcHpuhI74OY13rp5g99iI2/edit?u… The slide deck will be posted to the Wiki after the call: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/SPIR/pages/532349737/2025… Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you! Best Wishes, Ilana Licassi Research Specialist, New gTLD Program: Support Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

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SubPro IRT Meeting #169 | 2 December 2025, 13:00-14:00 UTC
by Next Round Policy Implementation Nov. 24, 2025

Nov. 24, 2025

Dear All, Meeting #169 of the SubPro IRT will be held on 2 December 2025 at 13:00-14:00 UTC [local time<https://tinyurl.com/p642wyzx>]. The final agenda can be consulted here<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AQChIg>. Before the meeting, please be sure you have read the ICANN Expected Standards of Behavior<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/expected-standards-2016-06-28-en>, the ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy<https://www.icann.org/en/governance/documents/icann-community-anti-harassme…> and the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct<https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/adopted-icann-community-partici…>. We would like to remind participants that to ensure transparency of participation in ICANN's multistakeholder model, we ask that you sign in to Zoom sessions using your full name. For example, First Name and Last Name or Surname. You may be removed from the session if you do not sign in using your full name. Zoom information: Join the Zoom Webinar directly (recommended): https://icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0RnNtRXkyNXJFZW9vdTEzZz09 [icann.zoom.us]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0…> Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: DQ#0L.9x5e Zoom Audio only: One tap mobile +13462487799,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (Houston) +16699006833,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: 5806401747 Should you be unable to attend the meeting, please let us know in advance. A recording will be made available. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. Best regards, Renate

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REMINDER | SubPro IRT Meeting #168 | 25 November 2025, 18:00-19:00 UTC
by Next Round Policy Implementation Nov. 24, 2025

Nov. 24, 2025

Dear All, Meeting #168 of the SubPro IRT will be held on 25 November 2025 at 18:00-19:00 UTC [local time [tinyurl.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/tinyurl.com/yc42b6k3__;!!PtGJab4!87_QBF9…>]. The final agenda can be consulted here [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/KQO…>. Before the meeting, please be sure you have read the ICANN Expected Standards of Behavior<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/expected-standards-2016-06-28-en>, the ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy<https://www.icann.org/en/governance/documents/icann-community-anti-harassme…> and the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct<https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/adopted-icann-community-partici…>. We would like to remind participants that to ensure transparency of participation in ICANN's multistakeholder model, we ask that you sign in to Zoom sessions using your full name. For example, First Name and Last Name or Surname. You may be removed from the session if you do not sign in using your full name. Zoom information: Join the Zoom Webinar directly (recommended): https://icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0RnNtRXkyNXJFZW9vdTEzZz09 [icann.zoom.us]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0…> Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: DQ#0L.9x5e Zoom Audio only: One tap mobile +13462487799,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (Houston) +16699006833,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: 5806401747 Should you be unable to attend the meeting, please let us know in advance. A recording will be made available. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. Best regards, Renate

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SubPro IRT Meeting #168 | 25 November 2025, 18:00-19:00 UTC
by Next Round Policy Implementation Nov. 21, 2025

Nov. 21, 2025

Dear All, Meeting #168 of the SubPro IRT will be held on 25 November 2025 at 18:00-19:00 UTC [local time<https://tinyurl.com/yc42b6k3>]. The final agenda can be consulted here<https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/KQO7Hw>. Before the meeting, please be sure you have read the ICANN Expected Standards of Behavior<https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/expected-standards-2016-06-28-en>, the ICANN Community Anti-Harassment Policy<https://www.icann.org/en/governance/documents/icann-community-anti-harassme…> and the ICANN Community Participant Code of Conduct<https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/adopted-icann-community-partici…>. We would like to remind participants that to ensure transparency of participation in ICANN's multistakeholder model, we ask that you sign in to Zoom sessions using your full name. For example, First Name and Last Name or Surname. You may be removed from the session if you do not sign in using your full name. Zoom information: Join the Zoom Webinar directly (recommended): https://icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0RnNtRXkyNXJFZW9vdTEzZz09 [icann.zoom.us]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann.zoom.us/j/97063459905?pwd=VUVsd0J0…> Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: DQ#0L.9x5e Zoom Audio only: One tap mobile +13462487799,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (Houston) +16699006833,,97063459905#,,,,*5806401747# US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 970 6345 9905 Passcode: 5806401747 Should you be unable to attend the meeting, please let us know in advance. A recording will be made available. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions. Best regards, Renate

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Re: Upcoming Meetings/Topics
by Lars Hoffmann Nov. 20, 2025

Nov. 20, 2025

Quick follow-up, to avoid confusion/heart failure/worse: “9 December meeting; 13-14 UTC; Outreach and Engagement; Heads up on opening of the application window (latter may move to 11 Dec)” This refers to the topic “opening date” my shift to the IRT meeting on 11 December 2025. It does not mean that the opening window as such may shift to 11 December 2026. Best. Lars From: Lars Hoffmann via SubPro-IRT <subpro-irt(a)icann.org> Reply to: Lars Hoffmann <lars.hoffmann(a)icann.org> Date: Thursday, 20 November 2025 at 14:33 To: Anne ICANN via SubPro-IRT <subpro-irt(a)icann.org> Subject: [SubPro-IRT] Upcoming Meetings/Topics Dear IRT members, After a quiet period following ICANN84, we are planning to hold four IRT meetings in the run up to the end-of-year holidays. So, I wanted to provide you with a quick overview of what we have on the agenda: IRT Meeting on 25 November 18-19 UTC; Topic: TMCH Specification IRT Meeting on 2 December 13-14 UTC; Topics: Base RA Spec 14; ICANN’s plan for managing any surplus/deficit as a result of the New gTLD program (latter may move to 9 December) IRT Meeting on 9 December 13-14 UTC; Outreach and Engagement; Heads up on opening of the application window (latter may move to 11 Dec) IRT Meeting on 11 December 18-19 UTC; Name Collision Procedure Document Additional items to be shared via the mailing list: * On the DRSP Rules and Fees, we expect to share all of these with you no later than15 December (some will come sooner) * On the FAQs related to PICDRP, RRDRP, and TM-PDDRP, we expect to share these with you in February 2026. Thanks and best wishes, Lars

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Upcoming Meetings/Topics
by Lars Hoffmann Nov. 20, 2025

Nov. 20, 2025

Dear IRT members, After a quiet period following ICANN84, we are planning to hold four IRT meetings in the run up to the end-of-year holidays. So, I wanted to provide you with a quick overview of what we have on the agenda: IRT Meeting on 25 November 18-19 UTC; Topic: TMCH Specification IRT Meeting on 2 December 13-14 UTC; Topics: Base RA Spec 14; ICANN’s plan for managing any surplus/deficit as a result of the New gTLD program (latter may move to 9 December) IRT Meeting on 9 December 13-14 UTC; Outreach and Engagement; Heads up on opening of the application window (latter may move to 11 Dec) IRT Meeting on 11 December 18-19 UTC; Name Collision Procedure Document Additional items to be shared via the mailing list: * On the DRSP Rules and Fees, we expect to share all of these with you no later than15 December (some will come sooner) * On the FAQs related to PICDRP, RRDRP, and TM-PDDRP, we expect to share these with you in February 2026. Thanks and best wishes, Lars

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ASP Milestone Update
by Kristy Buckley Nov. 20, 2025

Nov. 20, 2025

Greetings, Yesterday, 19 November, was the first deadline in the Applicant Support Program (ASP) application submission period. As you may recall, ICANN announced an extension<https://www.icann.org/en/announcements/details/icann-extends-deadline-for-a…>: applicants that enter organizational information in the system by 19 November 2025 will have until 19 December 2025 to submit a complete application. 126 submitted their Organizational details to ICANN. Of these, 106 are considered “active”. Meaning, the applicant has had some activity in the ASP Application System in the last 90 days. Active submitted Organizations are distributed across the ICANN regions as follows: * Africa: 22 * APAC: 41 * Europe: 11 * LAC: 4 * N. America: 28 Many thanks to everyone in the ASP-IRT, SubPro-IRT, and broader ICANN Community who contributed to reaching this milestone. We look forward to sharing an update with the final application submission numbers on 19 December. Kind regards, Kristy, on behalf of the ASP Team

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Re: CANCELLED | SubPro IRT Meeting #167 | 20 November 2025, 18:00-19:00 UTC
by Pruis, Elaine Nov. 14, 2025

Nov. 14, 2025

Hi, I’m concerned we won’t have enough time to cover the remaining items if we don’t meet in November. This list was provided October 14th, are there additional items? Elaine From: Next Round Policy Implementation via SubPro-IRT <subpro-irt(a)icann.org> Reply-To: Next Round Policy Implementation <NextRound_PolicyImplementation(a)icann.org> Date: Friday, November 14, 2025 at 7:53 AM To: "subpro-irt(a)icann.org" <subpro-irt(a)icann.org> Subject: [EXTERNAL] [SubPro-IRT] CANCELLED | SubPro IRT Meeting #167 | 20 November 2025, 18:00-19:00 UTC Caution: This email originated from outside the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear All, Meeting #167 of the SubPro IRT of 20 November 2025 at 18:00-19:00 UTC [local time [tinyurl.com]] is cancelled Best regards, Renate

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CANCELLED | SubPro IRT Meeting #167 | 20 November 2025, 18:00-19:00 UTC
by Next Round Policy Implementation Nov. 14, 2025

Nov. 14, 2025

Dear All, Meeting #167 of the SubPro IRT of 20 November 2025 at 18:00-19:00 UTC [local time [tinyurl.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/tinyurl.com/ybm279cp__;!!PtGJab4!7tzAbAl…>] is cancelled Best regards, Renate

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Council Motion Passed in Relation to the IGO/INGO Reserved Names Issue
by Anne ICANN Nov. 14, 2025

Nov. 14, 2025

Please see below the language of the Reserved Names Motion that passed at Council today. Anne and Susan Anne Aikman-Scalese GNSO Councilor NomCom Non-Voting 2022-2026 anneicanngnso(a)gmail.com *Council Confirmation of Policy Intent regarding Specific IGO/INGO PDP Recommendations* *Submitted By: Susan Payne* *Seconded By: Nacho Amadoz* Whereas: 1. In November 2013, the Working Group for the Protection of International Governmental Organizations (IGO) and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO) in All gTLDs completed a Policy Development Process (PDP) and submitted its *Final Report [gnso.icann.org]* <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/gnso.icann.org/en/issues/igo-ingo-final-…> to the GNSO Council; 2. On 20 November 2013, the GNSO Council *approved [gnso.icann.org]* <https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/gnso.icann.org/en/council/resolutions*201…> all the consensus recommendations in the PDP Final Report; 3. On 30 April 2014, the ICANN Board *approved* <https://www.icann.org/en/board-activities-and-meetings/materials/approved-r…> those of the GNSO’s consensus recommendations that were not inconsistent with advice received from the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) on the topic of IGO and INGO protections, which recommended top-level protections for specific identifiers associated with the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement and the International Olympic Committee and the full names of specific International Governmental Organizations and International Non-Governmental Organizations “the protected organizations”); 4. In the context of implementing the PDP Recommendations in the Next Round Applicant Guidebook, the implementation staff and the Implementation Review Team (IRT) discussed potential alternatives for the implementation of Recommendations 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 from the Protection of IGO and INGO in All gTLDs PDP (“the Applicable Recommendations”), the so-called “Options 1 and 2” as set out in the staff *briefing [icann-community.atlassian.net]* <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/space…> but could not reach agreement on which option properly reflects the intent and scope of the protections afforded by the Applicable Recommendations. 5. On 15 September 2025 staff referred this matter to the GNSO Council for guidance on the interpretation of the Applicable Recommendations, as a late addition to the agenda of the GNSO Council meeting on 18 September 2025. 6. On 16 September 2025, the ICANN Board sent *correspondence* <https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/sinha-to-samme-nlar-am…> to the GNSO Council, providing the Board’s interpretation of the relevant recommendations, while acknowledging that the decision resides with the Council; 7. The Council discussed the request for guidance during its meeting on 18 September, Extraordinary Meeting on 9 October 2025, and meeting on 29October 2025; and, 8. The Council has now carefully considered the natural meaning and original intent of Recommendations 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 from the Protection of IGO and INGO in All gTLDs PDP. Resolved: 1. The GNSO Council confirms that the intent of the Applicable Recommendations is only to ensure that no organization other than the protected organization can apply for the exact match of the specific, protected identifier associated with that organization, and that as such, Reserved Name strings are now placed in the category formerly-termed “ineligible for delegation” under paragraph 2.2.1.2.3 of the 2012 Round AGB. Accordingly, the relevant identifiers shall not be included in the String Similarity Evaluation in the New gTLD Program and such a relevant identifier shall not operate as a bar to an application by another applicant for a string that could be considered potentially confusingly similar during that evaluation. Objection proceedings and GAC Advice could still be brought against such a third-party application, where applicable, in the usual manner. Pursuant to existing policy, any application submitted by a protected organization for its protected string would remain subject to existing policy barring delegation if such string is found to be visually-confusingly similar to a string previously delegated. Option 1 would align with this interpretation. 2. The GNSO Council acknowledges that this was a difficult issue. Although the majority support this interpretation as best reflecting the intent of the policy recommendations, which were made more than a decade ago, this view was not unanimous. It is clear that reasonable people can differ as to this intent. 3. The GNSO appreciates the Board’s consideration of steps which could be taken to ensure that the protected organizations and GAC are made aware, if any application for a confusingly similar string were to be submitted, as set out in the penultimate paragraph of the *Board’s letter * <https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/correspondence/sinha-to-samme-nlar-am…>of 26 September 2025. The GNSO Council would support and encourage the following steps: a) The application process must prominently display and clearly communicate the Reserved Names list so that TLD applicants are fully aware of its existence and implications prior to filing its choice of the TLD string. b) That Org should contact the relevant protected organizations after String Confirmation Day to ensure they are aware of any applied-for strings that could be considered confusingly similar to those on the Reserved Names list, and are aware of their options for bringing formal Objection or seeking support of the GAC. c) That Org should also contact the GAC after String Confirmation Day to ensure that the GAC are aware of any applied-for strings that could be considered confusingly similar to those on the Reserved Names list, in order that GAC members may consider whether any Early Warning(s) or GAC Consensus Advice would be appropriate. d) We also would encourage the GAC to contact the relevant protected organizations to ensure that they are aware of any applied-for strings and can decide whether to utilize any challenge methods outlined in the AGB. e) That Org should also notify the applicant of the confusingly similar string, and give them the option to withdraw for an appropriate refund. f) The GNSO Council notes that procedures exist under the AGB and ICANN Bylaws that govern how a TLD application is treated, where an objection is filed or GAC advice is submitted against the string, pending resolution of the same. g) ) The GNSO Council further recommends that the IRT and Org consider including a provision in the reserved names section of the AGB advising potential applicants that ICANN will notify the GAC and the relevant protected organizations to ensure they are aware of any relevant applied-for strings. 4. If the Board considers it timely for the existing policy to be reviewed, the GNSO Council would invite the Board to request an issues report for further potential policy work which might apply to subsequent future rounds. The GNSO Council assumes that Org would again be instructed to take any steps considered appropriate to safeguard the strings on the Reserved Names List from any confusingly similar applications, which might be submitted in any application round pending the future conclusion of such policy work. 5. The GNSO Council requests that its liaisons to the SubPro IRT provide this information to the implementation staff and IRT.

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