[AfrICANN-discuss] News from ICANN - TWNIC to host regional meeting and Advisory regarding Inter-regsitrar Transfer Policy

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

Notice of Intent to Issue Advisory Regarding the Inter-Registrar Transfer
Policy

19 September 2007

ICANN has observed that there is confusion within the registrar community
concerning the circumstances under which registrars may validly deny
transfer requests pursuant to the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy ("Transfer
Policy"). The purpose of this Notice of Intent to Issue an Advisory
regarding the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy is to allow interested parties
30 days to comment on the proposed
advisory<http://www.icann.org/announcements/proposed-advisory-19sep07.htm>.
ICANN will consider all comments received at the close of the 30-day comment
period. Interested parties have until 19 October 2007 to submit comments at
retransfers-comments at icann.org. Posted comments can be viewed at
http://forum.icann.org/lists/retransfers-comments/.

The purpose of the proposed advisory is to assist ICANN-accredited
registrars in understanding that under the Transfer Policy:

   1. Registrars are prohibited from denying a domain name transfer
   request based on non-payment of fees for pending or future registration
   periods during the Auto-Renew Grace Period; and
   2. A registrant change to Whois information is not a valid basis for
   denying a transfer request.

 Developed through ICANN's consensus policy process, the Transfer Policy was
approved unanimously by ICANN's Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO)
and its Board of Directors. After consultation with several interested
parties, the Transfer Policy was adopted in 2004. The Transfer Policy
provides domain name holders with a standardized process for transferring
their domain names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another upon
request. All ICANN-accredited registrars and unsponsored gTLD registry
operators are required to comply with the Transfer Policy pursuant to their
agreements with ICANN.

With over 900 ICANN-accredited registrars operating in the marketplace,
offering a myriad of services, consumers have a diversity of options for the
provision of registration services, from full service registration packages
with web-hosting options, to bargain registration packages providing minimal
customer service. However, this diversity of options cannot be fully
appreciated by consumers if the provisions of the Transfer Policy are
interpreted and applied inconsistently by registrars, thereby preventing
consumers from freely transferring their domain names when they choose to do
so.

The Transfer Policy allows domain name holders to transfer their domain
names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another, except under nine
limited circumstances. Registrar transfer denials that are not based on the
nine reasons enumerated in the Transfer Policy discourage competition,
create confusion, encourage abuse and violate the Transfer policy. The
purpose of the proposed advisory is to provide clarity and promote
consistent handling of transfer requests.

The Transfer Policy has proven to be a valuable resource for consumers
enabling them to exercise freedom of choice in the domain name registration
marketplace. For the benefit of consumers, registrars, registries and other
interested parties, ICANN issued today's proposed advisory to clarify the
limited circumstances under which the Transfer Policy allows registrars to
deny transfer requests. Comments regarding the proposed advisory are
encouraged.

ICANN is aware that the GNSO's Transfers Working Group is currently studying
several issues related to the Transfer Policy with the intention of
recommending language modifications to the GNSO Council. However, the
purpose of ICANN's proposed advisory is to clarify existing policy.

*********************************************************
ICANN, TWNIC Host "Toward the New Era of Internet" in Taipei

Internationalized domain names, Internet security key topics at three-day
meeting

20 September 2007

*MARINA DEL REY, Calif.*: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers is joining forces with the Taiwan Network Information Centre (TWNIC)
to host a special regional meeting -- "Toward the New Era of Internet" -- in
Taipei 19-21 October 2007.

"ICANN, TWNIC, and the global Internet community are tackling some of the
most important issues impacting the Internet since its creation," said Dr
Paul Twomey, ICANN's President and CEO. "This meeting is an opportunity for
technical communities, Internet businesses, and policy makers from the
Asia-Pacific to come together and share thoughts and ideas on how we can
move forward together."

Some of the meeting highlights include:

   - Internet security and the challenges it presents to governments,
   service providers, and end-users
   - The need for a migration to IPv6, with its 340 trillion trillion
   trillion Internet Protocol addresses, because of the depletion of the
   widely-used IPv4 space
   - One of the last official ICANN functions for Board Chair Vint Cerf,
   whose term ends at the Los Angeles International Public Meeting at the end
   of October.
   - ICANN's progress on implementing internationalized domain names
   (IDNs), which have the goal of adding to the 37 characters presently
   available for domain names to tens of thousands of characters from many of
   the languages of the world.

 "IDNs are going to change the face of the Internet when they arrive -- it
will give people the chance to register domain names with their names in
their languages," Dr Twomey added. "ICANN is about to launch a technical
evaluation of the impact IDNs will have, and if all goes well
internationalized domain names could be available sometime in 2008."

Links to the agenda and registration for the Taipei meeting are online at:
http://taipei2007.icann.org/.

*About ICANN: *

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of
unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes
like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that
help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of
these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global
stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's
ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized,
public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit:
www.icann.org.

*Media Contacts: *

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN (USA)
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan at icann.org

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson at edelman.com
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