<br clear="all"><h2><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">News
Alert</span></h2>
<p style="margin-top:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:7.5pt;margin-left:0in"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><a href="http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22mar10-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22mar10-en.htm</a></span></p>
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<h2 style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">Proposed
Implementation Plan for Synchronized IDN ccTLDs</span></h2>
<p style="margin-top:11.25pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;margin-left:
0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">22
March 2010</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">ICANN is pleased to announce
the public comment period for the <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/proposed-plan-synchronized-idn-cctlds-22mar10-en.pdf">proposed
Implementation Plan for Synchronized IDN ccTLDs</a> [PDF, 440K]. Synchronized
IDN ccTLDs are described by situations in the Fast Track Process where: </span></p>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">IDN ccTLDs
are requested in more than one official language or script in a
country/territory, </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">the
requests for corresponding multiple strings are considered equivalent and
delegation would solve a significant problem for Internet users, and </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list .5in"><span style="font-family:
"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">users
accessing domains under any of the equivalent IDN ccTLDs expect that such
domains will resolve to the same address or value. </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">If approved by the ICANN
Board, the proposed implementation plan and process will be available for IDN
ccTLD requests for synchronized IDN ccTLDs that have completed the String
Evaluation step in the Fast Track Process. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Following successful
completion of the evaluation process, the requesters may initiate delegation of
the synchronized IDN ccTLDs by following ICANN's standard processes for TLD
delegation, through the IANA function. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The implementation plan is
based on a set of <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-12mar10-en.htm#13">principles</a>
created by the Equivalent Strings Working Group (ES-WG) that was <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/resolutions-12mar10-en.htm#12">formed by
the ICANN Board </a>at the Nairobi meeting. The ES-WG was formed to review the
issue relating to synchronized IDN ccTLDs, and develop a framework to guide
development of the synchronized implementation plan. The ES-WG remains
available for consultation during consideration of this plan. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Proposed Implementation
Plan is posted for public comments through 13 April 2010, after which it will
be provided the ICANN Board for their considerations at their meeting on 22
April 2010. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Comments can be submitted at <a href="mailto:sync-idn-cctlds@icann.org">sync-idn-cctlds@icann.org</a> and
reviewed at <a href="http://forum.icann.org/lists/sync-idn-cctlds">http://forum.icann.org/lists/sync-idn-cctlds</a>.
</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">General information about
ICANN's IDN Program can be found here: <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/ </a></span></p>
<p><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Final Implementation Plan
for the IDN ccTLD Fast Track Process can be found here: <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/idn-cctld-implementation-plan-16nov09-en.pdf">http://www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/fast-track/idn-cctld-implementation-plan-16nov09-en.pdf
</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New Roman"">The IDNC Final report can be found here: <a href="http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-26jun08-en.htm">http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-26jun08-en.htm
</a></span></p>
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